Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

al pastor

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.05 in modern English

Syllables: al -pas-tor
IPA

10

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of (tacos of) typically pork, or sometimes another meat or dish: grilled on a spit, and flavored with chiles, spices, and pineapple.

noun

Meat or a meal (a taco, etc) which is served in this style; a taco al pastor.

Example Sentences

"Fill up on some of the heftiest burritos in captivity, fashioned around grilled beef, chicken, greasy and indulgent barbecued pork al pastor, carnitas and the more exotic [things]."
"Better yet are tacos or gorditas al pastor, with a depth of flavor to support the depth of red color in the chunks of pork."
"Dishes highlight fresh seafood and include ceviche, seafood burgers, and specialty tacos like lobster and fish al pastor. An amazing cocktail menu—don't miss out on the potent Coco Loco served in a coconut."
"She finished the al pastor taco and raised an eyebrow […]"
"[…] I'm an al pastor junkie; it's one of my favorite things. She takes a big cup of guajillo sauce, pineapple, a bit of chopped white onion, cumin,[…]"
"A few weeks after a Fuel City taco fillup in Texas, I found myself back in Paris, with an al pastor craving that wouldn't go away. With nary a taco stand in sight, and certainly not a truck stop selling tacos, I decided to give it a go myself."

Etymology

From Spanish al pastor (literally “shepherd style”), because the dish is an adaptation by Mexican and Lebanese immigrant shepherds in Mexico of lamb shawarma.

Origin

Source language: Spanish

Word Breakdown

Root: al pastor

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Food.

Frequently Paired Words

pastoral

Questions

What does al pastor mean?: Of (tacos of) typically pork, or sometimes another meat or dish: grilled on a spit, and flavored with chiles, spices, and pineapple.
Where does al pastor come from?: It is traced to Spanish.

How to pronounce al pastor

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “al pastor”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “al pastor”.
Repeat and practice — Say “al pastor” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.