Tacos Árabes Are the Answer to All Your Bad-Tortilla Woes

Tacos árabes in Puebla, one made with al pastor–style adobo-marinated meat, the other made with a more traditional cumin rub. 

Nothing is created in a vacuum…unless, of course, you consider that everything in the universe exists in the near-vacuum of space. So, maybe I should rephrase that: All things are created in a vacuum. But that’s not really the point I’m trying to make today. Today, it’s all about how one creation can inspire another. Let’s start with tacos árabes.

Tacos árabes are, as the name suggests, “Arab” tacos, and they come from the city of Puebla in Mexico. It’s hard to get a crystal-clear explanation of their origins, but the basic story is that Middle Eastern immigrants* arrived in Puebla sometime around or shortly after the First World War and brought with them the shawarma-making tradition of serving thinly sliced, spit-roasted marinated lamb in pita bread.

* Many sources say these were Lebanese immigrants, while others claim they were Iraqi.