Birria, a Mexican classic

There are cravings and cravings. One that has deep roots in Jalisco and neighboring states is birria: a hearty recipe made from meat cooked in an oven, traditionally stone or pit-cooked, bathed in a sauce or marinade where chiles are key.  There are several versions regarding its origin, and in all of them, the knowledge in cooking techniques of local Mexicans is combined with the ingredients introduced by the Spanish, especially beef, pork, and goat. One version speaks of the popularity of goat in the mid-1800s, in the area of Jalisco and Zacatecas, formerly known as Nueva Galicia, where these animals multiplied to such an extent that ranchers opted to give them away to their workers.  These men and women decided not only to take advantage of the milk, as the Spaniards did, but to cook the entire animal underground or in a stone oven as they did with other meats. To enrich the recipe, they smeared a spicy marinade that they generally used to cook poultry, and the result over the years is the birria as we know and enjoy it today.  Another version about the origin of birria was shared with me by researcher Maru Toledo, who has dedicated over 20 years to studying the cuisine of the western region. Data that leads us to the Jalisco municipality of Ameca, where thanks to the record of the working days of cowboys, there is knowledge of a preparation they made underground with some of the cattle they had access to, which the foremen selected to feed all their crews.  Maru clarifies that this preparation was only smeared with fat, from where the term birriar comes, which for the Spaniards referred to something dirty or smeared, due to how they saw the animal being seasoned. Whatever the version, the popularity of birria is undeniable, and as its consumption spread to other states such as Aguascalientes, Michoacán, Zacatecas, Nayarit, and Colima, and even within Jalisco, locals began to add their own touch to the meat, the marinade, and adjusted their cooking methods according to their possibilities. Now not only goat and beef are the protagonists; there are areas in these states that prepare it with pork, lamb, rabbit, armadillo, iguana, chicken, veal, catfish, and mixed meats. Perfect proteins that are enveloped with a world of marinades made from chiles and spices that also respond to the ingredients at hand, although guajillo chile and dried ginger are constants. In addition to the red version, there is the so-called white birria, which still survives in the West; it is generally made from beef and is seasoned with some aromatic herbs to be cooked underground or in an oven, traditional methods to which steamed birria or even boiled meat birria have been added. Finally, let’s not forget about tatemada birria: a process that involves putting the already cooked meat back in the oven's heat and allowing it to form a crust, which is at least loved in Jalisco, along with freshly made tortillas and an extra bit of broth on the side. Photos: Gilberto Hernández.