Taco de Carne Asada
The grill taco of Mexico's cattle north: skirt steak charred over mesquite, chopped fine on the board, and folded into a doubled corn tortilla with onion, cilantro, and lime.
Andrew Lekashman
Taco de Canasta
The basket taco of central Mexico: small corn tortillas brushed with seasoned oil, folded around a stew, and packed into a cloth-lined basket to sweat soft, sold off a bicycle for a few pesos.
Taco de Canasta de Papa
The potato basket taco is the cheapest hot thing on the street: seasoned mashed potato folded into an oiled tortilla, steamed soft in a covered basket, sold by the count before nine in the morning.
Taco de Canasta de Chicharrón
Basket taco with chicharrón in salsa verde.
Taco de Camarón
Shrimp taco; various preparations—fried, grilled, in garlic sauce.
Taco de Camarón al Mojo de Ajo
Garlic shrimp taco; shrimp in garlic butter sauce.
Taco de Camarón a la Diabla
Deviled shrimp taco; shrimp in spicy red chile sauce.
Taco de Callo de Hacha
Scallop taco; fresh scallops, often from Baja.
Taco de Cachete
Beef cheek taco; tender, rich, gelatinous from collagen.
Taco de Cabeza
Beef head taco; various parts of the cow head, slow-steamed. Can specify cut: cachete (cheek), lengua (tongue), ojo (eye), sesos (brains).
Taco de Buche
Pork stomach taco; slow-cooked until tender, then griddled.
Taco de Bistec
Beef steak taco; thin-sliced griddled beef, often with onions.
Taco de Birria
The taco de birria is a stew you can hold: meat steeped in dried-chile adobo, simmered until it shreds, folded into a warm tortilla with a cup of consomé to dunk.
Taco de Birria de Res
Beef birria, chuck and short rib stewed in a guajillo-ancho adobo, the shred tucked into a fat-dipped griddled corn tortilla with a cup of consomé to dunk.
Taco de Birria de Chivo
Slow-cooked goat in a guajillo-and-ancho adobo, shredded into corn tortillas with a cup of chile broth alongside. The Cocula, Jalisco, original that the beef version descends from.
Taco de Barbacoa
Lamb or beef wrapped in maguey leaves and pit-steamed underground until it falls apart, folded into warm corn with onion, cilantro, lime, and a cup of the drippings as consomé.
Taco de Barbacoa de Res
Beef pit-cook taco from Hidalgo and the Texas border: cheek pulled into glossy shreds, doubled corn tortilla, a cup of consome beside; the cleaner beef counterpart to borrego.
Taco de Barbacoa de Borrego
Hidalgo Sunday pit-cook: whole borrego wrapped in maguey, sealed in a brick earth oven overnight, served on a doubled corn round with salsa borracha and consomé.
Taco de Asador
Taco de asador: grilled meat off a northern Mexican charcoal or mesquite fire, chopped on the board, folded into a warm flour or corn tortilla with raw onion and salsa.
Taco de Arrachera
Skirt-steak taco from the parrilladas of Nuevo Leon: marinated short, charred hard over mesquite, sliced thin against the grain onto a warm tortilla with onion, cilantro, and lime.