ABC to Tapatio Culinary Delights

When you think of Mexico you think of Food

Guadalajara is the capital of Mexican folklore and its world ambassador of culture. And as such, dishes from around the country can be found on Tapatio tables. But Jalisco has its own culinary traditions. If you have never had a late breakfast of tortas ahogadas (literally: a drowned sandwich) then you have not experienced what many Mexicans think is Jalisco's supreme gift to the cornicopia of street stall foods. Guadalajara's famous birote (French-style) oblong rolls are sliced open and filled with roast pork, cut into small cubes, then the sandwich is covered with ladles of a red sauce made from tomatoes, chile de arbol and salt. This dish and another, menudo, are claimed to be surefire hangover cures.

Sundays most restaurants offer menudo, both white and red (laced with chile ancho). It is a tripe soup served with chopped tripe and topped with chopped onions and cilantro, a squeeze of lime and minced chile if you so desire. It is best devoured with a basketful of fresh hand-made tortillas. Posole, another local favorite, is a broth made from pigshead and brimming with hominy. It also comes in red and white varieties and served with diced onion, cabbage or lettuce. It is generally accompanied with tostada--those thin fried tortillas.

Another street-side Tapatio snack is the sope, a small thick tortilla, cooked on the comal and topped with thick guisados (stews) of beef, chicken, pork or vegetables and topped with lettuce tomatoes, grated cheese and thick cream.

If you have never tried birria de chivo (goat) then you haven't experienced the earthy taste that typifies Mexican cooking. Take a calandria (horse and carraige) from downtown and head over to the Nueve Esquinas area, where from Noon on you can dine on the most renown birria in the land. The dish is shredded stewed and roasted goat meat served in its own broth mixed with tomatoes and spices and a salsa on the side made from the vegetables that went in the broth.

Head over to Plaza Las Americas across from the Basilica in Zapopan,  famed as the milpa (cornfield) of Mexico for some meat- or vegetable- filled tamales and atole de maiz, a thick sweet drink made from ground corn.

If you've got a sweet tooth head over to Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos for some ate (aspic) or cajeta de membrillo (a creamy spread). In Guadaljara a great spot for an evening treat is La Bombilla, an eatery where the only dish is churros (long thin donuts made from an egg rich batter) dipped in cinnamon and sugar and served  with hot chocolate, made the old fashioned way with white atole in three varieties of thickness.

Taco Day

I was calmly cruising the aisles of the local supermarket when I got blind-sided by the goofiest question I've had thrown at me by a fellow expat in three decades living south of the border.

"Excuse me," the pleasant looking lady said. "Can you tell me where I can find taco shells?"
"Sure thing," I fired back. "Jump in your car, head north and as soon as you cross the border, hit the nearest Safeway."
I know, it was a petulant reply, but jeez Louise, here she was in the kingdom of the fresh tortilla, looking for a box of vile imitations. And you just know she intended to take those perfectly uniform, shopworn shells and stuff them full of hamburger meat, grated Kraft cheese and some American-made so-called salsa.
In hindsight I realize the poor woman didn't have a clue what she was missing. Mexico offers more kinds of taco than Imelda has shoes, but none that even vaguely resemble what this poor soul had in mind.
That singular interlude came to mind the other day when I learned that March 31 has been declared as the Dia del Taco... as if there weren't already enough fiestas and commemorations on the nation's collective calendar!

