2 minute read
Rosio Sánchez, Danish taco-maker.
Chef Rosio Sánchez captivates Copenhageners with her new-fangled Mexican cuisine.
To travel from Copenhagen to Mexico City, you’ll need to cross about 9,510 kilometres of land and sea. Fortunately, the Hija de Sanchez taquería, a summery, open-sided stall perched on a sidewalk in the Danish capital’s old slaughterhouse district, could easily pass for an authentic, street-grown taco stand straight out of the Mexican megalopolis. Tortillas (thin corn pancakes) are made daily from traditional masa (dough). The salsas (sauces) are made with fresh, local ingredients, and the piquant punch of peppers imported from the Americas. As soon as the weather is warm enough, a perfectly turned-out crowd lines up at its counters to feast eagerly on “made in Copenhagen” tacos. In less forgiving seasons, guests take refuge in the cosy dining room of the Sanchez restaurant, just a tortilla’s toss from Hija de Sanchez.
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Mexican flavours and Danish ingredients, all prepared and presented with the Sanchez touch.
Foodies hope to meet the establishment’s chef, who forged her reputation while working as the pastry chef at Noma. Rosio Sánchez comes from a generation of culinary artists who honed their trade there with the benevolent guidance of René Redzepi, and have since chosen to stay in the Danish capital. “I grew up in Chicago and still have family in Mexico. But I now consider myself a true Copenhagener. And that conviction became official in 2018 when I opened the Sanchez.
Hija de Sanchez – two takeaway taco stands in Copenhagen.
After nine years here, I feel well-established with my three businesses [she also has a summer-only counter in the Torvehallerne market – Ed.]. The way my business is structured, I can really make the most of living here,” she says. Her multiculturalism is one of her assets. “The Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles, Chicago or New York aren’t really exactly like those in Mexico City. Even if they’re all very good. The same goes here – we write our own story, invent our own tastes,” Sánchez proudly explains. “It’s a way to represent Mexico in a positive light. We simply add a Copenhagen touch.”
Like her cod empanada, a turnover filled with cod, cooked in tomato sauce and topped with cream and wild sorrel. A delectable treat. Having lived in Denmark for close to a decade, Rosio can see how much her adopted city has changed. “Sunday used to be really... dead. But today, every time I leave Copenhagen, I realise how lucky I am to live here. Well, it’s true that the shops still close at 6 p.m. and we still don’t have any real Chinese or Thai restaurants – but what a privilege to be part of this delicious revolution!”
The al pastor taco (spit-grilled meat): authentic and delicious.
Rosio Sánchez’s instructions on how to eat a taco.
