Tortilla (Mexico)
A tortilla [ torˈtiʝa ], in Nahuatl Tlaxcalli , is a Mexican flatbread . It should not be confused with the Spanish omelette of the same name .
Corn tortillas ( Tortillas de Maíz )
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For tortillas, the dry, unground corn starch must first be boiled for many hours with a little burnt lime or wood ash , washed out, peeled and then ground directly into a batter using special mills when wet. The alkaline lime water makes it possible to separate the husks that are very firmly attached to the grain in maize, increase the bioavailability of the proteins and vitamins it contains , improve smell and taste, and make the grains, which are very hard compared to other types of grain, more porous, which makes grinding easier . This technique called Nixtamalizationis known to have been in Oaxaca as early as 1,500 BC. Used and may be considerably older. Among other things, it prevents the disease pellagra , which is caused by a lack of niacin .
This very laborious manual dough production is now mostly done industrially with machines. The batter obtained in this way is often no longer baked immediately, but dried again and then ground to a dry flour. The almost white Masa harina ("dough flour") obtained in this way, which can now be bought everywhere in Mexico, is then mixed with a little water again, pressed into thin flatbreads using a special press and baked on hot plates. Nachos (corn chips) are made in a similar way, except that the dry quartered tortillas are fried in a little fat.
In rural areas, the coarse corn kernels are still soaked overnight with burnt lime and “ground” the next day in a special mill to make the finished tortilla dough. Since there are different colored varieties of corn in Mexico, in some areas, especially in the north, blue (actually rather grayish-purple) tortillas are popular in addition to the more common yellow. In terms of taste, these do not differ significantly from each other.
You can add about a quarter of raw cornmeal to the masa harina to achieve a stronger yellow color in the tortillas. However, no usable tortillas can be made from raw corn flour, as the corn cannot cook sufficiently in the relatively dry dough during the short baking time. The tortilla would then be almost indigestible. It is possible to cook a thick maize porridge from raw maize flour and then, after cooling, mix it with more maize flour to make a usable tortilla dough, but in terms of taste and health, Nixtamalization is preferable.
Corn tortillas are often topped or filled with meat, vegetables, sauces and cheese and folded up as tacos , rolled and doused with chili sauce as enchiladas or rolled, deep-fried and served with chili sauce as chimichangas .
Wheat Tortillas ( Tortillas de Harina )
In Northern Mexico and the United States are wheat tortillas spread. They are usually larger and lighter than corn tortillas and are also soft and pliable when cold, because they contain more fat than corn tortillas. Wheat tortillas are popular in Tex-Mex cuisine and are the basis for soft tacos , burritos and fajitas .
