A tortilla ( , ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread, originally made from corn (maize) but now also made of wheat flour. The corn tortilla is a staple food in most of Mexico and Central America, while the flour tortilla is typical of Northern Mexican and Mexican-American cuisine. The tortilla has become popular across the world.
Corn tortillas are made by treating corn with limewater, a process known as nixtamalization, forming a dough known as masa, which is baked on a griddle. Flour tortillas are made of refined wheat flour, water, and shortening, and are generally larger than corn tortillas. Both types are commonly industrially produced, with corn tortillas usually using a dehydrated form of masa called masa harina. Tortillas are soft but quickly become stale. They are high in calories but lack essential nutrients.
Fresh tortillas can be used to carry various ingredients, forming dishes such as the taco, burrito, enchilada, and quesadilla. They may instead be used as a spoon to pick up accompanying food. Other uses of tortillas include dishes such as tortilla soup and fried products such as tostadas and tortilla chips.
Tortillas were first made by ancient peoples of Mesoamerica, where corn was an important crop. Corn tortillas became a cornerstone of Mesoamerican cuisine as complex societies formed, including the Oaxaca Valley and the Aztec civilization. Tortillas also spread to the Maya civilization. After the 16th-century Spanish conquest of Mexico, corn tortillas remained popular among indigenous communities. Flour tortillas were invented after the Spanish introduced wheat to Mexico, becoming common among settlers of Northern Mexico. The flour tortilla remained popular in parts of Mexico that became part of the United States, including Texas and California. Mass-produced tortillas became common in the 1950s, using tortilla machines and masa harina. Tortillas became common globally in the early 21st century.
The tortilla is the most consumed food in Mexican and Central American cuisine, as well as a national symbol of Mexico. Rural indigenous communities of Mexico frequently prepare corn tortillas at home, while the urban population purchases tortillas from bakeries known as tortillerias or from supermarkets. Tortillas are also common in the United States due to Hispanic influence on American cuisine. Mexican food establishments and manufacturers such as Gruma have made tortillas a global industry.
Terminology The word tortilla is derived from the Spanish word , meaning roughly 'cake', plus the diminutive suffix ; therefore, can be translated as 'little cake'. In Mexico, a tortilla bakery is known as a ; it is distinguished from a wheat bread bakery, or . In Spanish cuisine, the word instead refers to a type of omelette.
In Nahuatl (spoken by the ancient Aztecs and modern Nahuas), tortillas are called (). The Ancient Maya used the word . The contemporary Maya languages use the word , originally a broader term for various corn products.
Varieties Tortillas are round unleavened flatbreads. They are very thin, consisting almost entirely of crust. There are two main types, corn tortillas and flour tortillas, which undergo vastly different processing. Industrially produced versions of both types are common, which have standardized recipes and mild flavor. Tortilla machines continuously produce them using dough sheeters and extruders; some can produce 30,000 per hour.
Corn
The ingredients of corn tortillas are corn (maize) and limewater (an alkaline solution of calcium hydroxide). They typically use white or yellow corn, though other varieties such as blue corn are occasionally used. The corn is soaked in limewater, a step known as nixtamalization. This step has the largest impact on the final product, increasing its flexibility and nutritional value. The nixtamalized corn, known as nixtamal, is stone-ground into a dough known as masa. The masa is flattened between the hands, against a flat surface, or using tortilla press. It is then baked on a griddle—or, in industrial settings, in an oven that performs continuous sheeting and baking. While baking, it undergoes reactions including browning and starch gelatinization, and it slightly puffs up. Corn tortillas are about 15 cm in diameter, while the thickness varies.
There are three methods of producing masa for tortillas. The traditional method involves cooking corn in a pot of limewater, then steeping it overnight and discarding the liquid; the resulting nixtamal is ground with a stone known as a metate to produce masa, which is hand-shaped and baked on both sides on a clay griddle known as a comal. Tortillas using this method are thicker than others. Fresh masa is industrially produced with a similar process using a rotating grinder. This is extruded and baked in an oven to produce tortillas. Dry masa, also known as masa harina, is produced by grinding nixtamal into pieces that are dried to form a flour. Masa harina is rehydrated to be baked into tortillas; this method is much easier, faster, and labor-saving than making fresh masa, and allows the production of masa to be separated from the production of tortillas both in time and place. The traditional method is used among indigenous peoples of Mexico and of Central America, while masa harina is the most common method in countries including the United States.
Corn tortillas are diverse. Large types of corn tortillas include the tlayuda, from Oaxacan cuisine, which can be over across and is baked to a drier texture. On the smaller end, a corn tortilla is known as a () in parts of Mexico. A tlacoyo is a thick, oval tortilla made of masa mixed with beans. A gordita is a very thick tortilla made of masa and lard, sometimes with fillings.
