People on TikTok are sharing taco recipes made in the “Swedish” style, and it’s bananas.
Swedish tacos are all over TikTok. An uptick in recipes, explainers, and reactions related to a food that is apparently a dietary staple in Sweden were posted to the platform in the last week of April. As Swedes of TikTok celebrated the dish on social media, others heard about it for the first time. Many, many TikTokers were reluctant to embrace the Swedish version of a Mexican classic.
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In response to Swedish Taco TikTok, @tommylee338 commented, “*lowers Mexican flag to half-mast*.”
What is a Swedish Taco?
It’s a Mexican taco with some *extra* ingredients, prepared using a prepackaged spice packet and served on a flour tortilla. In Sweden, the dish even has its own day of the week (Friday). For the rest of us who are just catching up—it’s the banana that’s really throwing people off.
TLDR: it’s a taco with banana slices mixed in.
This Swedish taco cooking tutorial was off to an unassuming start: chopped red onions, assembled canned corn, jarred salsa, and tortilla chips. Some unexpected ingredients were sprinkled in: yogurt (Gräddfil), roughly chopped cucumbers—like a riff on a falafel or a wrap—fine. There was, of course, avocado, lettuce, beef, and cheese. But then, as the taco was plated, thick slices of banana suddenly appeared?
@gustafwestman SWEDISH TACOS !!!
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“I was like this is just tacos, why is it Swedish tacos, then I saw the banana—explained everything,” commented @mrchuwy123.
“Did I see a banana?” asked @__quillmonger.
“Not the banana slices,” said @officialrachan.
“BANANA?? Straight to jail,” said @krystal_d_.
@foxii00 replied, “I’m gonna tell myself that’s a plantain and not a banana so I can sleep tonight.”
People don’t know why Swedish Tacos 🥒🌮🍌 are suddenly trending
“I feel like we’re being trolled 😩😩how am I just now hearing about this? Why is it all over my timeline???😩😩,” TikTok user @thegirlyface replied to a Swedish Taco explainer video.
Could it be because of the cute dishes featured in @gustofwestman’s cooking tutorial that racked up over 1.4M views? Westman’s video includes banana, the ingredient Swedish taco controversy is centered around.
Originally posted Feb 13, 2025, many of the 2K comments in response to Westman’s Swedish taco video are from April and May. The dishes were designed by Gustof Westman himself. According to an interview published on April 18 by design and interiors publication Domino, the Stockholm-based designer is internet-famous for his aesthetic furniture and viral houseware objects.
@terpenequeen13 asked, “WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THE FREAKING PLATES?” Commenters replied, “I’ve been looking everywhere for this set since I saw the video,” and “I’m here strictly for the plates.”
Some Swedes deny that bananas are a taco topping in their culture, but this 8-year-old Reddit thread says otherwise
Comments like these were interspersed throughout the conversation: “We don’t use banana guys; it’s a joke,” replied @1mot02.
Reddit user alisonb4993 started a thread in 2016 titled: “Weird, but important question. What is this?”
The question was accompanied by a photo of a “taco” that looks like a piece of flatbread topped with ground beef, tomatoes, cucumbers, and banana slices.
A pretty nonchalant reply from an r/Nordiccountries user read, “Looks like the classic Swedish take on tacos. The terrible bread and the bananas gave it away.”
Cozy Fridays and the Santa Maria spice packet
The one thing Swedish taco enthusiasts seemed to agree on was the spice packet.
According to a bunch of TikTok users, “it’s not Swedish tacos” without the Santa Maria spice mix stirred into the meat. Santa Maria started as a small Swedish spice shop in 1911.
Swedish grocery stores typically stock an entire section of the store with Santa Maria’s taco-making supplies. In Japan, there are vending machines that promote Swedish culture where you can purchase this special spice packet and Santa Maria’s other pre-packaged taco supplies.
@anitaluisatoks commented, “1990’s when the Swedes TV was deregulated. Old El Paso and Santa Maria took over cozy Friday to encourage people to stay home.”
The tradition of Fredagsmys (Cozy Friday) began in the 1990s when Swedish television was deregulated and advertisers gained access to the audience. It’s an evening dedicated to staying in, enjoying guilty pleasure foods, and engaging in communal, cozy activities like watching a movie. Santa Maria taught Swedes how to make tacos in their commercials, while connecting the meal to Fridays. Grocery stores and restaurants in Sweden promoted the trend and offered discounts and specials for takeout meals on Fridays. Even Sweden’s school lunch program offers tacos on Fridays. The rest is history.
The banana slices, tho?
According to CultureTrip, bananas were first imported to Sweden’s next-door neighbor, Norway, in the early 1900s. The Swedes didn’t get bananas until 1944, but they fell in love with the fruit soon after, and have rivaled Norway over who can eat the most bananas since. Sweden is winning, in part because the Swedes seem to incorporate bananas into any dish they please.
TikTok has ruled against bananas on tacos for now, but as @mel315123 commented, “We have taco seasoning in America too. It’s called white people taco night. But props to y’all for not eating French tacos.”
French tacos may have offended the internet even more.
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