 Birria served with condiments | |
| Type | Stew |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Mexico |
| Region or state | Western Mexico,Jalisco |
| Main ingredients | Meat (typicallygoat orbeef), dried chili peppers |
Birria (Spanish:[ˈbirja]ⓘ) is a regional variation ofbarbacoa from western Mexico, mainly made with goat, beef or lamb.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The meat ismarinated in anadobo made of vinegar,dried chiles,garlic, andherbs andspices (includingcumin,bay leaves, andthyme) before being cooked in a broth (Spanish:consomé). Originally,birria was the regional name given in the state ofJalisco and surrounding areas to meats cooked or roasted in a pit orearth oven, what is known asbarbacoa in other regions of Mexico, but for many people today, mostly in the United States,birria is now a distinct dish.
It is often served at celebratory occasions such as weddings,baptisms and during holidays such as Christmas and Easter, and even at funerals. Preparation techniques vary, but the dish is often served withcorn tortillas,onions,cilantro, andlime. Birria is also served with tacos.[8][9]
Restaurants orstreet carts that serve birria are known asbirrierías[10] and exist throughout Mexico, especially inMichoacán and Jalisco. However, neighboringMexican states have their own variations of the dish, includingAguascalientes,Zacatecas, andColima.[8][11]
The term birria was originally the regional name given inJalisco and surrounding areas to meats cooked in a pit orearth oven, what is known in other parts of Mexico asbarbacoa. Mexican chef and professorJosefina Velázquez de León stated that barbacoa has many variations or styles depending on the region of Mexico, and that birria was one style.[12]
Cuban professorFélix Ramos y Duarte had defined the term in 1898 as a regionalism from Mexico City forgoat barbacoa or roasted goat.[13] Mexican linguist and philologistDarío Rubio wrote in 1925 that "birria" was alower social class term for "barbacoa".[14] Mexican historian Leovigildo Islas Escárcega stated in 1945 that birria was a term specifically fromJalisco and some areas of the interior for barbacoa.[15] Mexican linguist and philologistFrancisco J. Santamaría defined the term in 1959 as being another name for barbacoa, typically made from lamb or goat, and cited the work of Mexican scholarJosé Ignacio Dávila Garibi who argued that the term was ofCoca origin and not from the Spanish termbirria meaning worthless.[16] Mexican writer and essayist Jorge Mejia Prieto defined it in 1985 as a "soupy barbacoa made with lamb or goat meat from Guadalajara, Jalisco".[17]
There exist many folk stories and myths about the origin of the term. One such story argues that in 1519,Hernán Cortés and theConquistadors first landed in Mexico,[18] bringing various old-world domestic animals, including goats. During theconquest of the Aztec Empire, the Conquistadors were faced with an overpopulation of goats, so they decided to give the animals to thenatives. Whilegoat meat was supposedly looked down upon by the Conquistadors, as it was tough and had a strong smell, the natives accepted the animals, asmarinating the meat in indigenous styles made it palatable and appetizing. The dishes they produced were called "birria", a derogatory term meaning "worthless", by the Spanish, in reference to their having given the natives meat with apparently noxious characteristics.[19]
According to another legend, the dish was invented accidentally during the eruption of a volcano, when a shepherd was forced to abandon his goats in a cave where they were cooked perfectly by the steam.[10]
Traditionally birria was served on bread, tortillas or even directly in hand. Many variations of the dish have derived since.[20]
In 1950, a taquero named Guadalupe Zárate set up ataco stand inTijuana,[20] after moving there fromCoatzingo,Puebla. Zárate's stand initially sold asado and pastor tacos. Zárate soon decided to make beef birria because goat meat was more expensive and less fatty. One day, someone told Zárate to add more liquid to the meat. The resulting dish is now known as Tijuana-style beef birria, making Zárate a household name among birrierías for being the first person in Tijuana to make birria withconsomé.
During the 2010s, thequesabirria (a taco stuffed with birria and cheese, often served withconsommé) became popular in North America after first being developed in Tijuana.[21] Chef Antonio de Livier ofMexico City is credited with another variation calledbirriamen (a portmanteau of birria andramen) usingchūkamen noodles in the broth, and the variation later gained popularity in theLos Angeles area.[22][23]
Other versions of the dish include birria tatemada (charred birria). After marinating and simmering the meat, it is placed in a hot oven until crispy.[10]
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Birria (D. F.), sf. Barbacoa de chivo, ó chivo asado.[Birria (Mexico City), Goat Barbacoa, or roasted goat.]
Entre nosotros, BIRRIA es nombre que da también la gente del pueblo a la barbacoa.[Amongst us [the Mexicans], BIRRIA is what the lower classes call barbacoa.]
Nombre con que designan a la barbacoa, en Jalisco y en algunos puntos del interior.[Name used to designate barbacoa, in Jalisco and in some parts of the interior.]
Birria, f. En cierta región del país, principalmente en Guadalajara (Jalisco), carne de borrego o de chivo, preparada a semejanza de la barbacoa, y que es típica del lugar; barbacoa en general.[Birria, f. In a certain region of the country, mainly in Guadalajara (Jalisco), lamb or goat meat, prepared in the style of barbacoa, and which is typical of that place; barbacoa in general.]
