Monday, August 12, 2013

Food History: Al Pastor

The first time I saw al pastor turning on a spit, I flashed back to when I was in Sydney Australia and frequented Turkish shops for their delicious Doner kebabs. The meat cooked on a vertical spit and they trimmed the meat off as it turned. While al pastor can be cooked in a pan, it is traditionally cooked on a vertical spit, in much the same way as Doner meat.

The breaking up of the Ottoman Empire took place over a large span of time, between 1792 to 1923. Today, what is left, is known as modern day Turkey. After the Ottoman Empire broke up, a large number of Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians immigrated to Mexico. The Lebanese immigrants brought with them their rotisserie method of grilling meat on a vertical spit. In Lebanon, these spits had been used primarily to grill lamb, in Mexico they used them to grill pork. This is how al pastor came to be grilled on a vertical spit.



What I have written above is merely a representation of what I have read on Wikipedia and understood from what has been collected there. I do not claim to be a historian. Below are links to some of the pages I read from for those that are curious about where I got my information or would like to learn more.

Wiki References:
Dissolution of the Ottoman Empire
Arab immigration to Mexico
Al pastor derived from shwarma
The pictures below were also taken from Wikipedia
Doner kebab: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doner_kebab
Al pastor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_pastor




Sunday, August 11, 2013

Salvador's Bakery - On Silverton Rd NE between I-5 and Lancaster in Salem, OR

This is a fantastic place! Everything I have had here has been delicious. Everyone I have recommended it to has enjoyed it. They have a menu you can order off, baked goods (professional celebration cakes, breads, and desserts), groceries, and a carniceria (butcher). Everyone that works here is super nice and very helpful, and the prices are very reasonable.

- The cevice was fresh and packed with flavor
- The tamales were good but you should definitely use salsa on them or they will seem kind of dry
- The tacos were great, especially with the cabbage salsa from the salsa bar
- The tortas came on telera bread and were fantastic. I liked the carnitas more than the barbacoa though
- The Caldo de Res (stew - potato, corn, carrots, corned beef, etc.) comes with rice and tortillas. Break up the tortillas into small pieces and stir them in with the rice, or roll up the tortillas, dip, take a bite, and then a spoonful of caldo. Salvadore's make a delicious bowl of Caldo de Res!!

I definitely recommend this place!!

Yelp

Salvador's Bakery Website

Salvador's Bakery on Urbanspoon






Rating List: Mexican Food in NE Salem, OR

First Choices:
El Padrino (Food Cart)
Los Pinos (Food Cart)
Los Panditas
Azteca Bakery

Second Choices:
El Palacio (Food Cart)
Carniceria El Rodeo
La Carreta de Mi Tierra (Food Cart)

Third Choices:
Jr's Taqueria
La Michoacana (Food Cart)
El Ranchito (Food Cart)


Taqueria La Guadalupana (Food Cart) - On Portland Rd in NE Salem, OR

There are several Mexican food carts in NE Salem. This one wasn't bad, but there is definitely a lot better. It's located in the parking lot of Stuart's Discount Auto Parts. It's pretty far north on Portland Rd, near the intersection with Hyacinth St, on the east side.

I had a Taco de Pastor and a Torta de Milaneza, neither of which were all that great. The thing I tasted most on the Torta was the refried beans. It should have been the meat.

As far as service goes, the guy wasn't rude, but he wasn't exactly friendly either. Overall, the experience was mediocre, at best.



Monday, August 5, 2013

Your Taco Express - Near the corner of Market St. and Park Ave. in Salem, OR

I found this place by accident when I was looking for the place that was there before it and closed. It's at the back of a little strip mall running north and south off of Market St.

This is one of those places where Mexicans go to get real Mexican food, and it's a pretty good place. It takes a little longer to get your food, but it's because they don't pre-cook and re-heat, they cook your food when you order it. I got four tacos: pollo, asada, lengua, and al pastor. I noticed that the al pastor had pineapple chunks in it, and that it was cooked in a pan instead of on a spit. The tacos were all very good. The lengua was $1.50, but the others were $1 each.

In some ways, the place is kind of budget, like the doorbell that you have to push at the drive thru. In other ways, the place is really nice, like the murals painted on the walls. All in all, the place seemed clean to me, and the staff was very friendly. It isn't a big place, and there isn't a lot of seating, so don't take a large group here.

Yelp