Pork Womb Tacos (Tacos de Nana)

History & Origin

Tacos de nana are one of the most authentic dishes of Mexican offal culture. In Mexico City, butcher stalls and market stands that specialise in viscera and unconventional pork cuts are fundamental to the popular gastronomic landscape. "Nana" is the colloquial name in Mexico for the pork womb or uterus. Mexican offal cooking has roots in both pre-Hispanic indigenous traditions - where using the whole animal was a subsistence practice - and Spanish influence, which also has a long tradition of cooking viscera and "lesser" cuts. The result is a nose-to-tail gastronomy that has generated some of Mexico's most flavourful and identity-defining dishes. In Mexico City's historic markets - La Merced, Jamaica, Medellín - offal taco stalls open from the early hours. Tacos de nana, alongside tripe, lung, stomach and gizzard tacos, form part of the daily breakfast of many chilangos. They are braised in morita chile sauce - that characteristic smokiness - and served in small tortillas with onion, cilantro and green salsa. The flavour of tacos de nana is intense, slightly gelatinous with that soft, almost buttery texture that distinguishes them. Not for every palate, but those who try them often become devoted fans.