Al pastor - wikipedia Al pastor Al pastor A `` trompo '' of pastor meat Place of origin Mexico, Turkey, Greeks, Middle Eastern Serving temperature Warm Main ingredients Pork meat Cookbook : Al pastor Media : Al pastor Al pastor ( from Spanish, `` shepherd style '' ), also known as tacos al pastor, is a dish developed in Central Mexico that is based on shawarma spit - grilled meat brought by the Lebanese immigrants to Mexico. Being derived from shawarma, it is also similar to the Turkish döner kebab and the Greek gyros. Although shawarma and döner are usually lamb - based ( thus the `` shepherd - style '' name ), gyros and tacos al pastor in Mexico are pork based. In some places of northern Mexico, as in Baja California, this taco is called taco de adobada. Contents 1 History 2 Preparation 3 Varieties 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading History The earliest known photo of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, aka döner, by James Robertson, 1855, Ottoman Empire Lebanese immigration to Mexico started in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1892, the first Lebanese arrived in Mexico from Beirut in French ships to Mexican ports. At that time, Lebanon was not an independent nation ; the territory was governed by the Ottoman Empire for more than 400 years, but the empire was collapsing, which influenced the migration of many people. In the 1960s, Mexican - born progeny of Lebanese immigrants began opening their own restaurants and morphing their heritage with Mexican cuisine. Grilling a vertical spit of stacked meat slices and cutting it off as it cooks was developed in the 19th century in Ottoman Turkey. This is döner kebab, which is the origin of tacos al pastor, Middle Eastern shawarma, and Greek gyros. Preparation Pork is marinated in a combination of dried chilies, spices and pineapple. In some places, achiote is also added, and then slowly cooked with a gas flame on a vertical rotisserie called a trompo ( lit : spinning top ), very similar to how shawarma is cooked, with a piece of fresh onion and a pineapple on top. When ready, the meat is then thinly sliced off the spit with a large knife. It is served on small tortillas, with finely chopped onions, cilantro, and occasionally a small slice of pineapple, and usually topped with some lemon or lime juice and hot salsa. This meat is a common ingredient in not just tacos, but also gringas, alambres, huaraches, tortas and pizza. Plate of tacos al pastor Varieties In some places of Northern Mexico, such as Nuevo León, Durango and Chihuahua, these are usually called tacos de trompo if served on maize flour tortillas, and gringas if they are served with cheese on wheat flour tortillas. A similar dish is called tacos árabes, which originated in Puebla in the 1930s from Arab Mexican cuisine. Tacos árabes use shawarma - style meat carved from a spit, but are served in a pita - style bread called pan árabe. These tacos have been brought by Mexican immigrants to the United States in the past few years and have become popular in cities, such as Chicago and Los Angeles, two of the largest Mexican / Mexican - American population centers in the United States. A non-pork version was brought `` back '' to the Middle East in the early 2000s, and sold as `` shawarma mexici ''. It is essentially a chicken shawarma made in the Middle Eastern style ( wrapped with garlic mayonnaise, dill pickle and french fries in a thin flatbread ), with the only difference being the marination of the chicken in the `` al pastor '' style. See also food portal Dürüm List of Mexican dishes Sandwich Street food References Jump up ^ David Sterling, `` The Lebanese Connection, '' Yucatan : A Culinary Expedition. http://www.los-dos.com/culinary-expedition/verarticulo.php?IdArticulo=258 Jump up ^ `` Find Local Contractors - Home Remodeling Contractors on Ecnext ''. goliath.ecnext.com. Retrieved 8 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Thank the Ottoman Empire for the taco al pastor ''. Retrieved 8 August 2017. Jump up ^ Eberhard Seidel - Pielen ( May 10, 1996 ). `` Döner - Fieber sogar in Hoyerswerda '' ( Doner fever even in Hoyerswerda ). ZEIT ONLINE ( in German ). Retrieved May 6, 2016. Jump up ^ Kenneth F. Kiple, Kriemhild Coneè Ornelas, eds., Cambridge World History of Food, Cambridge, 2000. ISBN 0 - 521 - 40216 - 6. Vol. 2, p. 1147 Jump up ^ `` Wrap It Up : A Guide To Mexican Street Tacos - Part 2 : Nighttime Tacos : Mexico Cuisine ''. Jump up ^ David Hammond, `` Perfection on a Spit, '' Chicago Reader, November 8, 2007. http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/restaurants/071108/ Further reading Connelly, Michael Alan ( December 18, 2014 ). `` 20 Must - Try Street Foods Around the World ''. Fodor 's. Retrieved July 24, 2016. 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Question: what kind of meat is tacos al pastor
Answer: pork