Few foods have captured Internet and diner attention in recent years like birria has. The traditional Mexican stew became a seemingly overnight sensation in the early 2020s thanks to online videos of close-up cheese pulls and tacos dripping with steaming red broth.
Then came the parade of mash ups: birria grilled cheese, birria pizza, birria fries, birria mac and cheese, and more. But that’s just the tip of birria taco, there’s so much more to this addictive dish.
The Birria of Old
While it may seem like a modern phenomenon that appeared out of nowhere, birria is actually a traditional dish with a long history dating to the arrival of Spanish colonizers in Mexico in the 16th century. The Spanish introduced goats to the country, yet they considered the meat, which is typically very tough and gamey, to be too low quality to eat. The Aztecs found that slow cooking the meat in vinegar with native chiles and spices resulted in a delicious and hearty stew. It is commonly served at quinceañeras, weddings, and other large family gatherings.
A food truck in Tijuana, Tacos Aaron, is credited with being the first to pair the meat with cheese, giving rise to the popular quesabirria taco. Soon, taco trucks in Los Angeles capitalized on the creation, and it wasn’t long before social media — and the country — caught on…