Taco al pastor

(from Spanish, "shepherd style"), tacos al pastor, or tacos de trompo is a preparation of spit-grilled slices of pork originating in the Central Mexican region of Puebla and Mexico City, although today it is a common menu item found in throughout Mexico. The method of preparing and cooking is based on the lamb shawarma brought by Lebanese immigrants to the region. features a flavor palate that uses traditional Mexican adobada (marinade). It is a popular street food that has spread to the United States. In some places of northern Mexico and coastal Mexico, such as in Baja California, is known as or . A variety of the dish uses a combination of Middle Eastern spices and indigenous central Mexican ingredients and is called . History During the 19th century, variations of a vertically grilled meat dish, now known by several names, started to spread throughout the Ottoman Empire. The Lebanese version, shawarma, was brought to Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by a wave of Lebanese immigrants, mainly Christians such as the Maronites who have no religious dietary restrictions on eating pork. In the 1920s in the state of Puebla, lamb meat was replaced by pork. Mexican-born progeny of Lebanese immigrants began opening their various restaurants. Later, in Mexico City, they began to marinate with adobo, and using corn tortillas, which resulted in the al pastor taco. It is unknown when they began to be prepared as we know it today, however, some agree that it was in the 1960s when they became popular.