One thing I don’t think about when it comes to Mexican food is lamb. I think of tacos in many different flavors: chicken, pork, beef, beans, fish, vegetables. Even the occasional cactus.
But I’ve never even seen lamb on the menu at Mexican restaurants (or maybe I haven’t paid close enough attention). And I do know my Spanish, thank you very much. But cordero is not something on most traditional Mexican menus (or menú). I have had cabrito, but that’s technically goat.
Thanks to Time Out, I learned there are things called tacos arabes. Never heard of them, but upon some research, it turns out that they were invented by Lebanese immigrants in Puebla and they’re a strange sort of fusion of gyros and tacos. You may have heard of tacos al pastor. Those are tacos made of marinated pork that are then cooked slowly on a rotisserie and sliced to order. Tacos arabes are very similar, but instead of pork they use lamb.
The arabes at Ricos Tacos, which is a run-down hole in the wall in the colorful neighborhood of Sunset Park, are incredibly cheap. They’re just over 2 dollars each and are a decent size snack on their own. Two would be more than enough for a meal.
They look very simple. No cilantro or vegetables were added. But thanks to some really juicy and succulent meat and a dark red sauce that had a spicy, smoky flavor, these babies need nothing else.
The sauce was a bit reminiscent of a Memphis style barbecue sauce. It added just the right amount of heat to the tacos. And I was amazed at all the disparate ethnic flavors in harmony – there was Middle Eastern spiced lamb, Mexican tortillas, and a vaguely Southern sauce? Only in Brooklyn could these all work so well together.
After a really interesting and delicious discovery, I’m going to keep my eyes peeled for the word cordero or arabes on any menu. Mexican, Lebanese, or otherwise.
Would Ricos Tacos’ Arabes Tacos make my Top 100 of the year? 8 out of 10 because the meat was juicy, the sauce was flavorful, and the combination was delightfully unexpected.
