Put down that fried chicken-wrapped Taco Bell mutant. Por favor. Authentic Mexican tacos packmeats you might not have ever considered eating and aren't sure how to pronounce. They’re worth the adventure, andyou don’t have to travelto Mexico to get them.
Indianapolis hosts true taquerias where tacos in soft corn tortillas cost just two to three bucks each and arrive dressedwith onions, cilantro andlimes, plusred and green chili sauces on the side. Cash is king at these places. Leave your credit and debit cards at home.
Here’s a glossaryto start you on your way.
1. Alambre (ah-lahm-bray)
Taqueria El Maguey, 5629 W. 38th St.
Grilled beef, cheese andchopped bacon filltacos alambre at El Maguey. It’s a crisp, cheesy, slightly chewy umami bomb. “Alambre” means “wire” in Spanish. The taco’s ingredients are the same as those threaded on a skewer, “the wire,” for Mexican kebabs, also known as alambres. In Mexico, you’d get onions and bell peppers on tacos alambre, so ask for them at El Maguey.
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2. Cabeza (ka-beh-suh)
Taqueria Mi Costa, food truck.
Beef head meat issmoky, tender, dark and juicy from this food truck that attends the regularly scheduled Indy Taco Fest at Indiana Discount Mall, 3585 Commercial Drive. The next fest happens 2 to 9 p.m. May 7. Look for future dates at the mall’s Facebook page, facebook.com/Indiana-Discount-Mall.
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3. Cachete (kah-chay-tay)
Birrieria Ocotlan, 2720 Southeastern Ave., at Rural Street.
Beef cheeks seem downright normal at this tiny, school-bus yellowbrick hut on the east side. Braised, fall-apart meat and fatty bits melt together under the splash of smoky red sauce and a good squeeze of lime juice you should add to balance all that richness.
4. Cecina (seh-see-na)
El Rey del Taco, 3935 N. High School Road.
Cecina means “dried meat,” and it takes a skilled butcher to make it. A frighteningly sharp knife slices the thinnest sheets from boneless beef cuts like sirloins or rounds. The salted and marinated beef is left to dry, which creates wowza beefy flavor, beer-begging saltiness and a sink-your-teeth-in chewiness. Lusty caramelized edges tint El Rey’s cecina. I’d eat the slices like chips if my arteries could stand it. Put fresh cucumbers on this taco to balance the salt.
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5. Chicharrones (chee-chah-rrohn-ez)
El Ranchito, 3512 Rockville Road, at Washington Street.
Chefs cook so much beef at El Ranchito that the mouthwatering scent slams you in the parking lot, but the chicharrones? So much more swoon-worthy. They’re cushiony soft stewed pork skins napped in spicy green chili sauce. My stomach burned, my mouth burned but my heart still yearns for another bite and another bite and another bite.
6. Al Pastor (ahl pahs-tor) and Trompo (trom-poe)
- Puebla Tienda y Carniceria, 2401 Washington St., at Mount Street.
- El Taco Veloz food truck, Washington Street, between Belmont and Tibbs avenues.
- Samano’s, 14126 Bergen Blvd., Noblesville.
Both al pastor and trompo are pork, both are heavily seasoned with chilies and achiote, which turn the meat brick red. Al pastor, meaning “shepherd’s style,” refers to the seasoned meat itself. When it’s cooked on a vertical spit, it’s called “trompo,” meaning “spinning top.” Lebanese immigrants escaping the collapsing Ottoman Empire in the late 1800s brought their shawarmato Mexico. Those immigrants-turned-restaurateurs infused Mexican flavors into their homeland recipes. Shawarma became al pastor. At Puebla Tienda y Carniceria, maneuver the maze of cramped aisles to the tiny taqueria at the end of the butcher’s counter. It hosts one table with two chairs and most days a spicy red pastor cooked to order on the griddle. Cooks pack plenty of meat into fat tacos. Trompo is more difficult to find but worth the search for its crispy edges, continuously created by the constantly rotating spit. Find trompoat Samano’s.Trusted sources tell me El Taco Veloz food truck is a good bet, too.The best I had was at El Rey del Taco, which I mentioned previously, but trompo wasn’t on the menu last time I went.
7. Suadero (sue-ah-dare-oh)
Paco’s Tacos, 4390 N. Keystone Ave.
Suadero is a beef cut from between the belly and the top of the hind leg, kind of the webbing that connects the leg to the body. It’s a tough piece of meat, but at Paco’s, stewed suadero adds up to everything good about Sunday roast beef: intense meaty flavor, tender chew, luscious fat.
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8. Tripa (tree-pah)
Paco’s Tacos, 4390 N. Keystone Ave.
Small intestines, beef or pork, yes, but relax. Who knows what goes into hot dogs, and you still eat those, right? Dusted with flour and deep fried, these mildly flavored rings might remind you of calamari, but they’re so much thinner and chewier, making this taco all about the textures.
Follow IndyStar food writerLiz Biroon Twitter:@lizbiro, Instagram:@lizbiro,FacebookandPinterest.Call herat (317) 444-6264.
