tortillas: the real thing

I've always been an adventurous eater, thanks my mom and all the variety I ate growing up. However, one type of food I have never been fond of is Mexican food. Still, the entire time I lived in San Diego, I was amazed at the women in the Mexican restaurants there who always seemed to be making tortillas. In many restaurants, especially in Old Town, you could watch them cooking, and so many at one time:

http://www.winsomeworks.com/keyword/food/1/1037327286_5ampJ#!i=1037327286&k=5ampJ

 

Even so, tortillas as we know them, and increasingly as many in Mexico know them, are much different from what they used to be. Take flour for one thing-- traditionally, tortillas were always from ground corn or maize and wheat flour was not introduced until Europeans came along. The process of making tortillas has also changed greatly as well.

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 Starting at least by 1500 B.C., corn kernels were soaked in lime or wood ash overnight. Though it was known that this act aided in softening the corn for grinding, we now know today that it also has added nutritional benefits: it helps release niacin, and the added lime increases calcium intake! Many people who grow their own corn, especially in Central America, still make their tortillas in this way. In the morning, the corn is ready to wash and grind, and fresh tortillas are made, usually from the wet meal.

These tend to be thicker but smaller in size than the flour tortillas we buy at the store, but as a staple food, they are eaten with everything. And then the process begins again, each and every night.