Navajo Taco

THE PILGRIM

THE PILGRIM

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Today I was having lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. I took a look at the specials and saw Navajo Taco. How many of you guys have had a Navajo Taco? You start with an Indian Fry bread. Indian Fry Bread is a fried flat piece of a biscuit like dough. Then you top it with beans, meat, lettuce, tomato, onion and in this case red sauce.
This is a local place that I go to pretty often. The waitress lady was new to me. When I mentioned that once I had a 'real' Navajo Taco, she just grinned. A real one would be made with ground mutton. The Navajos raise sheep and eat a lot of mutton. Mutton has a strong taste and I really didn't care for it.
Turns out this young lady is a Navajo and don't care for mutton that much either. We got to talking about the Navajos' sheep. If you read Tony Hillerman or any of the SW writers you know that traditional Navajos consider sheep to be the basis for a successful life on the Big Res. The traditional sheep the Navajo raise are Churros. That is an old breed originally brought over by the Spanish. They are not known as great wool or meat producers. They are great survivor sheep. Life is tough out on the reservation for man and beast. There is probably not another sheep breed that could survive there.
 
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I have eaten a few of them. I like lamb but don't care for mutton's stronger flavor. I saw the first one for sale in a Utah restaurant around 1983 so it isn't a new thing.
 
Never had any mutton. Wouldn't mind trying. I love lamb. Shoot, enough garlic, onions and tabasco, will make most anything edible if not tasty.
 
Up here we just call them Indian tacos. There is a place in Interior, SD, in the Badlands, that claims to have originated them. You can get them in Minnesota, too, but the best one I have had is served at the Cheyenne Crossing store at the head of Spearfish Canyon.

Even during rally week, when just about every place, including Cheyenne Crossing, is set up to sell a lot of grilled burgers and lite beer in the parking lot, you can still go inside and get a seat without too much trouble and have what I consider the best Indian taco on the planet. It is the quality of the greens that distinguishes it from the common run. Meanwhile, outside, hundreds of bloviating idiots are eating overdone beef and getting drunk on lousy beer.

You got to watch yourself in the lot, though. Harley riders during rally week are a special breed; a lot of them go horizontal when they stop rolling, and you don't want to get caught under that heavy iron.
 
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Pilgrim, did your waitress mention where she is from?

The real deal can be had either in Kayenta, way up in northern Az. Pretty much the entry to Monument Valley...Or Tuba City...Again the real deal, and pretty good eating.. I've had the Taco's and pizza at both places...Kayenta was better...and the mutton stew in Tuba City several times. It's different with the mutton to be sure. The stew is kind of on the fatty/greasy side..IMO.

Plain ole Fry bread with powdered sugar...for breakfast MMMM...good.


For what it's worth, Nice Holiday Inn in Kayenta, or used to be...But a better one in my opinion right down town behind the corral..Still in the middle 50's flair...Clean and tidy...WuzzFuzz recommends...

Keep going straight north out of Keyenta up to Gouldings...Another excellent place, and excellent place in the summer or winter months...You'll be right in the Monument Valley, about 2 miles into Utah.


WuzzFuzz
 
I too have eaten a lot of Indian tacos at Cheyenne Crossing. We always called them Indian Tacos. However, we don't use the mutton. Also, the buffalo is excellent on them.
 
Around here now, I'm only about 1200 miles away from any good Indian Fry bread...I've tried several times making some myself...I'll call mine WuzzFuzz.. flat/no taste bread. I don't know what I'm doing wrong...Too much baking powder, or not enough to make it rise, and be come fluffy..

Next best thing is at the Chinese places, where they have what I call Chinese donuts, that are about the same thing as fry bread, then sprinkled with sugar.
t
Senior moment!!!!! At a Mexican joint...what are they called????? They're not as big as the Indian fry bread, but taste the same...


WuzzFuzz
 
Every since I moved to Oklahoma I've been hearing about Indian Tacos. One of the highly recommended places is right around the corner from the house, so I decided to give it a try. I got to tell you, I wasn't impressed. I believe I'll stick with Tex Mex!
 
WuzzFuzz said:
Around here now, I'm only about 1200 miles away from any good Indian Fry bread...I've tried several times making some myself...I'll call mine WuzzFuzz.. flat/no taste bread. I don't know what I'm doing wrong...Too much baking powder, or not enough to make it rise, and be come fluffy..

