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Have you ever heard of cecina? Until my September, 2006 visit to Cd. Mante, I must confess that I'd never heard of cecina, as its not something that you see in butcher shops in Baja California, which is the part of Mexico that I'm most familiar with. But as we were passing Carnicerķa El As, I noticed strips of semi-dried meat for sale, that was hanging above the meat counter, next to links of chorizo. I asked our friend what it was, and he replied "cecino," and then I asked him to explain to me what exactly cecino is.
Photo: Carnicerķa El As, located at the corner of C. Zaragoza and Av. Guerro, appears to be a busy and prosperous operation. So what is cecina? Cecina is thinly sliced beef, rubbed with salt, oregano and lime juice. Its allowed to hang and dry in the air for several days, until it becomes the texture of jerky. It isn't cooked, nor is it smoked, it's just air-dried, and its commonly used in stews and, or course, tacos.
Photo: The motto of the store is painted on the side of the building. Note the strings of chorizo sausage hanging inside above the counter, as one of the butchers prepares a roast for a customer. Besides selling cecina, Carnicerķa El As features a complete meat counter, selling every cut of meat available in Cd. Mante, and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. Beef and pork seem to be in the most supply, but we noticed quite a few cuts of chicken being sold, including necks and claws. Rodolfo told me that the claws are used to flavor caldo de pollo, and other varieties of soup, and to make chicken stock. Of special note were the links of chorizo sausage that were hung next to the cecina, which cooked colorful and interesting.
Photo: Cuts of meat are displayed behind the counter. Chicken claws are just out of the photo, to the left. Carnicerķa El As seems to be proud of what they sell, as their motto reads, "Solo Carne de 1a Calidad" which translates to "Only first quality meat." Besides being a butcher shop, they also have an on-site tortilleria, and they advertise that tortillas are available all day. We noticed two gentlemen behind the meat counter, but they had their eyes glued to a TV mounted high on a wall, tuned to a Mexican soap opera.
Photo: Cecina, hanging above the counter, on display. Note the creative electrical wiring used for the TV in the background of the photo. Jerry and I found Carnicerķa El As very interesting, but to Rodolfo, who is a native of the area, it was just another typical butcher shop. If it wasn't for my questions about the cecina, we probably would have passed the place by, as to Rodolfo, there was nothing remarkable about the restaurant. The next time I visit Cd. Mante, I know where to purchase cecina... Carnicerķa
El
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