Birria has its roots in Jalisco and I was first introduced to it at a street market in Miravalle when I lived in Tlaquepaque years ago. Of course I had no idea that it was goat and by the time I found it what it was I was already hooked.

Birria is a stewed meat dish with a variety of seasonings including chili peppers. In some places lamb or beef is used rather than goat. In Wenatchee I found a place that had birria on the menu but it was beef. Staff there told me that goat wouldn’t readily be accepted by Washingtonians. I opted to wait until I got back to Mexico to find the real thing.

Two doors down from where I live in Aguascalientes, there is a small restaurant that specializes in birria. Today I picked up two tacos for lunch and they were awesome. I passed on the spicy pepper on the side, but did pour on the sauce and the onions along with a squirt of lime on top.

On the plus side goat meat is a healthier option than red meat. But not on the plus side is the amount of saturated fat in the sauce that accompanies the tacos. Everything in moderation is my belief.

Although birria is commonly served on festive occasions, there are an abundance of restaurants in Mexico where you can find birria on their daily menus. And of course there are always the restaurants that specialize and serve birria such as the one on the corner of my street.