A source of instant satisfaction.
Blog: chef@large
By Vikrant Bhasin
WASHINGTON, DC: On a recent trip to Mexico, I was introduced to a delicious goat stew and a regional specialty of the state of Jalisco called Birria (pronounced Bi-rri-a). In my week of stay at Guadalajara and its environs, I tasted Birria twice, first at the food court at Mercado Libertad that would better be described as a food cavern or bazaar with intermittent courtyards. Walking around this market was an experience in itself. In many ways it reminded me of Crawford Market in Bombay. The next time I had the opportunity was in the quaint town of Tequila while visiting Jose Cuervo distillery, the oldest of its kind in Mexico.
As god is my witness, my love of goat on occasion exceeds my love of the almighty. As it is goat, that more often than not, bestowed upon me a sense of instant satisfaction resulting in happiness, however short-lived it may be. God on the other hand has been far more patient in dispersing generosity towards me. Many-a-times upon entering Indian restaurants, I check whether goat or mutton curry is on the offerings. And more often than not, it’s a darshan of Lord Ganesh I receive. Perched on the buffet table, seated on a lotus, ladoo’s in his lower left hand and a look of fulfillment, lovingly placed by the devout restaurant staff between Aloo Chaat and Jeera Pulao. Goat, to my utter dismay, is nowhere to be found.
As pork is pig and beef is cow, mutton is goat, especially on the Indian sub-continent and a meat curry is more often than not a goat curry. The term “mutton” is a legacy of the British Raj on Indian soil. For the lack of lamb, goat was a convenient compromise by the English. They may not have relished it, but they did consume it in large quantities.
Indians eat their mutton grilled, stewed, broiled, fried, sauteed, barbequed and tandoori and never rare. M.K.Gandhi on the other hand is a notable exception and loved all his goats very much alive. It is said that the great Mahatma thoroughly enjoyed drinking his daily glass of fresh goat’s milk. Goat is universally accepted in the sub-continent as the to-go meat in part for religious reasons, because Muslims refrain from consuming pork and Hindus from beef. Another important reason is domestic goats are native to India and most probably arrived on the land before Homo Sapiens reached the mighty shores of the river Indus and developed the hamlet of Mohenjo-Daro. Some say they came together. In any case, there is a strong bond between man and beast. Unfortunately and more often than not, it was beast that received the lower end of the stick and the sharp edge of a broad sword.
This “love-affair” with goat has continued and thrived from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Baluchistan to Nagaland; communities upon communities of cooks have prepared mouth-watering mutton recipes. A partial list of these preparations would include Kashmir Gushtaba, Peshawari Chapli Kebab, Punjabi Rara Gosht, Chettinad Meat, Awadhi Kakori Kebab, Sikandari Raan, Behari Boti Kebab, Andhra Mutton Fry, Bhopali Achari Gosht, Kolhapuri Mutton, Parsi Dhansak, Hyderabadi Haleem and Bengali Kosha Mangsho.
Other than Indian, goat is a staple of Greek, South Italian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Sub-Saharan African and Caribbean cuisines. Up to 70% of all the meat consumed in the world is goat. Nutritionally, goat is less fatty and has higher levels of iron. It’s lower in saturated fats and is a leaner source of protein when compared to beef, lamb, chicken, and pork. Lacking in high fat content, goat is best cooked using moist techniques such as stewing or braising. When grilling or barbecuing, it’s best to marinate the meat preferably for 4 hours or more.
Mexican Birria is prepared by stewing meat in an aromatic and spicy broth. The broth is a pureed reduction of dried ancho and guajillo peppers, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, cumin, onion, garlic and oregano. Once the meat is tender, it’s chopped or shredded and returned back to the broth. By tradition, Birria is served with steaming soft corn tacos, fresh cilantro, chopped onions and lemon. Some people form tacos with the meat and drink the broth as a soup. Others mix onions and cilantro with the Birria and eat it by breaking tortillas into small pieces and adding it to the stew, quite similar to the Indian way of eating curry with roti or naan. Furthermore, it was mentioned to me that some ingredients and cooking techniques when preparing Birria differed by region and the skills and expertise of the cooks.
Mexico is very much like India in its colors, smells, sights, political corruption, spiritual values, economic disparity and joyous people. The one welcoming exception is that Mexican cities are by far much cleaner than their Indian counterparts. For those of us who reside in the U.S., I suggest a visit to Mexico be on their travel agenda this holiday season. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Mexico and had I bothered to learn Spanish, I would have felt at home.
(Vikrant Bhasin is a hands-on chef, part-time culinary instructor and food consultant. Raised in India on a steady Punjabi diet of aloo parauntha and dahi, mutton biryani and raita, gajjar-ka halwa and jalebi, he realized early on that the very “womb of happiness” was located in a full-belly. Since then he has been a lifelong student of the craft of cooking and the art of eating. Coming to America broadened both his culinary skill in international cuisines as well as his waistline. Follow him on Twitter: @bhasinvikrant)
To contact the author, email to editor@americanbazaaronline.com
1 Comment
Vikrant, I am also a fan of Birria, it being a fiesta favorite where I live in New Mexico. I recently was made aware of an Indian dish called Biryani which is itself not unlike Birria. Given their similarity of names, I wonder if these two are somehow related, even if only by mutual association with a traveler.