I'm probably a couple years late to the tacos de birria / birria quesatacos fad due to (1) COVID-19; (2) the fact that I live in Salem, OR; and (3) because the fad somehow didn't hit my primary social networks as prominently as it did TikTok. I am, however, glad that I nevertheless discovered it because I finally found a restaurant that I actually want to go back to in Salem, other than maybe Word of Mouth.
I'm pretty sure everyone's at least heard bits and pieces of the "Legend of the Birria" since the Birria Taco phenomenon was out of proportion on certain social networking apps that I don't subscribe to, but the story is fascinating enough to mention here.
The history of the Birria and the Birrieros go back to the time of the Conquistadors in Mexico. In the process of subjugating a large part of Mexico and Latin America in the name of god, gold, and imperialism, the Spaniards, much like other imperial invasion forces in the annals of history sought to assimilate the indigenous population into their own culture. As such, the Spaniards forced onto the indigenous population its language, religion, social norms, and also food.
During this time, the Spaniards supposedly introduced the indigenous population to domesticated cattle, pigs, and chicken. Whereas the flesh of these animals soon became a staple to the indigenous population, goat was not quite met with the same fanfare as the others as its meat tends to be gamey compared to the others.
The consumption of goat in the Jalisco region was supposedly popularized after goats indirectly caused a famine in the region. As goats breed quickly and paddocks and fencing hardly existed during that time, they became an invasive species that caused havoc on field crops and seedbeds. The word "birria" in Spanish has a connotative meaning that implies something is "disgusting, displeasing, or is of the lower class." This was how the indigenous people first described the taste and texture of goat when they first started hunting and domesticating the same for consumption.
In order to un-birria-fy the gamey meat, different herbs and fragrant spices were used to season and neutralize the favor of the meat. The goat was also cooked in the earth or in kilns to help soften the tough texture of the meat. Those specially tasked with spicing and cooking the goat in kilns became known as "birrieros" (birria maker) and the Jaliscan dish of birria was born.
Birria in its original form is actually a stew, traditionally prepared with goat. As people started appreciating the unique flavors and the texture that the birria making process yielded, pork, beef, and other meats became acceptable substitutes for goat. Entrepreneurs in DF and Queens, New York offered up the traditional Jaliscan dish in its now famous cheese-laiden taco form, and apparently that's how it became a culinary phenomenon.
I think by now I've tried almost every item on Kike's menu and can vouch that every single one of them is amazing. I highly recommend the Tacos Dorados de Birria if you want the standard crispy fried tortilla shell with stewed meat, topped with onions and cilantro. If TikTok gave you FOMO of the birria quesatacos, get yourself some Tacos No Manches (with a side of grilled habanero.) Kike's also makes mean Tacos Tripas if you know what that is. Regardless of what you order, don't forget the consommé.
And it's pronounced "kee-kayz," not the other thing you were thinking of. read more