Cooking school in Mexico City with my good friend Litzy

This story comes from a student abroad trip I went on in 2024. On one particular day we went to a cooking school to learn how real Mexican tacos were made in Mexcio City. They were delicious!

How they taught us to make tacos

In this cooking school, we first learned where they got their fresh ingredients from and how they make fresh corn torillas in bulk. We then went back to the school and got instructions on how to make the tacos. We were going to make three types of tacos, Al Pastor, Campechano, and Barbacoa Tacos as well as different types of salsas to go with the tacos. Each person in the class had a job and you could switch jobs with other people to learn how to make different things. I interviewed my good friend Litzy who went to this cooking school with me. Her family was originally from Mexico and I wanted to see what her opionion was on the tacos and compare them to those we made in the cooking school.

Analysis: Litzy’s experience and what we both took away from the cooking school

It was a team effort to make these tacos. Our class was around 12-13 people and each person had a job. Some were making tortillas, while others were chopping veggies and meat, as well as some making the various salsas. It showed how much went into making a delcious meal and it gave me a sense of community being part of cooking this elaborate meal. In this interview I ask Litzy about her experience in this cooking school and had her compare it to how her parents cook at home. While her family is originally from Mexico, she grew up in America, so she has a unique perspective on visiting Mexico.

The tacos we prepared that day were very different to the ones prepared in America. In my History of American Food class we talked a lot about authenticy in America and having actual tacos from Mexico was a completely different experience than having them in America. American tacos are typically prepared in hard shell corn tortillas and with ground beef and cheese. In this cooking school and just eating tacos around Mexico, they were made with soft corn tortillas with various meats but from what I saw there wasn’t any with ground beef. Being an American, I always thought tacos were prepared with ground beef but that wasn’t the case in Mexico. The tacos prepared in America have been changed like so many other cuisines that claim authenticity. This can be due to ingredients that are only available to that region and some restaurants have trouble selling certain types of foods to Americans so they “Americanize” it to appeal to Americans ultimately changing the food.

After working hard on cooking these tacos, we got to sit down and eat, my favorite part! They were the best tacos I’ve ever tasted and have not come close to anything to it in America. They had all the right chilis for the salsas which can be hard to find in America and cooked the meats in different ways such as wrapping the pork in banana leaves while pressure cooking them. It was quite the experience this is a story that Litzy and I experienced together and one that I will never forget!