Tortilla in Mexican Spanish means little cake, however this is one element of Mexican cuisine that did not come across the Atlantic with the Spanish Armada. The Mesoamerican Indians were making tortillas long before the Spanish arrived. In fact, in Spain a tortilla is a potato based omelet bearing almost no resemblance to the flatbread we associate with Mexican food.
The Aztecs made tortilla out of ground maize using their metate (a primitive mortar and pestle), mixed the masa with water and cooked the flat rounds on the inside walls of a clay pot. Today the Mexican tortilla is made with nixtamalized maize. Nixtamalization is the process of soaking and cooking the maize in limewater. Through this process the grain becomes more flavorful, more aromatic and has a greater nutritional value. Of course wheat tortilla are also common now, but each kind comes out with a different texture. The corn based tortilla is heartier and thicker. The wheat tortilla can be rolled thinner and larger without breaking.
Tortillas are large oval disks of flatbread, not crispy triangle shaped chips. In Western culture it is common to find bags corn chips labeled as tortilla chips when in actuality they are not. Tortillas are a daily part of Mexican cuisine and used in almost all dishes. With the exception of burritos, all Mexican dishes tah include tortillas are made with the corn variety because they are so hearty. Chalupas, enchilades, gorditas, quesadilla, tacos and the list can go on.
There are a couple of variations on the tortilla that originate in Mexico. For example the piki is a thin rolled bread made from blue corn flour and culinary ash. The bread is rolled paper thin and is extremely bitter. When placed in the mouth it melts and produces a delicate flavor of the blue corn. There is also the nopaltilla which is made from the flour of corn and prickly pear cactus, or nopal.
Now, when you head down to Mexico use your education in Mexican cuisine and seek out the best tortillas from the best tortilleria. Signs of a good tortilleria are the crowds of locals waiting to purchase tortillas, the sweet smell of ground maize, and the heat of the clay ovens. Fill your arms with the fresh tortillas and enjoy a food that has not changed a single bit since the Aztec priests sacrificed virgins to the gods.
The Aztecs made tortilla out of ground maize using their metate (a primitive mortar and pestle), mixed the masa with water and cooked the flat rounds on the inside walls of a clay pot. Today the Mexican tortilla is made with nixtamalized maize. Nixtamalization is the process of soaking and cooking the maize in limewater. Through this process the grain becomes more flavorful, more aromatic and has a greater nutritional value. Of course wheat tortilla are also common now, but each kind comes out with a different texture. The corn based tortilla is heartier and thicker. The wheat tortilla can be rolled thinner and larger without breaking.
Tortillas are large oval disks of flatbread, not crispy triangle shaped chips. In Western culture it is common to find bags corn chips labeled as tortilla chips when in actuality they are not. Tortillas are a daily part of Mexican cuisine and used in almost all dishes. With the exception of burritos, all Mexican dishes tah include tortillas are made with the corn variety because they are so hearty. Chalupas, enchilades, gorditas, quesadilla, tacos and the list can go on.
There are a couple of variations on the tortilla that originate in Mexico. For example the piki is a thin rolled bread made from blue corn flour and culinary ash. The bread is rolled paper thin and is extremely bitter. When placed in the mouth it melts and produces a delicate flavor of the blue corn. There is also the nopaltilla which is made from the flour of corn and prickly pear cactus, or nopal.
Now, when you head down to Mexico use your education in Mexican cuisine and seek out the best tortillas from the best tortilleria. Signs of a good tortilleria are the crowds of locals waiting to purchase tortillas, the sweet smell of ground maize, and the heat of the clay ovens. Fill your arms with the fresh tortillas and enjoy a food that has not changed a single bit since the Aztec priests sacrificed virgins to the gods.
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