This post is part of the #TeamChallenge proposed by @ErmesT and another contribution by #TeamMexico
In Mexico, there’s no such thing as Taco Tuesday, every day is taco day. Tacos are to Mexico what pizza is for Italy, not only a tasty and affordable meal but a social gathering with friends and family. There’re many contexts to eat tacos, none of them is better than the other, but they are very different. And when it comes to variety, you truly can make a taco out of anything you come across (doesn’t mean it will be good, but hey, at least is a taco).
What is a taco? In simple words, a taco is a protein inside a corn or flour tortilla folded in half with toppings such as onion, coriander, and salsa. As I said, tacos are like pizza, there are infinite possibilities and combinations, here I will talk about the way tacos should be according to me, so if you’ve tried awesome tacos anywhere in Mexico or the world please comment below to initiate the taco frenzy.
Tacos are composed of three main elements, the holy trinity of tacos:
Tortilla:
It should be hand-made, preferably from nixtamalized corn, an artisan tortilla making process that dates back hundreds of years. It consists of cooking and washing the corn with an alkaline solution.
There are hand-made flour tortillas too, and they’re quite tasty as well, but the traditional way is with nixtamalized corn. Flour tortillas are common in the northern states of the country, such as Sonora, Chihuahua and Baja California.
Protein:
Here is where it gets fun. You can put anything you like inside of a taco, literally. There are pumpkin flower tacos, huitlacoche (corn fungus), crickets, escamoles (ant larvae), tongue, brain, lips, pig stomach, rice, rajas (poblano pepper with cream) and many more.
The most common are pastor (pork meat marinated in achiote), carne asada, chorizo, carnitas (pork fried in its own fat), suadero, barbacoa, tripe and chicharrón.
Salsas:
You can have a freshly made tortilla and the best meat in the world, if the salsa is bad then the whole taco is ruined. There are some taquerías in which the meat is not that good but they have marvelous salsas, that simple yet complex fact can make any Mexican fall in love with that taco joint.
A great salsa enhances your taco to higher levels, while a bad one can ruin it, as I said before.
The most common salsas are verde and roja, green and red. There are lots of different recipes depending on the region. Salsa verde is made with chile de árbol, garlic, salt, and boiled tomatillos. While the regular salsa roja is made from boiled tomatoes and chile serrano.
You can make everything in your food processor or blender, but if a molcajete (volcanic stone mortar) comes to your hands, that is the traditional way of salsa making.
Add salt and a clove of garlic into the molcajete and crush it until it forms a paste, then add the chile and mix it in together. The last part is the tomatoes or tomatillos, depending on the salsa, and that is it.
There are plenty of occasions to eat tacos: they can be drunk food, hangover food, at a carne asada with friends on the weekends, after work in the taco stand on the street right next to the office or why not? You take your date to your favorite taco place. On a personal note, I rather eat tacos at night, I don’t know why, but they just feel right when it is dark.
Carnes asadas are the Mexican barbecues, friends gather to celebrate something, watch a football game or just for the fun of it. You usually buy nice steaks, chorizo, veggies (red and green pepper, carrots, zucchini, onions), cheese for quesadillas, prepare salsas on the spot along with guacamole and a handful of cold beer or wine, whatever the diners feel like having.
Guacamole, salsas, and quesadillas usually are the first elements to come out of the grill, followed by chorizos and vegetables. We normally leave the steaks for last and cut them into slices so everyone can prepare their own tacos just the way they like it more.
Taco’s popularity depends on the region, but the king will always be taco al pastor. The best and authentic ones are in Mexico City. The best carne asada comes from the north, carnitas are from Michoacán in western Mexico, while barbacoa comes from Hidalgo, a state close by the capital. In Yucatán, you can find cochinita pibil, another delicacy. I mean you can find every single one in most cities and towns but I’m talking about the origin of each one.
Before I go any further I want to explain something. Many Mexicans believe that Taco Bell and other chains from the United States are a disgrace to tacos, for me that is nonsense. Those are Tex-Mex tacos or American tacos, if you want 100% authentic then, yes Taco Bell isn’t similar in any way, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad. I like them. Just like every region in Mexico has its own costumes and recipes, the Americans and Mexican-Americans invented that, which is nice.
Now that I got that out of my mind, we can continue with the master class. You grab a tortilla with your left hand, add as much meat as you like, I recommend onion and coriander on top, a squeeze of lime juice and top it off with salsa. If you can properly fold your taco and nothing falls off then you got the right proportions, the tortilla should not break. Grab it with your right hand, lean closer to the taco and turn your head 45 degrees and bite that sucker. The rest is a one-way ticket to heaven. Enjoy!
My favorite tacos are pastor, cabeza, lengua, asada, suadero and chorizo. Which ones have you tried?
Thank you for sharing this nice post with us.
here we have came up with our own version,too. Wraps look like tacos but the fillings are different, I like chicken and avocado or veggies
to taste good Piadina and other many Italian specialities 