Tongue tacos are definitely a thing. Because tongue is a super fatty, meltingly tender meat. And it’s mild in flavor. And it could easily win over even with the skeptical consumer. But why be limited to the second half of the day? If Americans are enjoying cold cereals morning, noon and night – then I advocate we flip that and bring our favorite dinners to the breakfast table. Breakfast Tongue Tacos are a great way to start your day. Plus, it better aligns with the ‘savory, sour, fermented and tepid’ elements we see in breakfasts around the world.
American Breakfast
If you are in the 85% of Americans that consume breakfast each morning, it’s likely to be cereal (~30%) followed by an egg-based meal (~20%, with or without bacon or ham), and another 10% have a bagel or pastry. This ABC News poll also found that liver, grits, cold pizza and cold spaghetti made the list.
While that poll revealed that only 31% of Americans are eating cereal for breakfast, other data says that 3/4 of Americans eat cereal daily. Seems like it doesn’t add up, but here’s the catch: cereal consumption remains popular ‘morning, noon [or] night!’
But that’s exactly my point – we can eat anything for any meal.
Breakfast Around the World
In an article I read many years ago, the NY Times shared breakfasts around the world.
Americans tend to lack imagination when it comes to breakfast. The vast majority of us, surveys say, start our days with cold cereal — and those of us with children are more likely to buy the kinds with the most sugar. Children all over the world eat cornflakes and drink chocolate milk, of course, but in many places they also eat things that would strike the average American palate as strange, or worse.
They go on to describe natto in Japan, vegemite in New Zealand, and “in China, jook, a rice gruel topped with pickled tofu, strings of dried meat or egg.”
In the article, a professor of Food Studies notes, “In many parts of the world, breakfast is tepid, sour, fermented and savory.”
Breakfast Tongue Tacos
That said, starting with savory is an easy first step. Eggs and meat count. Enter Breakfast Tongue Tacos. These can be served on a tortilla, but also over eggs pan-fried like a pancake.
Any kind of ferment like homemade yogurt (typically much more sour than store-bought versions) or sauerkraut can bring in the sour, fermented element. Here, we used raw sour cream (which was, incidentally, never intended to go sour, but may have gotten buried in the fridge) and fermented hot sauce as a late garnish.
Finally, tepid – meaning slightly warm – reads to me like a meal that we would sit down to eat, as opposed to a bar on the go. If you intend to absorb the nutrients from your food, sitting to eat (and chewing your food) will help.
If you opt for breakfast, consider including these savory, sour, fermented and tepid elements. Breakfast Tongue Tacos check all the boxes and are delicious, nourishing and satisfying to boot. And, it’s ok if you have them anytime of day.
Tongue Tacos for Breakfast Tacos
Notes
Up to several days in advance, prepare a beef tongue by brining and boiling. Reserve in boiling broth until use. For boiling the tongue, consider complementary aromatics such as a quartered onion with two cloves, a dried chili pepper, and a few sprigs of cilantro. I would also boil the tongue for an extra 60-90 minutes so that it comes apart more like pulled pork rather than the clean slices I prefer when planning to grill or saute this meat.
Ingredients
For the tongue
- 1 beef tongue - boiled, peeled, and chopped
- lard
- small onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 t cumin
- 3/4 t oregano
- 1 t chipotle chili powder
- (Optional) 1 cup tongue broth
For the tacos
- tortillas or egg pancakes
- grated cheese
- sliced radish
- tomato, chopped
- fresh lime juice
- cilantro leaves
- green onion, chopped
- sour cream
Instructions
For the tongue
- To prepare the tongue, chop into small cubes. Heat a heavy bottomed pan with lard on medium heat. When hot, add the onion and let soften for 5 minutes. Clear an opening in the center of the pan and add the garlic, after about 30 seconds, or when fragrant, mix well with the onions and add the chopped tongue along with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and chili. Mix well and if using, add the tongue broth as well. Increase heat to high and stirring occasionally, allow broth to cook off and finally for meat to brown on the edges. Reserve
For the tacos
- In the meantime, warm tortillas in the steamer basket of a pot, wrapped in a towel. Else, prepare tortilla-shaped egg pancakes one at a time (reserving in a 170 F warm oven until you have enough for serving).
- Prepare tacos by adding tongue meat to a tortilla or egg pancake. Top with grated cheese, sliced radish, tomato, a drizzle of fresh lime juice, cilantro, green onion, and sour cream. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply