Allow me to introduce you to Carnitas.
One of the many foods I fell in love with in Mexico.
You're probably thinking: "I have no idea what kind of tacos those are, but they look delicious."
You are 200% correct. They are more than delicious.
Carnitas are pork meat, traditionally made by using the heavily marbeled cuts. They're not (usually) super greasy, but can occasionally have small peices of fat with them. Don't let that scare you off, it just makes thier flavor richer.
This is how the meat typically looks at a market or carneceria:
You can see to the top left, that there is some shredded pieces. The texture is similar to stew meat, but not near as dry. You can pull it apart with a fork or chopped with a cleaver, and have them in tacos, burritos, etc.
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Theses carnitas were either made in Michoacán, a state in Mexico, or cooked Michoacán style. Unfortunately, my Spanish isn't good enough to understand the (super nice) guy helping us out.
This stand is at a hectic, yet beautiful Farmers Market every Sunday, in Mexico City.
Let me tell you, it's impossible to just walk by it. If it doesn't look appetizing to you, the smell will draw you in. Not only that, but the guy will give you a piece to try! Which is genius of him, because there's no way you can try it and walk away, it's just too good.
Just like most taco stands in Mexico, there's a small bar of fresh salsas, limes, onion and cilantro, allowing you to dress your tacos how you like.
This is how my boyfriend and I dressed ours:
You can see he likes to put a lot on his, where mine are more simple. Either way, they are absolutely delicious.
The best part-
They were $15 MXN a piece! LESS THAN ONE US DOLLAR PER TACO.
Yes, we ate 5.
Yes, we considered buying more.
And yes, I am now hungry again.