Wheat
Flour tortillas are made of wheat flour—usually white flour—which is mixed with water, fat, and salt. Fat is used as shortening, which changes the flavor and texture, while water contributes to the development of gluten contained in the flour. Additionally, baking powder and other ingredients are typically used outside of Mexico and Central America. The ingredients are mixed into dough, then rested and shaped. They may puff up while baking due to steam leavening. Flour tortillas have a thickness of about 1–2 mm and a diameter of 15–60 cm, larger than corn tortillas. They have some dark spots, while the color of other spots is translucent.
In industrial production, most flour tortillas are hot pressed, while others are oven-baked after being die-cut or, less commonly, shaped by hand. Hot pressing results in an irregularly shaped, smooth, strong product (for dishes such as tacos). Die cutting, a cheaper method, results in a perfectly round, less moist product (for dishes such as burritos).
Internationally, many types of tortillas are sold. Some have dietary adaptations such as being low-fat or gluten-free, while others have flavors such as spinach or garlic. The wrap, a product sold in the United States, is a whole-wheat tortilla, often with flavorings. The term wrap is used rather than tortilla to lessen the perceived connection with Mexican cuisine.
Other varieties Nixtamalized sorghum is sometimes mixed with corn for tortillas in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Tortillas may be made with only sorghum or with a mix of sorghum, corn and cassava. Quinoa is also used for tortillas.
Serving
Tortillas may be eaten for any meal. Corn and flour tortillas have similar uses. They are accompanied by foods such as meat, beans, vegetables, or eggs. A tortilla can function as a serving plate or as a utensil, tearing off small pieces and wrapping them around accompanying foods to eat by hand.
Many dishes use tortillas to carry other foods. Common fillings in tortilla-based dishes include refried beans, pulled meat, chorizo, scrambled eggs, or fish. Additionally, they may have salsa (a spicy sauce) and ingredients such as onion slices, lettuce, or guacamole, as well as herbs such as cilantro.
The most common use of fresh tortillas is the taco, which consists of a tortilla folded around a filling. The filling may simply be meat or vegetables, while a common type in Mexico combines meat, beans, and sauce. A burrito consists of a large flour tortilla rolled around a filling. An enchilada is also rolled, but the tortilla is covered in tomato sauce and fried; this often uses a corn tortilla that is dyed red. A quesadilla is a snack in which a tortilla is folded in half over a filling of cheese and other ingredients, then fried. A flauta is prepared like a taco, rolled, and then fried. For a panucho, the fillings are inserted inside the tortilla. Tortillas are also used for a category of sandwiches in American cuisine known as wraps.
Tortillas may instead be made into fried products, with the addition of salt or additional seasonings. This is a way to utilize tortillas that are partly stale. Fried corn tortillas are known as tostadas; these are served with toppings. Taco shells, in American cuisine, are tostadas that are bent rather than flat. These are used for the American style of taco, typically with ground beef, cheese, and lettuce. Tortilla chips are corn tortillas baked as triangles, circles, or strips, which are then fried and salted. Tortilla chips may be topped with cheese and jalapeños, forming nachos, or they may be coated in flavorings, to be sold as packaged snack products. Totopos are another fried corn tortilla product. Flour tortillas are fried into foods including taco bowls. A salbute is a fried tortilla made of both masa and wheat flour.
Stale tortillas may also be sliced and mixed into various dishes. For tortilla soup, they are sliced and fried to be used as a crouton. For other dishes, they are cut into strips like noodles. For example, chilaquiles are strips of tortilla covered in tomato sauce.
Nutrition and properties Both corn and flour tortillas are starchy, making them an excellent source of calories. Flour tortillas are higher in calories as they contain more fat. Both types are sources of fiber, with content between 5.4% and 16.45% in corn tortillas, and about 1.8% in flour tortillas. Their water content ranges is about 42–46%. Both types contain minor nutrients such as folic acid, policosanols, and tocopherols, as well as phytochemicals such as ferulic acid. In corn tortillas, the use of limewater significantly increases the content of calcium and magnesium and the digestibility of niacin, while removing toxins such as aflatoxins. They are the largest source of calories, protein, and calcium in Mexico and Central America.
Tortillas are not complete sources of protein as they lack two essential amino acids, lysine and tryptophan. They also lack vitamins A, B12, D, and E as well as minerals including iron and zinc. Thus, they are often fortified with protein-rich ingredients such as soybeans or with vitamins and minerals. Corn tortillas are harder to modify as added ingredients strongly influence masa. Whole-grain versions of both types are produced to meet the standards of nutrition programs.