All about Tacos Al Pastor

Tacos Al Pastor, literally meaning "Shepard Style" is made from marinaded pork cooked in a spit grill. Each taco vendor has his or her own marinade containing a combination of chiles and anatto, which gives the pork its color. It is cooked on the spit or rotisserie. A chunk of pineapple is placed on top during the cooking process, which contains an enzyme that helps tenderizes the meat. The influence comes from the Lebanese shawarma and is considered a "must try dish" whenever visiting Mexico DF. Wars of words go on each and every day about who serves the best variation of this classic taco.

The picture above, is a meal that I had at El Charco de Las Ranas in Pedregal. It was delicious, but pricey (25 pesos each taco), since I can eat about 10 of these in one sitting.

The great taco debate still goes on!

The perfect taco???

This is a question that I've asked myself many times throughout my stay here in Mexico City.

I must admit, I grew up eating "hard shell tacos" in school cafeterias and the numerous Taco Bells all over Southern California, something that is non existant here in DF. Then, when I first moved out here, I would seek out the best deals on tacos: 5 tacos for 10 pesos with free consomme was satisfying for me, but I knew there was something better. Though I have never tried them, I found some tacos off of the Metro Pantitlan Station for a ridiculous 1 peso each.

I liked tacos before, but it wasn't until my experience with El Charco de las Ranas, a taco joint, that turned my thinking of tacos upside down. Tacos formed from the meat of pork neck, hand made tortillas, and then there was suadero, and al pastor. The taco has been around forever, but I felt like I was missing out on something so simple and magnificent this whole time. WHERE THE HECK HAVE I BEEN?

A single bite from a taco contains so many different textures, aromas and a dozen different flavors. It is something so simple, yet complex and exciting. And in its most basic and glorious form, consists of only corn tortillas, a protein, onion, cilantro, a squeeze of lime and salsa.

Searching for the perfect taco in DF is no small feat. There are hundreds and thousands of taco vendors. So if you are living in DF and have read up to this point, shout out your recommendation for your perfect taco spot.

The King of Mexico City's Street Foods: Tacos, Baby!!!

My favorite taco stand in Tacubaya.


Cooking up some longaniza sausage, suadero and tripa with corn tortillas.



Una orden tacos suaderos.
Cost: 6 tacos for 10 pesos.
Conversion rate: 13 pesos = $1 USD


Tortas, Quesadillas, Frito Plantanos, Hambugeresas, Tamales, Flautas, Helado, Street Corn....

In a city where the thousands of street food vendors line sidewalks, alleyways, and anywhere they can fit their cart in, the street taco is KING.

The tacos are wrapped in corn tortillas, about 4 inches in diameter. The tortillas are always doubled up with 2 pieces per taco. You call out the filling of choice, whether it be al pastor (a gyro like sausage rotated on a rotisserie), longaniza sausage, tripe, suadero, or the many other offerings. After the tacos are filled with your desired protein, it gets topped with cilantro and onion. And now, the fun begins. You customize your taco with a little salsa verde or rojo, a squeeze of limon, and add cucumbers or radishes on the side.

My favorite taco stand is right off the Tacubaya metro station. For 10 pesos, you get 6 great tasting tacos of suadero or longaniza. Or for the same amount of dinero, you can have 4 tripas tacos, which is a specialty of this vendor. He often sells out!

Street tacos are delicious, however there are risks for all street foods. Eat with caution.

Tips:
1. Find the busiest vendors. If it's good enough for the local crowd, then it's good enough for me. They know what's good.
2. See, taste, smell. Is their cooking platform dirty? Is the cooking oil old or is the oil clear and fresh? Does the meat have an off odor?
3. Use common sense!


I will leave you with one final line:
As the locals say, "If you haven't eaten street tacos, then you haven't really been to Mexico City!"