birria

/ˈbɪɹiə/

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish birria.

Why this word is great

BIRRIA — [Noun] A Mexican dish of stewed meat—traditionally goat, beef, or lamb—slow-cooked with chili peppers and spices, served as a rich broth or folded into tortillas. Borrowed from Spanish birria, originally meaning 'something of little value' or 'worthless', later reappropriated as the name of the dish. Unlike 'barbacoa' (which evokes smoke and fire) or 'pozole' (a hominy-thickened celebration), birria is a study in alchemy: tough cuts rendered tender, scrap spices turned profound. It is the deep crimson of dried chilies blooming in broth, the sticky gloss of consommé on fingertips, the scent of cumin and cloves curling through steam. A dish born from dismissal, now a testament to how patience and care can render even the humblest things extraordinary.

noun

  1. A Mexican dish of stewed meat (usually goat, beef or lamb; sometimes pork or chicken) and spices, typically served like a soup with (or sometimes in) tortillas.“Birria was late in coming to many parts of the border; I first became aware of it when a former student of mine, a native of Guadalajara, opened a birrieria, or birria restaurant, in Tucson in 1980. Now there are several such restaurants in Tucson. […]”