Tacos al pastor at El Pastorcito, Mexico City

One of the most popular varieties of tacos in Mexico is the al pastor, made with spit-grilled meat (often pork) and sometimes combined with chopped pineapples for sweetness. Considered a quintessentially Mexican dish, al pastor actually came from the Lebanese immigrant community that began arriving in the 1890s and are closely linked with shepherds (indeed, they’re sometimes simply referred to as “shepherd-style”). The Middle Eastern community opened restaurants and used familiar preparation methods, including the shawarma, but added a dash of Mexican flavor in deference to their new home. Today, they can be found in just about any street-food outlet.