| How to Make Homemade Tortillas |
by Ed Kunze
Tortillas have been used as a staple food source in Mexico since at least the days of the Aztecs. Corn (maiz) is native to the Americas, with wheat and other grains not arriving until after the Europeans. It is well documented how the Aztec Indians would boil the corn kernels, add a little limestone to release the hard shelled skin from the surface of the kernel, and then grind them to make flour. The flour, called harina (ah-reena), was then mixed with water to make dough, called masa. Other than mass production with machines, today’s methods have changed very little.
From this masa you can make what we call “tortillas” (derived from the Spanish word Torta - meaning a small round cake). Also, from this same masa, you can make tamales (masa wrapped in corn or banana leaves and steamed) and sopes (masa made into a smaller diameter, yet very thick, and fried).
North of the border, the tortilla is gaining a lot of popularity. Even though most Americans and Canadians prefer the flour tortilla, corn and flour tortillas are more popular than any other ethnic bread, such as bagels, English muffins, and pita bread. A recent article in the L.A. Times stated the tortilla industry in the U.S. has a 9% annual growth. That is warp speed in the bread industry. In Mexico, the flour tortilla’s popularity is mostly confined to regional preferences in the Northern Mexican Border States and the Baja Peninsula. The average Mexican views a flour tortilla as you would compare a slice of white Wonder Bread to a good French bread.
The corn tortilla is a basic food staple in Mexico, with over 300 million a day being consumed in the Republic. The corn tortilla is high in nutritional value (especially calcium, potassium and fiber) and, combined with some rice and beans, may be the only nutrition many very poor families eat for several days running. Most small towns, and all of the cities, have a small neighborhood factory which mass produces corn tortillas by machine. They sell them by the Kilo (2.25 pounds), or a fraction thereof. You can always spot one of the small tortilla factories around dinner time, because there will be a long line of kids who have been sent to get the fresh hot tortillas, just before Mom places the food on the table.
However, in many parts of Mexico, especially in the rural areas, there are no machines to make tortillas. To make tortillas by hand is a daily occurrence. Plus, there is not a single Mexican who will tell you a hand made tortilla is inferior in taste to a machine tortilla. In the cities, wives who make their tortillas by hand are revered and respected. Restaurants that serve hand made tortillas do a better business than one who has just as good of food, but the tortillas are not hand made. Hand made tortillas simply taste better, and are very much a part of the Mexican’s life.
For you, in your kitchen north of the border, it is not difficult to make very good tortillas in your home. Most supermarkets today carry a line of Mexican foods, and corn flour is stocked in most of them. Quaker makes a decent corn flour called Masa Harina, but usually corn flour is packaged as “harina de maiz”. Be sure you use corn flour, because corn “starch” or corn “meal” will not work. A regular iron skillet or griddle is just fine. Tortillas are best made when using a higher heat than you would normally cook with. With a lot of use, the higher heat will eventually warp a thin Teflon coated griddle, so a thicker metal one is better. The griddle that works best is one like Rebecca Ambriz has been making tortillas on since she was 6 years old. She prefers a wood burning chimenea (clay stove) with a porcelain comal (griddle). It takes a higher heat for the clay comal to get hot, but unlike the metal comals, no oil is needed to keep the tortilla from sticking. Her family has a unique recipe, handed down for a few generations, which combines the flavor of both the flour and corn tortillas. Rebecca’s family recipe and way the way she makes her tortillas (delicious, outstanding, etc, etc.) are as follows:
For 6 tortillas (or 5, if you like them a little thicker)
* 1 cup of water, with a little salt dissolved in it
* 1 cup of harina maiz (corn flour)
* ½ cup of regular wheat flour
Add all the ingredients together and knead the masa to make a consistent dough. Then make about 6 small balls and set them aside.
The tortilla press is a very simple device made of aluminum, steel or wood. It has two flat surfaces and a handle to press down on the upper surface. A sturdy, yet inexpensive tortilla press can be bought (for around $4.00) in several supermarkets north of the border, and in all mercados in Mexico. Rebecca cuts two circular pieces of plastic out of a couple of clear plastic bags. One piece goes on the bottom surface of the press, then place one of the small masa balls, with the second plastic sheet on top. Just push the lever down on the top of the press a couple of times and a perfectly round tortilla will be between the plastic sheets.
Be sure to pre heat the comal till it is hot. If you are using a metal or non Teflon griddle, put a little salad oil on a paper towel and lightly wipe the surface for the first one, and then for every third or fourth one thereafter.
It is almost an art in itself to place the tortilla on the comal so it will lay absolutely flat, or not fold over onto itself. The pressed tortilla will be in the palm of Rebecca’s left hand. She will peel the plastic off and transfer the tortilla to her right hand. Then, she more or less sweeps the back of her hand over the comal. The lower edge of the tortilla catches the comal, and the resistance helps pull the rest of the tortilla off her hand, as she follows through with the sweep and rolls her hand away at the same time. It will take a couple of times for you to get it right, but Rebecca has been doing it for 16 years, and has developed a very smooth and fluid motion. The tortillas are done when they start to get a little browned on each side. The first time you turn them, like a hotcake, if they want to tear, just wait a little longer for it to cook more. Place the cooked tortillas in a container made to keep them hot, or wrap them in a towel. Serve and enjoy.
Nutritional Chart
Nutrient Corn Flour
Calories 60-70 115
Protein (grams) 1 3
Carbohydrates (grams) 12 20
Fat (grams) 1 2.5
Calcium (milligrams) 44 44
December 2003 |
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