What is the name of the taco made with thinly sliced, salted, and dried beef?

The taco made with thinly sliced, salted, and dried beef is called tacos de cecina.

Cecina is meat preserved by salting and drying, sometimes with air, sunlight, or smoke. In Mexico, beef cecina is typically cut into thin sheets, salted and marinated, then allowed to dry partially before being cooked and served in tortillas. The result is savory and concentrated in flavor without being the same as ordinary fresh steak.

Mexican cecina varies by region. Yecapixtla in Morelos is particularly famous for its version, while cecina enchilada refers to a related pork preparation that is thinly sliced or butterflied and coated with chile. That distinction causes a frequent mix-up: not all cecina is beef, and not all forms are used in exactly the same way.

The word is also used in Spain, where Cecina de León is a protected cured beef specialty made from a cow’s hind legs. In Mexican tacos, however, “tacos de cecina” identifies the cecina-filled preparation.