Tacos de nana
Tacos de nana are carnitas-style tacos made from the uterus of a sow, one of the offal cuts sold at Mexican carnitas stands alongside buche and maciza.
Definition and name
Nana is the womb of a female pig. El Financiero cites the Diccionario enciclopédico de la gastronomía mexicana for this definition, and Chilango's taco glossary notes that the term can also refer to the uterus of a cow, though at taco stands it is almost always pork. Both Chilango and N+ explain the name as an allusion to the place where piglets develop before birth, "nana" being a familiar word for a nursemaid or caretaker. N+ ranks it among the most popular of the offal cuts sold with carnitas.
Preparation and texture
Nana is cooked in the cazo with the rest of the pig, slowly in lard, then chopped to order. It is generally sold as one of several options on the carnitas board, next to maciza (lean meat), buche (stomach), cuerito (skin) and costilla (rib). Customers often order it in a mixed surtido taco or in combination with buche, a pairing that has its own name, nenepil.
Excélsior's 2025 guide to Mexico City carnitas groups nana with nenepil and tongue as choices for adventurous eaters, and singles out El Cuñado in Tlalpan for its tacos of buche, nana and maciza.
Context
Like other carnitas offal, nana reflects the whole-animal approach of the Michoacán carnitas tradition, in which every part of the pig is cooked in the same pot and sold separately. Mexico City stands such as Rincón Tarasco, whose founder learned the trade in Zacapu, Michoacán, list nana among their regular cuts.
Serving
Nana is chopped to order and served on a doubled corn tortilla with chopped onion, cilantro and lime. Carnitas stands usually set out more than one salsa, and a sharp green salsa is a common match for the richness of the offal. Excélsior notes that El Cuñado serves its mixed buche, nana and maciza tacos with a spicy avocado salsa verde.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 750 g pork uterus (nana), from a butcher who sells carnitas cuts
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1/2 white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 400 g pork lard
- 1/2 orange
- 12 to 24 corn tortillas
- Chopped onion, cilantro, limes, salsa verde
Steps
- Rinse the nana thoroughly, rub with the vinegar and rinse again.
- Simmer in salted water with the onion, garlic and bay leaf until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Drain and dry.
- Melt the lard in a heavy pot, add the nana and orange half and cook over medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes, turning now and then, until golden in spots.
- Drain, chop finely and season with salt.
- Serve on warm doubled tortillas with onion, cilantro, lime and salsa verde.
Nana can be cooked in the same lard as buche and combined with it to make nenepil.
Where to try it
- El Cuñado, Mexico City: Tlalpan carnitas stand noted for tacos of buche, nana and maciza.
- Rincón Tarasco, Mexico City: Michoacán-style carnitas taquería that lists nana among its cuts.
Reviews
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See also
References
- "¿Qué son la nana, el bofe o el nenepil? Breve glosario taquero". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Tacos de Carnitas: ¿Qué es el Buche, la Nana y el Nenepil?". N+. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "¿Qué son nana, nenepil y bofe? Esto hay en tus tacos de carnitas". El Financiero. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "¿Dónde comer carnitas en la CDMX? Los lugares con los mejores tacos". Excélsior. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Rincón Tarasco o cómo enamorarse de un taco de carnitas". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.