Tacos in Mexico

[Laurence Horn]

At 11:28 AM -0700 12/2/01, Rudolph C Troike wrote:
>The term "taco" identifies rather different things in various parts of
>Mexico, as does "enchilada". The familiar "norten~o" varieties spread from
>Texas, in which the taco is folded and fried crisp and enchilada is rolled
>and baked, can vary considerably, even in the US.
>         In New Mexico and El Paso, enchiladas may be stacked pancake-style
>before baking, and in Sonora, southern Arizona, and southern California
>(at least near the border), they may be made as patties (looking like
>salmon croquettes).
>         My first encounter with a radically different taco came in Mexico
>City in a small Veracruz restaurant, in which the tacos I ordered were, as
>in one of Barry's descriptions, made by simply rolling a tortilla around
>some shredded chicken.

this last kind is what I always thought of as an authentic taco,
after I bought them on the street corners in Ensenada (Baja
California).  Two soft corn tortillas, in fact, rolled around meat
(chicken, carnitas, tongue, whatever) with some spicy salsa and
cilantro.  Not JUST shredded chicken--that would be a bit bland for
Mexico, at least for Baja.

larry