一起来点个塔可吧 Essential taco related vocab

Our Taco Fest 2024 is just under two weeks away and so what better time to brush up on some essential taco related vocab! Corn tortilla: 玉米饼皮 yù mǐ bǐng pí Flour tortilla: 面粉饼 miàn fěn bǐng or 小麦饼皮 xiǎo mài bǐng pí Hard shell: 脆皮 cuì pí Soft shell: 软皮 ruǎn pí Taco Names Rather than directly translating the names of fillings like Al Pastor or Carnitas, most Mexican restaurants in China will instead translate the name to the main filling ingredient e.g. Common fillings Beef: 牛肉 niú ròu Beef tongue: 牛舌 niú shé Steak: 牛排 niú pái Pork: 猪肉 zhū ròu Chicken: 鸡肉 jī ròu Fried fish: 炸鱼 zhá yú Shrimp: 虾 xiā Vegetarian: 素食 sù shí Chorizo: 克里索香肠 kè lǐ suǒ xiāng cháng or 西班牙香肠 xī bān yá xiāng cháng Cooking method Roasted: 烤 kǎo Slow cooked: 慢炖 màn dùn Slow roasted: 慢烤 màn kǎo Grilled: 炭烤 tàn kǎo or 炙烤 zhì kǎo Pulled: 手撕 shǒu sī Common garnishes Along with the main filling, tacos of course come with an array of delicious garnishes like salsa, pickles, veggies and more to complete that beautiful little treat the world has come to love. Salsa: 莎莎 shā shā Guacamole: 牛油果酱 niú yóu guǒ jiàng Jalapeño: 墨西哥辣椒 mò xī gē là jiāo Onion: 洋葱 yáng cōng Red onion: 红洋葱 hóng yáng cōng Pickle: 泡 pào or 腌 yān Lime: 青柠檬 qīng níng méng Cilantro: 香菜 xiāng cài Avocado: 牛油果 niú yóu guǒ Sour cream: 酸奶油 suān nǎi yóu Specifying your taco order Lastly, if you have some specific requirements for your taco here are a few useful phrases you can use. Don't add: 别放 bié fàng / 不要放 bù yào fàng If there is a specific ingredient you don't want in your taco you can say "请别放/不要放X qǐng bié fàng / bù yào fàng X".