Did you know Arrachera is part of the cow’s diaphragm and was “invented” in Mexico

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Before the seventies, Arrachera steak was not called that and it was a despised cut

It is one of the most popular cuts in Mexico, it is common to find it already marinaded in the supermarket and in meat restaurants. But flank steak is actually much more complex than you might think, it is a muscle and it wasn’t until the seventies that we started eating it.

What is it?

It forms the diaphragm of the cow, a muscle that contracts and has the function of separating the thorax from the abdomen – in humans, it is the muscle that produces hiccups. As it is a soft tissue it is full of ligaments and nerves, so when it is raw it is usually fibrous and hard. However, it has a good amount of fat, which makes it particularly tasty and its price is low compared to other cuts that have a similar marbling.

How do they soften it?

Due to its fibrous texture, this cut has to go through some process to soften it, there are two that are very common. The first is tenderization, in which they cut the ligaments and nerves and remove the membrane that covers it, this makes the cut become softer. The second is through marinating, in which they use vinegar, meat tenderizer and other spices to make the meat softer.

Why do we consume flank steak?

Before this cut was wasted, even in some butchers they gave it away. But the Monterrey businessman José Inés Cantú was the one who introduced it to Mexico. In the 1970s he was traveling to Texas to bring high-quality cuts to restaurants in Monterrey and during one of his trips to Laredo in ’73 he met learned about this great-tasting cut. 

In the United States, it was also a cheap cut — they even used it to make sausages — so he immediately saw the business opportunity, in addition to being a muscle, he was able to enter it as entrails, paying much less in customs than with higher quality cuts.

He began serving it in his restaurant called El Regio and to keep the discovery secret he invented a name for the cut: Arrachera. The word comes from the French word arracher and refers to the rope with which the saddle is tied to the belly of the horses, it was a term that Ines remembered from her childhood.

The cut became so popular that other restaurants began to ask their meat suppliers for Arrachera steakbut as it was an invented word, they could not find that part of the animal. Don Inés managed to keep the secret for five years but the fame of the court continued to grow. Later other restaurants in the north of the country began to serve arrachera “flank steak” as well and the word was integrated into the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language.

Sabías que la arrachera fue inventada en México? - Más México

The El Regio Gonzalitos restaurant marked an era during the last five decades; However, this iconic roast beef and flank steak establishment has closed its doors after physical confinement by covid-19

El Regio | Donde nació la arrachera. Monterrey, Nuevo León.

For some it was the pandemic that gave the coup de grace and for others it is the step of modernity, being located in one of the privileged areas of Monterrey, the perfect place to build a real estate development on that land.

Jorge Paredes Guerra, president of the real estate firm Realty World México, said that the land where the El Regio Gonzalitos restaurant housed will be converted into a mixed real estate development (commerce and apartments) and pointed out that the owners of the land, the Cantú family, It would enter into a joint venture with a group of investors, but the project is in the exploration phase, given the situation the economy is going through.

“I understand that only the El Regio San Nicolás branch will remain open.” Jorge Moeller, president of the Chamber of the Restaurant and Seasoned Food Industry (Canirac), commented that the owners have chosen to focus on other of their businesses, the Ponderosa packer, producer of sausages.

El Regio Roble, San Nicolas de Los Garza - Delivery y Evaluaciones -  SinDelantal

After serving the elite and the political class of that time and artists who visited the city went. It received four presidents of Mexico. It was a must for those who came to Monterrey it will close its doors.

For sale, all the furniture  A blanket outside the El Regio restaurant has announced for several months the auction of the emblematic site’s furniture. In it, the sale of restaurant and office furniture is announced. Also noteworthy is the auction of kitchen equipment, such as refrigerators, bread baskets, sinks, among other items.

Source: foodandwineespanol.com, milenio.com

Monterrey Daily Post