Birria (pronounced bí-rri-a, accented on the first syllable) is a spicy Mexican meat stew usually made with goat meat or lamb or mutton. Birria is often served during festive periods, such as Christmas, New Year's Eve, Mother's Day, and birthday parties. Originally from Jalisco, it is a common dish in some Mexican food establishments. It is typically served with corn tortillas, onion, cilantro, and lime.
Birria is made using a base of dried, roasted peppers. This gives birria both its characteristic savoriness and its variety, as different cooks choose different peppers to use for the broth base. Birria is served by combining a bowl of broth with freshly chopped roasted meat. One method of presentation is for the diner to fill a corn tortilla with meat, onions and cilantro, seasoning with fresh squeezed lime juice, then dip it into the broth before eating it. The broth itself may be eaten with a spoon or by drinking from the bowl.
A common icon in birria restaurants (birrierías) is a pair of goat horns. The icon is used as a symbol of the purported aphrodisiac powers of birria, presumably tied to the general randiness of the goats from which it is made.