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Today, we're talking about the rise, fall, and glorious return of Taco Bell's Mexican pizza
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Before the Mexican pizza, Taco Bell tried its hand at fast food fusion with the Pizazz Pizza
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an experimental dish introduced in 1985, made twice as risky by a name most customers would
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probably refuse to say. The original ingredients were two tortillas filled with seasoned beef and
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refried beans, topped with tomato sauce, three cheeses, and diced tomatoes. Over the years
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the dish evolved with different topping variations. Until finally in 1988, the world was introduced to the Mexican pizza
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When the Mexican pizza made its debut, it was just another Taco Bell menu item
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but it found a fan base in a class of diner typically ignored by fast food
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Vegetarians. Now, the Mexican pizza is not a vegetarian item by default
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It's chock full of beef, just like most of the menu. But because the beef could easily be substituted
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with beans by request, the Mexican pizza became a unique meal-sized dish for vegetarians. But
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more than that, the Mexican pizza was something new at the drive-thru, and something you couldn't
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get anywhere else. 2020 was a difficult year for many reasons, but perhaps none as dire as Taco
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Bell's decision to discontinue the Mexican pizza that September. The cancellation of the Mexican
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pizza led to a change petition begging for the pizza return The petition gained more than 171 signatures After two years of protest dramatic tweets and what we can only assume was an endless flood of hate mail Taco Bell caved
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In 2022, they announced the return of the Mexican pizza. In keeping with the irreverent tone of the chain's marketing, Taco Bell decided that the return of the Mexican pizza needed to be a cultural event
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Enter Mexican Pizza, the musical. a 15-minute fever dream that was set to premiere on TikTok on May 26, 2022
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And like all great art, it faced setbacks. Taco Pizza Fusion fans had to wait until September 15, 2022
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to watch the debut of Mexican Pizza, the musical, on TikTok. And fans decided it was worth the wait
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But in an ironic twist worthy of an Alanis Morissette lyric, Taco Bell actually ran out of the Mexican pizza
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and it was taken off the menu once again, with a change citing shortages
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as the reason for the unexpected drought. But even during the brief time
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that it was back on the menu, all was apparently not well
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Some fans claimed that it didn't taste the same as the Mexican pizza they had grown to love
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Taco Bell insisted that it was still the same recipe, but we may never know the truth
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So now the big question is, will the Mexican pizza remain a permanent fixture on the menu
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or will Taco Bell break our hearts for a third time and pull another disappearing act
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One thing's for sure, the next time Taco Bell even thinks about removing it
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they better be ready to make a sequel to Mexican Pizza the Musical
