Mexican cuisine makes use of the whole animal across an enormous range of preparations — tacos, birria, barbacoa, carnitas, cocido, caldo de res, mixiotes — with each cooking method calling for its own cut. Many cut names reflect Spanish heritage layered with indigenous cooking traditions: arrachera (skirt) from the north, suadero (a thin layer of plate beef) iconic to Mexico City taquerías, falda for the rich plate-belly that thickens caldo de res.
Cabeza de res — the entire beef head, slow-steamed — is one of the most prized taco fillings, alongside lengua, tripa, and sesos. Northern Mexican butchery is closer to American (with cuts like aguja norteña and bistec ranchero), while southern and central traditions favour slow-braising and the textural variety that comes from using muscle, fat, skin, and offal together. Mexican Spanish cut nomenclature is frequently distinct from peninsular Spanish, reflecting centuries of independent culinary development.