The tortilla is a staple in the Mexican diet. It’s eaten morning, noon, and night with a variety of foods. The tortilla can be used as a wrap, stuffed with anything from guacamole to grilled chicken or steak. Or, you can fry them and have chips which can be dipped or smothered in a delicious sauce and cheese to make a great breakfast dish called chilaquiles. Locals often eat tortillas by rolling them into small logs and using them to push food onto their forks. The ways to use a tortilla are endless, but what’s really interesting is the history.
In Mayan legend dating back to around 10,000 B.C., the tortilla was given to a hungry king by a poor peasant. Excavators have found evidence of the use of a corn cereal around 3,000 B.C. by the native people in the Valle de Tehuacán (in the state of Puebla).
According to Agustín Gaytán, chef and Mexican cuisine historian:
"Sometime about 3,000 B.C., people of the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico hybridized wild grasses to produce large, nutritious kernels we know as corn. Mexican anthropologist and maize historian Arturo Warman credits the development of corn with the rise of Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Mayans and the Aztecs, which were advanced in art, architecture, math and astronomy. The significance of corn was not lost on indigenous cultures that viewed it as a foundation of humanity. It is revered as the seed of life. According to legend, human beings were made of corn by the Gods. By the time Spaniards reached the shores of what is now Mexico in the 1400s, indigenous Mesoamericans had a sophisticated and flavorful cuisine based on native fruits, game, cultivated beans and corn and domesticated turkeys.”1
The authentic way to make tortillas from corn is to soak the corn on the cob in lime water to remove the skins from the kernels. Then, you grind the kernals into a dough called masa. Pat a ball of masa the size of a golf ball between your hands until it is a thin disk about the size of a small plate. Place this on a hot grill to cook until heated through and turn over and repeat. Sometimes, the tortilla will puff up before it’s turned. It should remain soft and pliable. At this point, it can be stuffed with whatever your heart’s desire!
The popularity of tortillas has climbed to rival that of white bread. I think the versatility of tortillas has caused them to be used in other cuisines; they aren’t just for Mexican food anymore.
Corn tortillas are still the most popular in central and southern Mexico, and flour tortillas are more commonly used in northern Mexico and the U.S. Even NASA prefers flour tortillas – yep, that’s right – they’ve used flour tortillas on shuttle missions since 1985 to conquer food handling issues, as well as to eliminate bread crumbs getting into delicate equipment in microgravity.
Corn Tortilla Recipe
4 cups masa harina (a special flour)
½ tsp salt
2 ½ cups hot (but not boiling) water
Place the masa harina and the salt in a large bowl. Add the water and mix with your hands to make a dough that comes together in a soft ball. Continue mixing and kneading until the dough is elastic enough to hold together without cracking, about 3 minutes. If using right away, divide the dough into 18 equal portions and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. If making ahead for later use, wrap the whole ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day and then divide.
Pat out small balls into disks and cook on a hot comal for about thirty seconds each side.
Flour Tortilla Recipe
4 cups flour
½ cup shortening
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
Mix two cups of the flour, all of the shortening, and the salt until the mixture has the consistency of small crumbles. Add warm water. Mixture will be sticky. Add the remaining flour and knead until dough is pliable and springy. You may not need all of the flour. Let sit covered for a minimum of one hour. Take small portions and form balls. Roll out with rolling pin and cook over medium heat on a cast iron skillet until brown spots form.
1. Fanciulli, Jesse. “The real taste of Mexico.” Greeley Tribune 24 Nov. 2002.
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