Hola, amigos! If you start looking online for Mexican recipes, you will very likely find a taco recipe. Sadly, most of these are not real, authentic tacos. In fact, a Mexican person would probably not even recognize them as such. So what is a real taco like? Hang on to your sombreros!
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Tacos are arguably the most popular kind of Mexican food there is. They are a symbol of my home country and a favorite dish of people the world over.
Unfortunately, the sort of tacos that you are eating are likely a far cry from the tacos that people in Mexico know and love.
Authentic tacos don’t taste like most of the recipes you find online, and are nothing like the strange-looking things served in fast-food restaurants.
One thing is for sure, though. Real Mexican tacos certainly live up to expectations and more. They are one of the tastiest foods you will ever have the privilege to try!
So, look over this list of taco requirements. Then, check your favorite taco recipe. Does it live up to the real taco spirit?
How To Know Tacos So You’ll Feel Like A Mexican
1. Tacos should be made with corn tortillas
Tacos are not made with flour tortillas, or spinach tortillas, or any other crazy invention. And they are certainly not made with taco shells! Whoever came up with that idea should be burned at the stake. I’m not kidding, people.
2. Taco fillings should be tasty
And I mean really extra tasty and savory. In Mexico, most taco fillings are spicy stews. They can be made with meat, chicken, pork, lamb, fish, and even veggies. It can be almost anything, but the filling needs to have a strong flavor. Sorry, but a lean, grilled chicken breast just won’t do.
3. Taco toppings should be spicy
By that, I mean salsa. Nice, hot, spicy salsa. Onion, cilantro, guacamole, and lime juice are good too. But never, ever use shredded cheese or cream as a taco topping. Never!
4. Tacos should be a pleasure to eat
A good taco is an explosion of flavor- the soft, warm chewiness of the tortilla, the fat dripping from the meat, the freshness of the toppings, the heat of the salsa. It should taste like a mariachi fiesta in your mouth. Does your taco do that for you?
5. Tacos should not be confused with other foods
Let’s get this straight, people. Flautas are long, rolled-up thinly and crispy fried. Enchiladas are loosely wrapped and drowned in salsa. Quesadillas are folded in half and the filling usually includes cheese. Burritos are a folded flour tortilla. All these things are delicious, but they are not tacos.
Kinds Of Tacos
There are perhaps hundreds of different tacos in Mexico, so it would be impossible to describe them all. So, I’ll just give you a general overview of some of the most popular kinds of tacos.
1. Carnitas Tacos
Basically, these tacos are filled with cooked pork fried in lard. But the main attraction of these tacos are the fillings that are not specifically meat. All of the pig’s parts can be made into tacos- skin, stomach, lungs, snout, ears, cheeks, and so on. Yes, you read that right! These tacos are a true delicacy.
2. Beef Tacos
Same as above, the beef is also cooked and fried in lard. Apart from the meat, a lot of the cow’s parts are also made into tacos- liver, tripe, cheeks, snout, ears, tongue, and even the brains and the eyeballs. If you’re not into those delicacies, you can try tacos de suadero. Those are made from the meat that hangs from the breast bone, and they’re quite tasty.
3. Al Pastor Tacos
These the most popular kind of tacos in Mexico. These tacos are an adaptation from a recipe brought over by Lebanese immigrants. Spiced pork is inserted in a long, revolving skewer and cooked. Then, the tacos are topped with pineapple, onion, and cilantro. Yummy.
4. Canasta Tacos
Canasta (basket) tacos are humble but delicious. They are filled with homemade, spicy stews and folded into small tortillas. These are usually sold out on the streets from a basket, hence the name.
5. Barbacoa tacos
Barbacoa is lamb’s meat wrapped in maguey leaves and cooked over a charcoal fire, in a hole on the ground. Everyone loves a good barbacoa! And the tacos are absolutely amazing.
6. Cochinita Pibil Tacos
Cochinita Pibil is porked cooked very much like a barbacoa, except that the recipe calls for a native spice called axiote. Axiote gives the pork a spicy, peppery, slightly sweet flavor and a bright red color. The tacos are served with red onion and habanero sauce. If you are ever in Yucatan, this is the dish to try.
7. Fish Tacos
The people of Baja came up with these tacos, made with floured, fried fish. They also make crab, lobster, and shrimp tacos. They are a must-try when you go to Los Cabos.
8. Placero Tacos
Placero tacos are made with chicharron, which is deep-fried pig’s skin. Chicharron is crunchy and tasty, and it’s amazing in tacos. These are topped with queso fresco, avocado and pico de gallo salsa. Perfect for a lazy Sunday brunch.
9. Native Tacos
These are not just one kind of tacos. They’re tacos filled with native Mexican ingredients. Some of these are a little strange, though. There are maguey worms, ant eggs, roasted grasshoppers, and dried salted little river fish (charales). If you are an adventurous eater, you can’t miss these. They’re very good!
