Carnitas, a pork dish that originated in the state of Michoacán, can be found in restaurants, markets and street stalls all over Mexico City – it’s a fixture of the chilango diet. The other day, we received an invitation to visit a carnitas place that our host said would blow our minds – and that’s definitely the kind of offer we never refuse.
Taquería La Única is located in the Tenayuca market, right at the border between D.F. and Estado de México. Marbella and Abundio Tejeda have run the small stand for the last 38 years. They serve delicious deep-fried pork every day of the year, “except on Christmas and Holy Week, because people are not allowed to eat meat during that week,” Marbella told us as she made gorditas from fresh corn masa.
The Tejeda family is committed to quality and freshness. The meat they use comes from Tula, Hidalgo, where the Tejedas have a pig farm. “A vet there makes sure the pigs are healthy, and we bring the canals (flesh ready for preparation) ready to be cooked.”
The process of making carnitas takes several hours. The Tejedas marinate a whole pig in a mixture of orange juice and spices. Then, using large pots, they deep-fry the meat in its own lard. Every single part of the pork is edible and can be ordered for carnitas. The most conservative customers order maciza (the fleshiest parts of the pork) or costilla (ribs), while the most adventurous ones might order trompa (snout), cachete (cheeks), sesos (brains), nana (uterus), etc. For the ones who can’t decide between adventurous or conservative, there’s always the third option, surtida, a little bit of everything.
Carnitas can be ordered by the kilo or by taco. Half a kilo of maciza, costilla or surtida can easily feed a family of four. The order comes with tortillas, lime wedges and salsas, usually red and green. Chicharrón, deep fried pork skin are also made in-house.
We tried several tacos, including the maciza, costilla, and surtida, but our favorite item of all was the gorditas. Made from freshly ground maize, gorditas are deep-fried round patties that are then opened and stuffed with carnitas, which customers can then top with salsa. We chose the house salsa, made with habaneros, red onion and lime. The combination of patty, pig and salsa was spectacular! But any way you slice it, the Tejedas make some darn fine pork.
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Published on June 24, 2014
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