Cabbage in tacos

[ExtraMSG]

I was at a taqueria I haven't tried before here in greater Portland. You can often tell the origin of the proprieters by the selection of foods. Portland has a lot of people from Jalisco and Michoacan. Today, though, the tacos came with shredded cabbage. Where is cabbage popular in Mexican food? Is it a Texas or California thing? Is it a regional Mexican thing? Normally taquerias just put cilantro and onion on tacos here.

Edited July 26, 2004 by ExtraMSG (log)

[esperanza]

Where is cabbage popular in Mexican food?

Finely shredded cabbage to put on tacos is popular--nay, mandatory--all over Mexico. On the Baja, it's on fish tacos as well as every other kind. In the interior, it's available for every taco from carne asada to sesos.

Most places, tacos are served on two small tortillas rather than on the large tortillas that are eaten with a meal. The tortillas, stacked two by two, are swished through a grease-slick section of the grill and heated, flipping first on one side and then to the other, till the edges just begin to crisp a little.

At most taquerías the condiments are on the side for folks to add a gusto to their tacos. Where I live, there are two taco stands I frequent (or perhaps better said, I seldom, because I don't taquear too often). The condiments are arranged on the customer side of the grill in big plastic bowls. The choices are: frijoles de la olla, salsa de aguacate, a hot red salsa, a milder green salsa, minced onions, chopped cilantro, and finely shredded cabbage.

Armed with a plate of three or four tacos of whatever meat you've chosen (carne asada, lengua, adobado, carnaza, sesos, buche, trompo), sprinkle some beans atop the meat. Salsa de aguacate over that, then the red or the green (depending on your heat tolerance). Then minced onions, then the cilantro, and finally a heap of shredded cabbage.

Big red radishes are in another bowl; take what you like. The cooks keep cebollitas de cambray (large-bulb green onions) grilling in the meat juices/lard at the back of the grill; you ask for a couple; sweetly caramelized, they're plopped onto your plate.

At table there are bowls of limón to squeeze onto the tacos and small bowls of sea salt to sprinkle if you need it.

Heaven. I may have to go tonight.

Edited July 26, 2004 by esperanza (log)

[ExtraMSG]

Weird. I've never noticed cabbage in Mexico before. Not sure if it wasn't there or if I just didn't notice it. I've noticed cebollitas and radishes plenty of times. Cilantro and onions, certainly. But never cabbage. I wonder if I just blanked it out.

[caroline]

I agree with Esperanza. Cabbage is all over the place. Perhaps it's just yet one more of those things that gets lost when Mexican food is translated for/transplanted to the US,

Rachel

[ExtraMSG]

Well, like I said, I haven't seen it in Mexico either. When you say "all over the place" can you be more specific. I've travelled mostly in Western Mexico, but I never saw such a thing in DF either.

Note: I'm talking specifically about cabbage in tacos, not cabbage in general. Though most of the cabbage recipes I've seen seem to be from the Yucatan, a place I haven't been. I couldn't find any recipes for tacos garnished with cabbage.

[caroline]

In Guanajuato , taco stands often often have shredded cabbage. I'll have to check next time I am in Mexico City. I'll ask around here. And what's for sure is that all those cabbages in the markets go somewhere. Red cabbage, which is also available in all supermarkets here, is, I suspect part of upmarket cuisine.

Manos a la obra, amigos (let's get going friends). Pitch in all,

Rachel

[get in my belly]

i lived in phoenix for most of my life and ate almost nothing but mexican food . most of it was northern mexican influenced of course . and did see quite alot of taco stands offering both lettus and cabbage one stand even had this sauted purple cabbage salsa thing wow was that good . but for the most part the tacos de piscado had the cabbage always on it as a default item they put on and not you at the side of the stands ......... ok now im hungry even in mexico they had cabbage as an option i visited hermisillo and the baja de keno and of course nogalas several times . and all the way down we stopped at seedy little taco stands and i remember that half and half had cabbage i like it better because it has that spicy flavor to it so i always look for it mmmmmm i do love me some tacos

[ludja]

I'll risk a silly question--is the shredded cabbage normally just raw or is it marinated with vinegar and salt?

(I've had it inside some preps but wasn't sure...)

Thanks

[esperanza]

For adding to tacos, I've only ever seen finely shredded raw cabbage, not marinated.

Don't get me wrong, I've also seen finely shredded lettuce--but it's not nearly as prevalent as raw cabbage.

I'll be in the DF the first week of October and intend to investigate a lot of taco stands for cabbage/lettuce availability.

Film at eleven.

[little ms foodie]

I've always seen cabbage served in my tacos, I usually have fish but have had it with asada also. Even here in Seattle I will get cabbage sometimes, I think Aqua Verde serves theirs with cabbage. Anyway, I've had this in Cabo San Lucas and Zijua on the west coast.

[Kapuliperson]

I've never heard of this before.. sounds interesting though.