10. No-Meat Tacos
Yes, there are tacos that do not involve meat, and they are also very popular. There are refried beans tacos, red rice tacos, nopal cactus tacos, and others. There’s also hard boiled egg tacos, and egg and chorizo tacos, too. Oops! Those have meat in them. But don’t worry, my vegan amigos. I’ll keep looking for other options!
How To Eat Tacos
1. Grab the right salsa
Pairing a taco with just the right salsa is practically an art form, but there are guidelines. Taco experts might disagree with me, but these are my suggestions.
- Carnitas tacos – green salsa with serrano chilies or guacamole
- Beef tacos – green salsa with arbol chilies
- Barbacoa tacos – red salsa with pasilla chilies
- Canasta tacos – cured jalapenos or green salsa
- Pastor tacos – red or green salsa
- Cochinita tacos – habanero salsa
- Native tacos – any salsa as long as it’s very hot
If your mouth catches on fire from the salsa, check out these useful tips.
2. Grab the taco correctly
Pick up the taco with your thumb, index, and middle fingers. Make sure you keep it in a horizontal position. Then, twist your head, not the taco, and bite it with confidence. Some of the filling will spill out, but the taco shouldn’t come apart. Wipe your hands. Repeat.
Well, amigos, you are ready to start eating tacos like a native-born Mexican. Try these, and you will never set another foot in a Taco Bell again. I dare you.
I am so hungry right now! Oh and I love tacos!
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Oh my god – I have to go to Mexico! X
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We’ll have some tacos ready for you! 😉
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Your post made me so hungry lol. This was so informative… I feel so dumb now that I know that tacos shouldn’t have cheese on it. 🙂
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I just cheese on taco recipers everywhere. I had to do something about it! lol
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I have never had Taco before, and now I’m extremely curious to try it! It looks so delicious, ahhhhh!!! Great post. 🙂
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Really?? Well, you have been missing out on something delicious 😉
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I love fish tacos..but I don’t think we get authentic flavors here in US. Im craving tacos now after reading your ‘spicy and flavorful ‘ article !
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Yay! Out of the kinds that I mentioned, which tacos would you like to try? 🙂
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love love love, I live in AZ so I know Sonoran tacos.
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I hope you find them delish 🙂
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So true about the corn tortillas, my daughter in law makes me chicken taquitos with green tomatillo sauce (she is mexican) so good! Love the sauce. Did you know spicy food helps you lose weight?
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Oh, yes! I know that, but I don’t think that applies to tacos 😀 lol
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Love this post. Before reading this, I knew the tacos I make/eat most of the time aren’t authentic Mexican, but this guide is great… it explains it in detail. With that said, unfortunately (despite trying my whole life), I just can’t handle spicy food very well, so I am glad that variations (Tex Mex etc.) exist… or I would never be able to enjoy anything remotely resembling a taco 😦 Sour cream is a godsend for me lol. Sorry!
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I know where you’re coming from. Despite being Mexican, I can’t handle spicy food well either. But since cream and cheese as toppings are taco blasphemy, what I do is top them with chopped onion, cilantro, and tomato, and lots of lime juice!
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I was like enough to taste authentic Mexican food, because one of my best friends’ mother was coming from Mexico. Homemade corn tortillas are the best and have nothing to do with ready made…Love reading your post. Thanks for sharing all these information!
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Very true!! Homemade corn tortillas are truly delicious 🙂 It’s a real treat to have some. Thanks for reading!
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GREAT post! I love tacos. You’d hate me because I’m not the biggest fan of corn tortillas, but I know they are the one and only way to make a TRUE taco…so I double up my small corn tortillas and go for it when I need to! Thanks so much for sharing this post!
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Well, I don’t blame you. I’ve tried corn tortillas outside of Mexico and they’re honestly not very good. But a warm, handmade Mexican corn tortilla is the yummiest thing there is!!
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My mouth is watering! I want one of each please! Mexican food is my number one favorite type of food!
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You’re my kind of person! lol 😀
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Good for you! Tacos real Mexican style! Yeah!
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Some of these I’ve never heard of! I love reading your blog and learning so much about food and culture!
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I bet you hadn’t heard of brains tacos lol 😉 Thanks so much for reading my blog, Diedre! I love what you’ve done with yours.
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I actually have! Thank you Fabiola! I always enjoy reading yours. I feel so much smarter and you make me want to try more authentic Mexican meals!
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Very interesting post!
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A hundred or so years ago, when I lived in Mexico for a couple of months, I remember buying tacos made with fried papas from a street vendor. I’ve never been able to reproduce them myself, but I’d love to. They were wonderful.
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Where did you have those tacos? I’ve never had tacos with fries, but now I want them 🙂 lol
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That was in Xalapa, Veracruz, and the potatoes were cut into chunks and wonderfully spicy. I was still young and clueless about cooking, so I can’t even come close to identifying the spices.
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