Actually it turns out to be a totally bogus celebration, cooked up by the Televisa television chain for unknown motives. I discovered that Mexican bloggers are going ballistic over the issue. But for me it's a great justification for sinking my teeth into a platter of piquant taste treats... once my salivating palate works through all the menu options.
Diana Kennedy, the grand master of Mexican cuisine, describes the taco in its simplest terms: "a fresh, hot corn tortilla rolled around one of a hundred or so fillings and liberally doused with one of a hundred or so sauces." For brevity's sake, let's go with that definition and forget about anything involving the wheat flour tortilla.
Tacos can be grossly divided into two essential categories: blandos (soft) and dorados (crispy).
A soft taco, as Kennedy explains, is simply constructed by using a plain tortilla as a vehicle for whatever savory strikes your fancy... meat, beans, cheese, vegetables, fish or combinations thereof.
The meat category includes beef, pork, lamb, goat, chicken, even iguana. Without getting too graphic, just about any body part you can imagine is considered fair game.
A big seller is the taco de cabeza, made out of beef carved off the entire head; you can specify the part you like best. The taco al pastor, a universal favorite, is made with pork slathered in a mild chile sauce and roasted on a spit. There are tacos de bistec (thinly cut beef thrown on the grill), tacos de chorizo (spicy pork sausage), and tacos de guisado (any beast, any cut, stewed up in an infinity of manners). And just to be fair, let's mention tacos de picadillo – made with, yes, ground beef, but invariably cooked with finely diced veggies and a tomato sauce.
Choices for non-meat fillings are also endless. Among the most common offerings are frijoles refritos (refried beans), papas (mashed potatoes), rajas (poblano chile strips) and hongos (mushrooms).
There's a special category of super soft tacos that get that way through various wrapping and steaming techniques after the tortilla is filled. These are known as tacos al vapor (vaporized), tacos sudados (sweated) or tacos de canasta (basket).
Tacos dorados can be filled just about any of the fillings listed above. Sometimes the tortilla is folded over before frying, sometimes it's rolled.
The taco is the quintessential finger food, which is what makes it such a marketable, stand-up-and-go snack food for anytime of the day or night.
The topic of the taco knows no bounds, so I'll call it quits with this brief primer, hoping your appetite is sufficiently whetted to get the Dia del Taco marked in red on your calendar. But for heaven's sake, if you find yourself craving plain ground beef crammed into a pre-fab shell, get behind the wheel, head north and don't turn back!

Brick Lane: Gourmet Street

Two truths about Mexican cuisine: 1) not all street food needs to be of the taco variety and 2) you don’t need fancy surroundings and a hefty check to enjoy quality grub.
 Brick Lane is the name of a street food “deli van” set up by two young Tapatios just off lively Avenida Chapultepec in Guadalajara’s Zona Rosa (Pink Zone).  Its proprietors, Guillermo Orñelas and Jose Ramirez, chose the name after working in restaurants in London, England.  (Brick Lane is a well-known street in London’s East End that has become fashionable while maintaining itself as the heart of the city’s Bengali community.)
Their sojourn in Europe has served these chefs well.  The simple menu, written on chalk board, is divided into three sections: bagels, ciabattas and burritos. You’ll find Italian, American, French, Argentinean, Mexican and even British influences in food that wouldn’t be out of place in the city’s most fashionable malls and suburban neighborhoods.

Bagel combinations sell for either 35 or 45 pesos and include some creative options.  You can’t go wrong with the bagel containing smoked salmon (imported from Chile), cream cheese, cucumber and capers, but other fillings include creamy tuna dip with gouda cheese, chipotle and salad, as well as portobello mushroom with gouda and mozzarella, and, in a British touch, fried egg, bacon and salsa martajada. For sweet toothed diners there are strawberry, banana and cajeta (caramel syrup) varieties. The “Pepito” ciabatta uses succulent arrachera with Argentine chimichurri sauce. “City” contains bacon strips, cherry tomatoes, gouda cheese and cranberry sauce. Other varieties go the names “Matahambre,”  and “Mama Mia.” All cost 45 pesos.
The burritos have a strong Mexican influence and include fillings such as seafood, rajas and chile poblano.
To drink, try the delicious (and large) agua de sandia (watermelon water) with yerbabuena for 18 pesos.   They also serve freshly ground coffee (espresso and cappuccino).
You can sit up at counter or at small tables on the sidewalk – or takeaway if you prefer.
While Brick Lane’s main targets are workers in the area, tourists and visitors might care to walk the few extra blocks from the Chapultepec/Vallarta intersection to check out this new gourmet-deli-street experience.
Brick Lane: Mexicaltzingo at Avenida Chapultepec, two blocks from the Niños Heroes monument.  Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9-5 p.m. Sunday, 10-3 p.m.