Next best thing is at the Chinese places, where they have what I call Chinese donuts, that are about the same thing as fry bread, then sprinkled with sugar.
Senior moment!!!!! At a Mexican joint...what are they called????? They're not as big as the Indian fry bread, but taste the same...
That sounds like the sopaipilla in NM. There is a also a 'Mexican ' sugar covered treat. Remember, NM food is similiar but different from Texmex and true Mexican food. Fry bread and sopaipillas , both NM standards, are similar. Usually the sopailla is made with a yeast dough, it's close to the New Orleans beignet. The first time my SIL had one in Albuquerque, that is exactly what she said. Sopaipillas are usually served with honey. The place I ate today serves both the Indian fry bread and sopaipillas. I will ask then if they Use the same dough for both.
Both are fried, both should be immediately eaten.
Back in my puppy dog days I spent a lot of time in Texas and some in Mexico. I ate everything in sight and loved it all. When I finally got to NM and ate the food here,
I sounded just like Brigham- This is the place!
Click to expand...
 
In Oklahoma they use beef and are just called Indian Tacos. Beats the crud out of any TexMex or whatever. To not like Indian tacos is probably un-American.
 
I used to do quite a bit of work up on the Joint Use, Navajo, Hopi reservation. I loved the fry bread, hated the mutton.
There were also always trucks just sitting on the shoulders of the highways in the middle of nowhere, with folks selling fry bread, tacos, tamales, turquoise, silver jewelry, and pottery.
I loved living in the Four Corners area.
Also, my neighbor always brought me a big paper grocery bag of sopapillas whenever she made some.
 
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When I was a kid we had a herd of sheep. I never have liked mutton that much. This is sheep country too. I have also tried it in Basque restaurants in california and nevada. Someone mentioned Tuba city. Back in 1968 I rode through there on my harley on a trip from california to wisconsin. I took a break and wemt into a trading post. Came out and a couple indian boys were admiring my hog. One was super interested and I asked him something but his friend told me he was deaf. About that time his parents came out and even they couldnt speak english. They were as colorful as I have ever seen. I told the boys friend to ask them if their boy could have a ride. The indian man just nodded. I put the boy in front of me as I had a lot of luggage on the back. We went out of town and I let the kid hold the bars. We turned around and headed back for town. I again took my hands off the bars and let him hold them. When we came abrest of his parents the little devil surprised me and cranked her wide open! Somewhere I have a picture of that kid sitting on my harley in front of the trading post with his colorful parents in the background. A few of the resturants around here (Cedar City Utah) serve "Scones".
 
Sopaillas...That's it Arjay and Pilgrim....

Now I don't have to stay up half the night trying to figure out the name of it, or driving into the city to find some Mex joint still open, just so I could order some......


I do remember, going to the State Fair in Az several times, and other states too, that they tried to sell some Indian Fry bread...Made by Gringo....I don't think so.....They just never tasted as good as the real thing from up on the Reservations. Even sprinkled with powdered sugar or dipped in honey.


Mutton???? The best I can tell folks about eating mutton stew is the meat looks like beef stew meat, we're used to eating, except the mutton was more like 1/4 meat and 3/4 fat. The meat itself isn't bad. It's the fat that gives it's ( shall I say distinct taste).....Reminded me of some corned beef
and cabbage I had one time when I was in Spain...Real fatty meat..(That one I up chucked.:o) I think one of the things folks aren't used to, is the Indians didn't season everything when they cook it, like we're all used to...A person can kill any taste with enough salt or pepper or hot sauce.

But to me......."Give it to Mikey...he'll like it"...It's not all that bad...Really....


Now Tripe...That's a different story.....NEVER...:mad::mad::mad: Unless I want to force it on someone to make them talk.....or watch them barf it up.:(


WuzzFuzz.
 
bishopm14 said:
In Oklahoma they use beef and are just called Indian Tacos. Beats the crud out of any TexMex or whatever. To not like Indian tacos is probably un-American.
Click to expand...

You really ought to smile when you say something like that,:D
I would hate to think you were serious...Anyway, when you get a chance to try some good Tex Mex(which will not contain crud,by the way!) Get back to me.:D
 
jlrhiner said:
Ok, for us heathens, what's the difference between lamb and mutton?
Click to expand...

Don't worry, Jim. I'm sure you're not the only one who doesn't know.

Lamb is any sheep under a year of age. Usually a lamb is butchered somewhere between four months and twelve months.

Mutton is a sheep that is a year old or older. There's a big difference in flavor. Lamb is pretty mild and flavorful. Mutton, on the other hand, is pretty darn stout and as greasy as the underside of a 1944 Willys.:D

Edit: Oops. Just saw that WuzzFuzz beat me to the definition. His is definitely a better comparison.:)
 
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