Los originales Tacos Arabes De Puebla — Restaurant in Los Angeles

When does a newly-introduced migrant food become part of a regional cuisine?

Culinary miscegenation is common in immigrant-rich melting pots like America and Mexico, with Mexican cuisine itself being a marriage of Spanish and Mesoamerican food traditions. This combined cuisine has continued to change over the past century as new large immigrant groups have contributed. In earlier reviews this summer, I've drooled over battered fish tacos that adapted its tempura-like coating from Asian immigrants to Mexico in the 1950s, and al pastor tacos that originated from middle eastern cooking techniques brought to the Mexican state of Puebla by Arab immigrants in the early 20th century.

The food offered by food truck "Los Originales Tacos Arabes De Puebla" in Boyle Heights is the "missing link" between Lebanese shawarma and the meat served in today's modern "al pastor taco" that Mexican shawarma would eventually "evolve" into once it left the state of Puebla.

The shawarma-spiced pork carved off of the trompo in this truck is arguably just as awesome as any al pastor pork found around Los Angeles, but it tastes much different. Across the ocean, this type of recipe is traditionally made with lamb, a staple meat of Arabic cuisine, but the Lebanese immigrants adapted to pork, which was a more traditional and affordable meat in Mexico.

The Villegas family, the married couple who own and operate this truck, closely guard their secret shawarma marinade recipe from Puebla and refuse to acknowledge even a single ingredient in it. But, near as I can tell, rather than the achiote, citrus, chiles, and pineapple used in a typical al pastor marinade, for their mysterious pork shawarma, the prominent flavors are instead mostly savory and feature a heavy hand of garlic, some kind of allium, and a heap of oregano, with perhaps thyme or a za'atar blend.

If you order sensibly, the meat will be piled into a pan árabe rather than a tortilla. A pan árabe looks a little like a pita, but thinner, and more resembles a flour tortilla in taste and texture, aside from the grainy flour on its surface. Since I upgraded my "Taco Árabe" to a "Taco Árabe Especial," it was served with shredded Oaxacan cheese and wedges of fresh avocado in addition to a drizzle of their sweet, smoky, and mildly spicy chipotle salsa that evokes an American barbecue sauce. This is ideal "street food," in that I can't imagine sitting down at a table and eating this taco. To savor something like this, I need to be walking somewhere, anywhere; one mustn't think as much about it as I have, but rather simply...

Stopped by here on a whim through my friend. I already ate some tacos beforehand and was full but could care less. We stopped by here around 10:20pm. No line. It was my first time. You know it was going to be some good stuff because it was in an area that seemed shady but with lights to help. I asked what they were known for but they already sold out of it, arabes. That didn’t stop me from ordering from what they had left. I got carnitas and cabeza tacos. I also decided to go for their quesadillas even though I normally don’t go out of my own way to get some. I saw a glimpse of blue corn tortillas through a picture and forgot about it. Once the cashier asked which tortillas I wanted for the quesadillas and he brought up the option of blue tortillas, I definitely had to get them. I even asked if I could get all my food items with the blue corn tortillas, he said yes and it was a done deal. I normally don’t come across blue corn tortillas but I know, you have to have them if you have the opportunity to do so. I almost decided to save mine for later but decided it’s probably best to just eat it on the spot. It was probably the best decision and one the better tacos/quesadillas I’ve ever had. That tortilla tasted handmade/homemade. So good. The cheese and meat in that quesadilla, decided to go with carnitas for it but oof. I definitely have to come back for some of the arabes. Hands down one of the better Mexican joints not just considering it’s a food truck but overall this is legit that good. Don’t know if they accept card but I had cash on hand just in case because its...

MÉXICO 🇲🇽 Eat the World LA review: A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to be at one of the last evenings this beloved Olympic Blvd institution still used their old trailer, a nightly event for the past seven years. A couple evenings later they would party with a mariachi band and inaugurate their brand new and beautiful truck, which is now home to their nocturnal operation. It was nice to show up on one of these final nights and focus on los originales, the simple tacos that made this truck a destination.

Tacos árabes ($3.50 each) are some original fusion cuisine, born in the city of Puebla but spread throughout the country and to cities like Los Angeles with large diaspora. Even the Christian Lebanese immigrants to México in the 1920's and 1930's were eating mostly lamb, cooked on a vertical spit like has been common for shawarma for centuries. Eventually this meat made its way onto flour tortillas that somewhat replicated a thin pita bread (pan árabe). The children of these immigrants would start cooking pork in a similar fashion and the obsession has continued to this day.

Here at the trailer (now the truck!), a few tables and chairs are spread out for immediate dining. It takes a bit for your order to come through as it seems the family is always putting together a few massive takeout orders as well, but the atmosphere here is communal and enjoyable to be a part of...