Flour tortillaA flour tortilla (, ) or wheat tortilla is a tortilla made from finely ground wheat flour. Made with flour- and water-based dough, it is pressed and cooked, similar to corn tortillas. The simplest recipes use only flour, water, fat, and salt, but commercially made flour tortillas generally contain chemical leavening agents such as baking powder, and other ingredients. HistoryThe main wheat growing regions of New Spain (Colonial Mexico) shown in orange.
Corn tortillaIn Mexico and Central America, a corn tortilla or just tortilla (, Spanish:) is a type of thin, unleavenedflatbread, made from hominy, that is the whole kernels of maize treated with alkali to improve their nutrition in a process called nixtamalization. A simple dough made of ground hominy, salt and water is then formed into flat discs and cooked on a very hot surface, generally an iron griddle called a comal.
Wheat flourPercentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of common wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content.
MasaMasa or masa de maíz (English: ; Spanish pronunciation:) is a dough made 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 flour form called harina de maíz or masa harina. Masa is reconstituted by mixing with water before using it in cooking.
NixtamalizationNixtamalization ( ) is a process for the preparation of maize (corn), or other grain, in which the grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater (but sometimes aqueous alkali metalcarbonates), washed, and then hulled. The term can also refer to the removal via an alkali process of the pericarp from other grains such as sorghum.
Mexican-American cuisineMexican-American cuisine is the cuisine of Mexican Americans and their descendants, who have modified Mexican cuisine under the influence of American culture and immigration patterns of Mexicans to the United States. What many recognize as Mexican cuisine is the product of a storied fusion of cultures and flavors. Its culinary adaptability has impacted its spread and popularity on a global scale, and its presence in the United States is no exception.
FlatbreadA flatbread is bread typically made with flour, water, and salt, with or without leavening, which are mixed and rolled into flattened dough. They are usually baked quickly at high temperatures and range from below one millimeter to a few centimeters in thickness.
Calcium hydroxideCalcium 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 with water. Annually, approximately 125 million tons of calcium hydroxide are produced worldwide. Calcium hydroxide has many names, including hydrated lime, caustic lime, builders' lime, slaked lime, cal, and pickling lime.
Staple foodA staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and generally forming a significant proportion of the intake of other nutrients as well.
GriddleA griddle, also called a girdle in Scotland, is a cooking device consisting mainly of a broad, usually flat cooking surface. Nowadays it can be either a movable metal pan- or plate-like utensil, a flat heated cooking surface built onto a stove as a kitchen range, or a compact cooking machine with its own heating system attached to an integrated griddle acting as a cooktop.
Northern MexicoNorthern Mexico (Spanish: el Norte de México, pronounced), commonly referred as the North (Spanish: El Norte), is an informal term for the northern cultural and geographical area in Mexico. Depending on the source, it contains some or all of the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, and northern Zacatecas.
MaizeMaize (; Zea mays), also known as corn, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. The leafy stalk of the plant gives rise to male inflorescences or tassels which produce pollen, and female inflorescences called ears. The ears yield grain, known as kernels or seeds. In modern commercial varieties, these are usually yellow or white; other varieties can be of many colors.
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