266419 Fri Jul 08 15:30:29 -0700 2005 2 26 International 0 1405360 I run a blog called Cookingfire.com, and I was hoping to tap Chowhounds' expertise on Mexican cuisine. A reader asked about the difference between tasajo, cecina, carne seca, and machaca. I've taken a stab at the differences, but if there's anyone out there who knows precisely, I'd love to get the real scoop. Thank, Best, Will. Link: http://www.cookingfire.com/?p=11 Image: http://cookingfire.com/wp-content/blogimages/steakelmike450.jpg Fri Jul 08 15:30:29 -0700 2005 0 Will T. 1 1405362 A very popular desayuno(breakfast) item is huevos machacado. Scrambled eggs eggs with machaca Fri Jul 08 16:36:56 -0700 2005 1405360 0 Ken 1 1405366 This if from "The Art of Mexican Cooking, Traditional Mexican Cooking for Aficionados", by Diana Kennedy. "Cecina or tasajo (in Oaxaca) us fresh beef cut very thinly into large strips, salted, and then air-dried for a day so that the strips are still flexible and somewhat moist. The beef is then grilled-rather leathery but with an excellent flavor-and eaten with a sauce and corn tortillas or shredded roughly and cooked with tomatoes, chiles and eggs for aporreada." "Carne seca or machaca in Sonora is made from thinly cut sirloin that is simply salted and air-dried; it has a great concentrated beef flavor and can become addictive (unless you are on a salt-free diet). It is easy to make, and the results will be superior to that made commercially on either side of the border...in the North, thinly sliced and salted beef is dried until almost stiff and then pounded to a fluff for machaca." Fri Jul 08 20:39:55 -0700 2005 1405360 0 Gypsy Jan