The Taco Chronicles

 I recently completed a series on Netflix entitled "Las crónicas del taco" - "The Taco Chronicles".

(image taken from the web)

The series, which is mostly in Spanish with English subtitles, consists of two seasons with a total of thirteen episodes.  Each episode is devoted to a different kind of taco.  Yes, there are that many varieties of tacos... and more.  And since different regions of Mexico specialize in different tacos, the series was filmed in various parts of the country.  

"Tacos al pastor" are typical of Mexico City.  All over the city you will see the "trompas", the vertical rotisseries on which the marinated pork is roasted.  Also filmed in Mexico City was the episode on "tacos de suadero", which are made from a cut of beef just below the brisket.  There were a number of Mexico City "taquerías" featured in those episodes, and I am looking forward to trying them out some day.

In the Jamaica Market in Mexico City there is a taco stand that serves very good "tacos de carnitas".  I have eaten there a number of times.  However, "carnitas"... pieces of braised pork... are originally from the state of Michoacán, so most of that episode was filmed there.  "Tacos de cochinita" was filmed in Yucatán, where the suckling pig is traditionally cooked underground.   Also cooked in a pit is "barbacoa",  usually made from sheep or goat, a specialty of the state of Hidalgo. 

There was even (gasp!) an episode on the "Taco Americano", that abomination in the U.S. with a hard shell and a filling of ground beef.  At least they only made brief mention of "Taco Bell".  That episode also dealt with something I had never heard of... the "puffy taco", a specialty of San Antonio, Texas.

There are more kinds of tacos that the series did not cover, and there are some that I have no intention of ever trying.  Mexicans use every part of the animal.  There are "tacos de tripa" (tripe), "tacos de sesos" (cow brains), and, most disgusting of all, "tacos de ojo".  Yes, if you know some Spanish, you read that correctly.  There are tacos filled with the gelatinous eyes of cows!  No, gracias.

I love Mexican cuisine, but as I have told Alejandro numerous times, I draw the line with insects and organs.