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Mexican Street Food: Tacos al Pastor and Elote

Spit-grilled pork from Lebanese immigrants, corn slathered in mayo and cheese, real birria — your crash course in authentic Mexican street eats.

10 questions~5 minen
Q1 / 10
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Tacos al pastor's cooking technique was inspired by which immigrant community in Mexico?

📚 See all answers + explanations

  1. Q1. Tacos al pastor's cooking technique was inspired by which immigrant community in Mexico?

    • Spanish
    • Lebanese
    • Italian
    • Chinese
    Tacos al pastor descend from Lebanese shawarma. Lebanese immigrants who arrived in Puebla in the 1920s-30s brought the vertical spit (trompo). Mexicans swapped lamb for marinated pork and added pineapple.

  2. Q2. What is the classic garnish placed on top of an al pastor taco?

    • Slice of grilled pineapple
    • Sour cream
    • Avocado slice
    • Pickled jalapeño
    A real al pastor cart has a fresh pineapple roasting on top of the trompo. The taquero slices a thin piece of pork directly off the spit and flicks a chunk of caramelized pineapple onto the tortilla.

  3. Q3. Elote is grilled corn on the cob coated in:

    • Butter and sugar
    • Mayo, cotija cheese, chili and lime
    • Soy sauce and sesame
    • Honey and salt
    Elote is grilled or boiled corn slathered with mayonnaise or crema, then rolled in crumbly cotija cheese and dusted with chili powder and lime. Esquites is the off-the-cob cup version.

  4. Q4. Birria originally comes from which Mexican state?

    • Jalisco
    • Oaxaca
    • Yucatán
    • Sonora
    Birria originated in Jalisco, traditionally made with goat meat slow-cooked in a chili-rich stew. Tijuana-style birria tacos with consommé dipping became a global TikTok hit in 2019-2020.

  5. Q5. What's the difference between a quesadilla and a quesabirria?

    • Quesabirria has no cheese
    • Quesabirria is filled with stewed beef birria and dipped in consommé
    • Quesabirria uses flour tortillas only
    • There is no real difference
    Quesabirria are crispy fried tacos filled with shredded birria beef and melted cheese, typically Oaxaca cheese, served with a bowl of red consommé for dipping. They went viral on Instagram around 2019.

  6. Q6. Why are corn tortillas traditionally made through 'nixtamalization'?

    • For longer shelf life
    • Alkaline treatment makes niacin bioavailable and improves flavor
    • Just for color
    • To kill bacteria
    Nixtamalization soaks dried corn in an alkaline lime (calcium hydroxide) solution. It softens the grains, frees up bound niacin (preventing pellagra), and gives masa its iconic aroma and pliability.

  7. Q7. Mole poblano gets its dark color and complex flavor from:

    • Black beans
    • Dried chilies, chocolate, nuts and many spices
    • Dark beer
    • Soy and miso
    Mole poblano can contain 20-30+ ingredients including ancho, pasilla and mulato chilies, dark chocolate, nuts, seeds, plantain, raisins and spices, all toasted and ground. Origin: Puebla, possibly from the 17th century.

  8. Q8. Cochinita pibil is traditionally cooked:

    • Flash fried
    • Slow-roasted underground wrapped in banana leaves
    • Boiled in milk
    • Smoked with hickory
    Cochinita pibil is a Yucatecan dish of pork marinated in achiote and bitter orange, wrapped in banana leaves and buried to cook in an underground pit oven (pib). The achiote gives it that bright orange color.

  9. Q9. What is a 'campechano' taco?

    • A vegetarian taco
    • A mix of two meats, often suadero and chorizo
    • A dessert taco
    • A taco with no tortilla
    A campechano taco combines two or more meats in one tortilla — most commonly thinly sliced beef suadero plus crumbled chorizo. The name comes from 'campechana,' meaning a mix or blend.

  10. Q10. Which Mexico City taqueria chain made al pastor famous in the 1960s and is still iconic?

    • Taqueria El Charro
    • Tacos El Huequito
    • Taqueria El Califa
    • Both b and c are early icons (b is older)
    El Huequito, opened in 1959 near the historic center of Mexico City, is one of the original al pastor taquerías. Many credit it as a key place where the modern recipe was standardized.

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