A tortilleria, or tortilla bakery is a shop that produces and sells freshly made
tortillas
A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas ''tlaxcalli'' (). First made by the indigenous peoples of M ...
. Tortillerias are native to Mexico and Central America, and some are being established in some areas of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. Tortillerias usually sell corn tortillas by weight. The recipe for tortilla dough, called
masa
''Masa'' (or ''masa de maíz'') (; ) is a maize dough that comes from ground nixtamalized corn. It is used for making corn tortillas, '' gorditas'', ''tamales'', '' pupusas'', and many other Latin American dishes. It is dried and powdered into ...
, has not changed since ancient times; it is corn which has been treated with
slaked lime
Calcium hydroxide (traditionally called slaked lime) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca( OH)2. It is a colorless crystal or white powder and is produced when quicklime (calcium oxide) is mixed or slaked with water. It has m ...
and water.
Methods of production
Some tortillerias produce tortillas from pre-made masa dough, others produce masa dough in-house from dried masa flour called
masa harina
''Masa'' (or ''masa de maíz'') (; ) is a maize dough that comes from ground nixtamalized corn. It is used for making corn tortillas, '' gorditas'', ''tamales'', ''pupusas'', and many other Latin American dishes. It is dried and powdered into a ...
, and others use the traditional method of soaking corn with lime.
Effect of corn subsidies
Corn was subsidized in Mexico from 1974 to 1999, and the price of tortillas was capped by law. When subsidies and price controls ended, tortillerias had to adapt. The end of the subsidy was met with mixed reception. Some tortilleria owners saw the move as an opportunity to retain jobs and increase profits, while others expressed concern that higher tortilla prices would hurt low-income families who relied on tortillas as a staple food.
Before the end of subsidies many local tortillerias purchased prepared fresh masa dough from centralized mills, since government-subsidized corn was provided directly to these mills. After the end of subsidies dried masa harina flour was used, as dough mills lost their price advantage. Dried masa harina keeps much better than prepared masa. To encourage the switch to dry masa harina, manufacturers such as
Maseca offered credits to tortillerias to upgrade to equipment capable of processing masa harina.
[{{cite web , url=http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1998/b3604209.arc.htm , title=BW Online | November 16, 1998 | WHO'LL FLATTEN WHOM IN THE TORTILLA WARS? (int'l edition) , access-date=2009-09-13]
See also
*
Tortilla Price Stabilization Pact
The Tortilla Price Stabilization Pact was an agreement between the Mexican Federal Government, headed by President Felipe Calderón, and several tortilla producing companies in Mexico to limit the volatility of price in tortillas in early 2007.
...
References
Latin American culture
Tortilla
Subsidies