National Taco Day 2017: Where To Find Freebies, Best Deals On Wednesday

If you love tacos then you have a good reason to rejoice because Wednesday is National Taco Day.

The word taco is considered to be the Mexican equivalent of the English word sandwich, according to the National Taco Day website which also reported that last year Americans ate over 4.5 billion tacos. Tacos consist of the tortilla which is made of wheat or corn and is folded or wrapped around a delicious filling usually made of spiced proteins like chicken, beef, pork or fish.

There are several other varieties of tacos such as the tofu taco or popular breakfast egg taco. You'll see tacos garnished with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, cilantro, dollops of sour cream, salsa, corn, cheese or anything else that can be sprinkled atop meat to make it a versatile dish.

What is the origin of taco? That is not exactly known. However, the word is said to have originated from the silver mines in Mexico during the 18th century when taco would mean pieces of paper wrapped around gunpowder that worked as little explosives used to extract the ore, according to taco expert Jeffrey M. Pilcher.

“When you think about it, a chicken taquito with a good hot sauce is really a lot like a stick of dynamite,” Pilcher said, according to the National Taco Day website.

“The first references [to the taco] in any sort of archive or dictionary come from the end of the 19th century. And one of the first types of tacos described is called 'tacos de minero'—miner’s tacos. So the taco is not necessarily this age-old cultural expression; it’s not a food that goes back to time immemorial,” he added.

There are so many ways to satisfy your taco cravings on the National Taco Day. Here are some of the few exciting deals that you can check out in some of your favorite local spots.

Taco Bell: At participating locations, the chain is offering a special "National Taco Day gift set" Wednesday. You can get the four classic Taco Bell tacos — Nacho Cheese, Cool Ranch, Fiery Doritos Locos Tacos, and the Crunchy Taco which is "gift wrapped" in a limited edition wrapper and specially boxed for just $5. The taco chain has also teamed up with Forever 21 to create a collection of hoodies, sweatshirts, bodysuits marking the occasion that are scheduled to go on sale on Oct. 11 at select Forever 21 outlets.

Chuy's Tacos: If you dress like a taco Wednesday and visit the store, your entry will be free. Customers are allowed to add a taco to any order for $1 on this day, Chuy's Tacos told ABC News.

Taco Bueno: They are offering a free taco with any purchase you make on National Taco Day.

Taco Cabana: On Wednesday, they are offering 50 percent off on chicken fajita tacos, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT at participating locations. The offer is valid on dine-in only and one per person.

Jimboys Tacos: To celebrate National Taco Day, Jimboys is offering one free taco with every taco you purchase, valid up to three free tacos per guest only at participating locations. The offer applies to only to the Original Ground Beef Taco and Bean Taco.