Hello! And welcome to the 20th post of Pizza Rat's Paradise.
My first time trying a lengua burrito -- and I got hooked. To date, it's one of my favorite foods -- it's already gone in my "Last Meal" pick.
I wrote a caption at the time, which goes:
"What is happiness? Or rather, where is happiness?
In the depths of a burrito de lengua from a taco truck parked next to a car wash off of Santa Monica and Westwood, after successfully not pulling an all-nighter for 2 back-to-back morning finals."
One of the things I absolutely loved most about that burrito was the rice -- the orangey color was new to me, and the texture was fluffy in a different way than the white Calrose rice I was accustomed to eating -- I suppose that Calrose rice was more glutinous in texture, and if too cold or not right, it could get gummy.
I think what I truly appreciated about this rice was the flavor that was soaked and cooked in - as a very young child up until college, my main source of rice was white rice, with soups/stews/side dishes on the side. Of course, I shouldn't forget fried rice and some of the other variations -- but for some reason, there was hardly any rice that was steamed/boiled WITH flavoring in my home -- traditional Korean porridges were rarely served, and the chicken samgyetang was seen more as a medicinal treat, perhaps.
I think that's why I have developed such an affinity for flavored curried rices of cultures / origins / creations since then, such as biryani.
Moving onto the lengua. One of my absolute favorite meats of all time. It is UNDERRATED.
More people should know about lengua (beef tongue).
If there is a food hill I am going to die on, it's that EVERY. PERSON. who can eat meat / wants to eat meat should at least TRY really well-cooked lengua. It's typically served chopped into cubes in a burrito.
If anyone is worried about the ick/gross factor, please! The skin of the tongue is actually peeled off, and because the tongue is one of the most mobile and well-used muscles of the body, it gives an EXTREMELY tender texture -- it's not the same as, liver or kidney, which has more of a pasty feel, but instead has a soft, maybe slightly chewy texture.
Served with lime wedges, sides green and red salsa, and authentic condiments (like slices of rábano / pickled carrot), this is one of my absolute favorite meals to consume of all time.
I think maybe once upon a time I would have considered it a "guilty pleasure," but now, that's kind of ridiculous to me because I don't regard food with guilt, but rather passion and joy.
There are various places in my vicinity that serve it so well. It's really cool how they are all able to stay in business and offer different things and differentiate from each other to serve their community.
If you have made it this far, thank you for reading! 💚
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Accompanying Song: