Spoiled by the Good Shepard – Tasty Taco Tuesday at El Camino

I’ve been to El Camino several times now, and I like everything they’ve got. They even got me to not hate tequila. I’m not sure if I totally like it or even love it, but that tequila mint julep is totally on point!

 

But really I’m here to talk tacos.

 

I’m not really sure why it is that I’m so obsessed with tacos as of late. I’d like to think I can on board before the rest of the taco frenzy, turned on to them by my favorite Savannah spot Foxy Loxy and their tacos and coffee spot. That was my very first time, I’m ashamed to say, having tacos with a- real corn tortillas and b- that were more than just your usual American Mexican taco.

 

What do I mean by that? More than just ground beef, lettuce, and cheese.

 

They were extraordinary. Korean BBQ tacos. Things that were different.

 

So I was thrilled when El Camino opened.

 

 

But there is one taco that shines above them all.

 

I’ve been spoiled by the Good Shepard aka El Pastor.

 

 

Now I feel I should note, the traditional taco is called the “Al Pastor” which is Spanish for “in the style of the shepherd”. My research tells me that this style of cooking the meat what inspired by Lebanese immigrants to Central Mexico:

At first glance, it resembles a Middle Eastern shawarma or a doner kebab. Here in Mexico though, it is known as a trompo, which means spinning top because the shape of the meat is similar – narrow at the bottom and wider at the top.

This is the basis of the taco al pastor – the shepherd’s taco, which is one of Mexico City’s signature dishes. Its origins though are anything but Mexican.

“It’s a story of migration,” says Jeffrey Pilcher, author of Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexico Food.

Migrants from the Middle East started to come to Mexico from the end of the 19th Century. They came in much larger numbers in the early 20th Century when the Ottoman Empire was crumbling.

According to Antonio Trabulse Kaim of the Mexican-Lebanese Cultural Institute, there are as many as 800,000 Lebanese people and their descendants now living in Mexico.
(source: BBC’s “Sharwarma: Taco al pastor’s culinary ancestor”)

 

It’s always fascinating to me how food develops.

 

The El Pastor at El Camino has a similar story, in that it adapts the usual pineapple, coriander, and onion from the Mexican al pastor and uses instead poblano relish, salsa verde, sheep’s milk cheese  and -for me the best part- charred peach. A tribute to the Georgia location of this restaurant.

 

I fell in love at first bite with this particular taco, and realized quickly that all of the elements have to be present for the truest meaning of flavor to come through.

 

This taco is a total winner for me, and I have to get it every time. No matter what. It’s a true love born of the marriage of the Mexican taco and Georgia peach.

 

 

Love to all y’all,

 

Molly