Al pastor

Tacos al pastor carved straight off the trompo, the vertical spit of chile-marinated pork stacked into a top shape, with a cut pineapple waiting on the board below. The technique came to Mexico with Middle Eastern immigrants and their spit-roasted lamb, and the pork taco took its modern form by the 1960s. Watch for the flick of the knife: a good taquero shaves the crisp outer edge onto a small corn tortilla and finishes it with a sliver of pineapple. Ask for onion, cilantro and salsa, and order them two or three at a time while they are hot.