When tasting the many different delicious dishes of Mexico, one is bound to notice certain reoccurring features. One such thing is the tortilla in its many variations. Not surprisingly, these round sheets of cornmeal are THE most basic food item for all classes, races, and ages in Mexico. It is therefor worth taking a closer look at what a tortilla is, and what it can be used for.
Corn or Wheat : Not a Question
Depending on where you're from, a tortilla could be made out of maize or wheat flour. The flour ones tend to be a bit more resistant, stay soft for weeks in their package (which may be the reason for their popularity abroad), however the simple starch breaks apart immediately in your mouth, turning the bite into a sweet and sticky mess (which could be the other reason why foreigners like them so much). Their corn counterparts on the other hand get hard after a day, and they come apart more easily in your hand, which is why tacos are generally served on two slices. However, their taste suggests a bit more complex carbs, which may be not that bad for you.
Outside of Mexico flour tortillas are generally seen as the “standard”, but here it's quite the opposite. Wheat tortillas are often called norteñas or 'northerners' as they are more common in the northern part of the country. However, even there they are not given the same preferential treatment by the government as the corn ones. Corn tortillas are usually sold in tortillerias for a controlled price of 12 pesos per kilo (around 40 tortillas). By fixing the prices for corn tortillas, as well as beans and a number of other basic food items, the government protects the affordability of food for the poor. Wheat tortillas, however, are not affected by this price control. The tortilla shops are not government owned businesses, but they have to charge the price dictated by the federal government. So not surprisingly, the tortilleria makes its profit by selling additional things, such as salsa or sometimes wheat tortillas. The ones I bought went for 45 pesos a kilo, or roughly a peso for one.
Nixtamalization – The Secret of Making Tortillas
One time I had a wonderful chat with a lady at a market selling coffee at her tortilleria. So while enjoying the hot beverage I asked her to explain me how tortillas were made. It turns out there is no great magic behind it. The kernels need to be turned into a paste, which in turn will become tortillas. So first the corn needs to be soaked in water. Adding some heat will aid the process, but what really helps remove the outer skin of the kernels is adding a bit of lime rock to the water. This soakage in alkaline water is called nixtamalization, from the Nauhuatl word nextli, meaning ashes, which could also be used to make the water alkaline.
Though the elderly tortilla expert I talked to only emphasized how much easier it makes the tortilla making process, Wikipedia also mentions that nixtamalization increases the nutritional value, the taste, the aroma, and it reduces the mycotoxins in the maize. Most importantly, however, it makes the paste sticky enough to form a dough. So once the kernels have become soft, they are rinsed, ground into a paste, and then pressed into tortillas. This last step could be the old-school way, just between two hands, or in a semi-sophisticated tortilla press. Most commonly, however, the paste is driven through a tortilla machine, cutting exact sizes: 10 cm ones for tacos, 20 cm oval ones for huaraches, and the 15 cm round ones for home use.
As discussed in my previous article about tacos, the tortilla is usually a mix between food and utensil. It is ideal for picking up hot, greasy food, or runny and soft things, like guacamole or bean paste. With a bit of practice a piece of tortilla can also be used as a spoon for soups and stews. Unlike bread, it is not so great for dunking, as it doesn't really soak up liquid, but it's flexible enough to keep it from running out, if held properly. So having a stack of hot corn tortillas, usually wrapped in a tortilla towel, is indispensable from any Mexican meal (even if there are forks and spoons available). But the true qualities of the corn tortilla become most apparent after the second day, once they start becoming a bit stale and stiff.
When Tortillas Go Stale – Chillaquiles and Totopos
Since tortillas are the 'daily bread' of Mexicans, it can be assumed that lots of times they don't get finished in one day. The next day, however, they don't look or taste the same any more. What used to be nice and pliable when it was fresh and hot, soon becomes brittle and stale. Not so tasty any more. Still, nobody would consider them wasted.
One frequently used solution is to turn the tortillas into totopos, or tostadas by cutting them into triangles (like cutting a pizza into eights) and frying them in lard or oil. These original tortilla chips become delicious and crunchy, ideal for dipping in salsa or guacamole. Further on, these totopos can be come migas, by frying them once more with eggs.
The other option is not much different, resulting in one of my favorite Mexican dishes of all times: chilaquiles! The stale tortillas are also cut into triangles and fried, but together with salsa. If done well, the salsa will combine with the taste of the tortilla, and frying it will make it partially soft, partially crunchy. This mix is then served with meat, eggs, beans, cheese, or a combination thereof.
Chilaquiles, totopos, tostadas, migas, oh so many options! Meanwhile the poor flour tortilla remains the same in its packaging, offering not much else than what it always had been. While I would like to dedicate a separate article to each of the typical Mexican delicacies made from corn tortillas, I want to close this post with the most common application of the wheat tortilla: Grilling it up a little with a slice of ham, some cheese, and a bit of salsa, making it a quesadilla sincronizada.
Check out my previous articles from the series What to Eat in Mexico
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