"Wayne Lundberg" > wrote in message
...
> 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?
>
Very interesting...Around here (Houston area) if you order tacos de barbacoa
they claim it to be meat from the face of a cow. Many times I think it is
not as claimed. Rather it is a falling apart beef roast that is perhaps
barbecued or roasted. Add cilantro ,cebollas ,and sliced avocado and serve
it on an open corn tortilla with a fried egg on top with salsa and you have
a grand breakfast. I have that about three times a week at my favorite
taqueria.
Yours is the first claim I have seen that barbacoa should be of steamed
lamb. It does sound good.
Jack