Which taco filling is made from beef tongue?

The taco filling made from beef tongue is lengua.

Lengua means “tongue” in Spanish, so tacos de lengua are tacos filled with beef tongue. The tongue is typically simmered for several hours with aromatics such as onion, garlic, and bay leaves until the dense muscle becomes tender. It is then peeled, sliced or chopped, and often browned briefly before being served in a warm tortilla with salsa, onion, cilantro, and lime.

Tacos de lengua are commonly associated with tacos de cabeza, a broad family of tacos made from different parts of a cow’s head. Other examples include cachete, or cheek; sesos, or brains; and ojo, or eye. These names identify the particular ingredient rather than a cooking method.

Lengua is easy to confuse with the other options. Pescado means fish, suadero refers to a tender beef cut used in tacos, and cabeza means head or head meat. The dish may sound unusual to diners unfamiliar with it, but beef tongue has a long place in Mexican taquería cooking because slow cooking produces an especially soft texture.