 Carne al pastor (al pastor meat) on a trompo | |
| Course | Main course |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Mexico |
| Region or state | Puebla |
| Associatedcuisine | Mexican |
| Created by | Lebanese Mexicans |
| Serving temperature | Warm |
| Main ingredients | Marinated pork meat |
| Ingredients generally used | |
| Variations | Gringas |
Al pastor (fromSpanish, "herdsman style"),tacos al pastor, ortacos de trompo is a preparation ofspit-grilled slices of meat, usuallypork, originating in the Central Mexican region ofPuebla where they remain most prominent, though it is a common menu item found intaquerías throughout Mexico. The method of preparing and cookingal pastor is based on thelambshawarma brought byLebanese immigrants to the region.[1][2][3]Al pastor features a flavor palate that uses traditional Mexicanadobada (marinade). It is a popularstreet food that has spread to the United States. In some places ofnorthern Mexico andcoastal Mexico, such as inBaja California,taco al pastor is known astaco de trompo ortaco de adobada.
A variety of the dish uses a combination of Middle Eastern spices and indigenous central Mexican ingredients and is calledtacos árabes.[4]
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The name “al pastor”, which literally translates to “herdsman”,[5] “cowherd” or “shepherd”[6] style, comes from «asado al pastor», which can be translated as “spit roast” or “spit barbecue” over an open fire.[7] Theasado al pastor, also known as “asado del pastor”, “carbonada” and “asado a la estaca”, was one of the styles for roasting or “barbecuing” meats in the Mexican countryside, the other one beingbarbacoa. Whole animals, commonly veal, bull, cow, or mutton, or pieces of meat, were skewered with a “spit” or “estaca” (stake) and placed over an open fire to be roasted.
In the Mexican cookbookDiccionario de Cocina o El Nuevo Cocinero Mexicano en Forma de Diccionario (1845), Manuel Galvan Rivera explains that there are different classes or types of asados (roasts or barbecues) in Mexican cuisine:[8]
“ASADO: There are different types of asados: over fire or del pastor; on a gridiron or over a grill; in an oven or fried with lard, butter or oil.”
Galvan Rivera also explains that “carbonada” (which can be translated as “over coal”) was another name for an “asado del pastor”:[9]
“CARBONADA: this name is given to lean slices of bull, pork, cow, etc., roasted after being cooked or raw, over embers or on the grill. Meats roasted like this are also often calledasado del pastor.”
Theasado al pastor was widely prepared in Mexico at countryside festivities, such asrodeos (cattle roundups),herraderos (cattle branding celebrations),jaripeos and bull-fights,patron saint festivities of thehacienda, or family picnics.[10] 19th-century Mexican writer Domingo Revilla wrote in 1844 and 1845, respectively, that the “banquet” at theherraderos was reduced toasados al pastor andbarbacoa of whole calves (veal), bull or mutton,[11] and explained thatasados al pastor were more common inTierra Adentro or theBajío region, western Mexico, and beyond, whilebarbacoa was more common in theMezquital andApan valleys and surrounding areas in central Mexico.[12]
An anecdote collected byVictoriano Salado Álvarez tells that, as part of a Mexican Independence celebration in 1856, a whole bull was roasted al pastor style in the middle of theAlameda Central in Mexico City, and that among the guests was PresidentIgnacio Comonfort:
“If we were to ask now for a whole bull, roasted al pastor, to be served on a table set in the Alameda, so that all citizens would have the right to a slice of the meat, and for the shoemaker, the pot-painter, and the tinsmith to immediately fraternize with the President of the Republic, greeting him with hands full of the noblest calluses and grease from the beef, the people would laugh at us and want to send us to the asylum. Well, that, and nothing less, happened on September 16th, in the unfortunate year of 1856; I saw it, took part in it, and enjoyed it immensely. The banquet was well-timed; the crowd was enormous; the pleasure and good humor were enormous. As always, it had been announced that Comonfort would be killed in the middle of the feast; but, as always, he had laughed at the warnings.”[13]
During the 19th century, variations of a vertically grilled meat dishdoner, now known by several names, started to spread throughout theOttoman Empire. The Levantine version ofdoner, calledshawarma, was brought to Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by a wave ofLebanese immigrants, mainly Christians who have no religious dietary restrictions on eating pork.[14]
By the 1920s, lamb meat was mostly replaced by pork. The Mexican-born progeny of Lebanese immigrants also began opening their own restaurants.Later, in Mexico City, they began to marinate withadobo and use corn tortillas, which resulted in the al pastor taco. It is unknown when they began to be prepared as we know them today; however, some agree that it was in the 1960s when they became popular.[15]
Pork is marinated in a combination of driedchilies,spices,pineapple, and typicallyachiote paste, then slowly cooked with charcoal or gas flame on a verticalrotisserie called atrompo (lit. 'spinning top'), the meat is shaved off as the outside is browned, and made into tacos.Guajillo chile,garlic,cumin,clove,bay leaf, andvinegar are common ingredients, withcinnamon, driedMexican oregano,coriander, andblack peppercorns found in many variants.[16] Meat is thinly sliced off the spit with a large knife into a smallcorn tortilla and served with finely choppedonions,cilantro, and diced pineapple. A wedge oflemon orlime and asalsa are optional condiments. This meat is also a common ingredient ingringas,alambres,huaraches,tortas,burritos, andpizza.[14]
In some places of northern Mexico, such asNuevo León,Durango andChihuahua, these are usually calledtacos de trompo if served oncorn tortillas, andgringas if they are served with cheese onflour tortillas.
A similar dish is calledtacos árabes (lit. 'Arabic tacos'), which originated inPuebla in the 1930s fromArab-Mexican cuisine.Tacos árabes use shawarma-style meat carved from a spit, but are served in apita-style bread calledpan árabe (lit. 'Arabic bread'). These tacos have been brought byMexican immigrants to the United States in the past few years and have become popular in cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles, two of the largest Mexican/Mexican-American population centers in the United States.[17]
A chicken version marinated in theal pastor style was brought back to the Middle East in the early 2000s, and sold as "shawarma mexici". It is typically served in the Middle Eastern style, wrapped with garlic mayonnaise,dill pickle, andfrench fries in a thinflatbread.[citation needed]
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