Please read the following with a bit of sense of humor and please don't come
back accusing me of being a pompous ass regarding Mexican food. But here's
something to consider: It has been written that Cortez invented the taco.
The tortilla was already a staple in Mexico and had been for over three
thousand years; since the cultivation and use of maiz as the principal
long-term food that allowed a civilization to be born. The Spanish brought
the horse, cows and domesticated sheep and pork although a pork-like
creature already roamed the tropical parts of Mexico and was cooked in many
ways; including on a spit. I'm sure Amerindians used the tortilla to grasp
cooking meat from the fire and would add salsa and the like to make it a
delight so I'm not convinced that Cortez 'invented the taco' as some writers
proclaim. It is not in the Bernal Diaz del Castillo book.

Anyway... the taco has evolved and Taco Bell in the US buys more lettuce
than any chain store in the world to put on their tacos. In Mexico you have
two disctinct categories: the rolled and fried often called flauta, or plain
rolled tacos such as found through Delimex (even in Mexico!) and the more
popular Mexican variety of taco found at any taco stand on almost every
corner throughout Mexico. These street tacos come in dozens of varieties;
the main ones being tacos al pastor (thinly sliced pork slowly cooked on a
skewer pivoting on pineapple cuts), Tacos de carne asada - thinly sliced
marinated beef flank over a very hot fire then chopped into smaller than
French fries chunks, laid in a soft corn tortilla which has just been
reheated with the aid of a drop or two of oil. The tortilla on a piece of
butcher paper, the meat centered, the customer then will put whatever
combination of cilantro, chile Serrano, chile colorado, salsa verde, pico de
gallo, guacamole, roasted green onions, radishes, salt, pepper, dried chile
de arbol, salsa borracha.... The third most popular taco is called Tacos con
Carnitas; carnitas being deep fried pork, degreased, then chopped into small
pieces to put onto a freshly heated tortilla much as the tacos de carne
asada, or put onto a tortilla fresh from the comal and served to you in an
insulated basket. The stuff you add to this taco are identical to the tacos
al pastor or asada with a heavy leaning to more guacamole and cilantro. Then
there are tacos de barbacoa, (steamed lamb wrapped in cactus and flavored
with aromatic leaves), cabeza (every part of a pig's head or cow's head from
brains, to cheek (my favorite!) to tongue. Take it from there... the fellow
you see out there in the field or up on a building laying bricks will have a
kilo of tortillas in his bag in the morning along with a half kilo of
refried or fresh beans and a half kilo of salsa with 50% of it being made of
chile serrano or piquin, but rarely jalapeno which is too bland. They will
mix these ingredients in taco after taco until day's end and when they go
home, ask for another taco! They seem to live long, healthy, active life's
and you never see a fat campesino or orbrero.

Delimex will make and freeze over 2 million rolled tacos a day for sale in
the US and Mexico. Taco Bell sill fry, fold make and deliver even more.
Count the taco stands in Mexico and you can probably triple this.

Taco Tapatio is an unknown thing to me. I know a Tapatio is a person born in
Guadalajara but in all my years in Mexico I never saw Taco Tapatio on a menu
or heard anybody ask for one. If I were to suggest the ingredients I would
be it would be birria; a wonderful soup made from kid mostly, but sometimes
beef, cooked in a rich red chile broth with all kinds of secret ingredients
invented and perfected by the thousands of chefs who make this delightful
dish; often served with soup, and the meat in tacos.

Wayne in Chula Vista
www.rcsailcars.com

"Girly" > wrote in message
om...
> Are tacos tapatios and flautas the same thing? If not, what is the
difference?