Tortilla

A tortilla is a round, thin, and unleavened flatbread. While originally made from corn, it is now also produced with wheat flour. In most of Mexico and Central America, the corn tortilla serves as a dietary staple, whereas the flour variety is more common in Northern Mexican and Mexican-American cooking. Tortillas have gained popularity worldwide.

The first tortillas were created by the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica, where corn was a vital crop. As complex societies like those in the Oaxaca Valley and the Aztec civilization developed, corn tortillas became a fundamental part of their cuisine. The Maya civilization also adopted them. Following the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 16th century, corn tortillas remained a staple among indigenous groups. The flour tortilla emerged after the Spanish introduced wheat to the region, becoming popular among settlers in Northern Mexico. This variety stayed common in areas that later became part of the United States, such as Texas and California. Mass production of tortillas began in the 1950s, using specialized machines and masa harina. By the early 21st century, tortillas had become a global food item.

In Mexican and Central American cuisine, the tortilla is the most frequently consumed food and is considered a national symbol of Mexico. In rural indigenous communities of Mexico, corn tortillas are often made at home, while urban populations buy them from tortillerias or supermarkets. Tortillas are also widespread in the United States due to Hispanic culinary influence. Mexican food companies and restaurants, such as Gruma, have turned tortillas into an international industry.

**Terminology**

The term *tortilla* comes from the Spanish word *torta*, meaning "cake," combined with the diminutive suffix *-illa*, so it translates to "little cake." In Mexico, a bakery that specializes in tortillas is called a *tortilleria*, which is different from a *panadería*, a wheat bread bakery. In Spain, however, *tortilla* refers to a type of omelette. In Nahuatl, the language of the ancient Aztecs and modern Nahuas, tortillas are known as *tlaxcalli*. The ancient Maya used the word *cauhimich*, while contemporary Maya languages use *wah*, which originally described various corn products.

**Varieties**

Tortillas are round, unleavened flatbreads that are very thin, consisting almost entirely of crust. There are two main types: corn and flour, which are made through very different processes. Both are commonly produced industrially, using standardized recipes that result in a mild flavor. Tortilla machines can produce them continuously with dough sheeters and extruders, some making up to 30,000 per hour.

**Corn**

Corn tortillas are made from corn and limewater, an alkaline solution of calcium hydroxide. White or yellow corn is typically used, though blue corn and other varieties appear occasionally. The corn is soaked in limewater in a process called nixtamalization, which greatly affects the final product, making it more flexible and nutritious. The resulting nixtamal is stone-ground into a dough called masa. This masa is flattened by hand, against a surface, or with a tortilla press, then baked on a griddle—or in industrial settings, in an oven that continuously sheets and bakes it. During baking, the tortilla browns, undergoes starch gelatinization, and puffs up slightly. Corn tortillas are about 15 cm in diameter, with varying thickness.

There are three ways to produce masa. The traditional method involves cooking corn in a pot of limewater, steeping it overnight, and discarding the liquid. The nixtamal is then ground on a stone metate to form masa, which is hand-shaped and baked on both sides on a clay comal. This method yields thicker tortillas. Fresh masa is also produced industrially using a rotating grinder, then extruded and baked in an oven. Dry masa, or masa harina, is made by grinding nixtamal into pieces that are dried into a flour. This flour is rehydrated for baking, a much easier and faster process that separates masa production from tortilla making in both time and place. Indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America still use the traditional method, while masa harina is most common in countries like the United States.

Corn tortillas come in various forms. Large ones include the tlayuda from Oaxacan cuisine, which can be over 40 cm across and is baked to a drier texture. A smaller 10 cm tortilla is called a *tortilla taquera* in parts of Mexico. A tlacoyo is a thick, oval tortilla made from masa mixed with beans. A gordita is a very thick tortilla made from masa and lard, sometimes with fillings.

**Wheat**

Flour tortillas are made from wheat flour—usually white flour—along with water and shortening. They are generally larger than corn tortillas.