RUSTENBURG HERALD - RUSTENBURG - Once again Rustenburg Herald is pleased to launch the first of three cooking articles on meals that will be on the menu at Rustenburg church - Vantage Point's (the R24/Johannesburg road) third consecutive Food Festival on 25 May 2018. By now the Rustenburg public will know that the Food Festival is something not to be missed! Texas BBQ is pleased to be one of literally dozens of food stalls at the festival. Their menu will consist of Mexican food in the form of tacos which are the best known and the most popular of Mexican street foods. A taco simply is a folded tortilla with some kind of filling. Mexican street taco fillings vary from one region to another. Most tacos are made from tortillas except in the very north of the country where wheat flour tortillas dominate. For the Food Festival Texas BBQ will serve wheat tortillas. For the Food Festival there will be two types of filling for the tacos with chopped cilantro, lettuce, lime and a spicy (and regular) red salsa as garnish. Salsa is a piquant tomato-based sauce and includes ingredients such as onions, garlic, chili peppers, fresh cilantro (coriander) and herbs. A mild and extremely hot version will be on the menu.
The two types of filling for the tacos are made as follows:
Ingredients
1 packet of tortilla shells available at your grocery store;
250/500 g meat as specified beneath depending on the number of guests;
Seasoning and salsa garnish as specified;
Salt & pepper
Mexican/spicy seasoning & herbs of your choice
Method
Bake your tortilla shells in a pan with open lid on the stove until they are crispy. Cook your pieces/strips of meat in the oven until ready. Separate your meat roughly to the same texture as mince when it is ready. Prepare you salsa sauce in a second pan with the seasoning and spices specified in the two recipes. Remember to add salt & pepper or any other herbs or spices that you like. Dish filling onto the open tortilla shelves (like in a pancake) and complete by adding seasoning and salsa sauce according to taste. Fold your tacos into manageable size and enjoy with your hand.
Pork Carnitas Tacos
Consists of shoulder of pork that's been seasoned, braised until tender with lard and herbs (oregano, marjoram, bay leaves, garlic) separated and then oven-roasted until slightly crisp, then served as a filling for tacos. 
Barbacoa Tacos
Barbacoa generally refers to meats or whole sheep slow-cooked over an open fire, or more traditionally in a hole dug in the ground covered with maguey leaves, although the interpretation is loose and in the present day (and in some cases) may refer to meat steamed until tender. This meat is known for its high fat content and strong flavour, often accompanied with onions and cilantro. Prepare your cuts of meat exactly the same way as in the Pork Carnitas tacos and serve.
About tacos
The tortillas used in Mexican tacos are soft, although the entire taco can be fried, which is called "dorado". The taco has its origins in the pre-Hispanic period, when other foods were eaten with tortillas, used as a scoop. The modern taco developed in Mexico's rural areas when wives would bring their husbands' meals to the fields wrapped in tortillas. Tacos arrived to the city when stands began to sell foods known to many rural people who migrated to them in the 20th century. This is especially true for Mexico City, which offer taco specialties from just about every region of the country. The taco bridges social and economic barriers in that everyone in the country eats them, leading it to be called "the most democratic of Mexican foods".
Whatever you do on Friday, 25 May, do not miss Vantage Point's Food Festival. You are advised to arrive early - remember - the early bird catches the worm. Also see the article on Vantage Point's Food Festival elsewhere in this edition.
