ARTS & CULTURE
Tortillas A Mano, Tortillas Handmade Learning to make corn tortillas leads to unexpected discoveries.
THE PACIFIC SENTINEL
by Corry Hinckley Illustration by Mckinsey Carroll Packaged tortillas are ubiquitous in American society; only white bread is more popular, as bread products go. Occasionally, you can find them made in house at a Mexican restaurant, and it’s not uncommon to see local factory made tortillas nowadays. Most non Latin Americans, however, have never experienced a fresh corn tortilla. If you're lucky enough to have had the pleasure, you know how delicious this treat is. The first step for most people who want to try and make their own tortillas but don't have a tia who can show them the way, would most likely turn to Google, end up at Winco, buy a bag of Maseca and follow the instructions on the bag. Without someone experienced to show you the way, these might not come out well. The directions on the bag are simple but imprecise. “If dough feels dry,” as compared to what?!
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What is a tortilla press and where do people buy “thick plastic wrap?” Weird problems may arise like air bubbles that trap steam and leave undercooked and wet spots. The dough can stick everywhere – to the plastic, or to the pan. They come out dry, burnt or mushy. Of course, this is a humbling result, and maybe it forces us to consider the complexities represented by ‘tortilla,’ to learn a little bit of her history. Centuries of trial and error over two continents result in a nutritious, delicious, versatile bread that can be prepared with two ingredients: field corn and an alkalinity. Corn’s predecessor is teosinte (Zea perennis). It’s a little grasslike plant with a grain cluster about 1 inch long that grows in tiny hard casings. It is theorized that prehistoric Mesoamericans chewed on its grassy stalk while they walked and inadvertently spread its seed in their
travels. Then, beginning 9000 years ago, women on seasonal migrations experimented with collecting and planting certain seeds while men hunted, revisiting locations annually and continuing to select for desirable traits. Humans throughout the planet use this boosted land race technique to increase palatability and nutritional availability. This has yielded all sorts of plants, but corn is unique in its remarkable transformation from a nearly inedible grass stalk into a starchy, sweet global staple. Archeologists speculate that when ancient Amerindians heated chunks of locally abundant limestone in their fires and dropped them into pots of water and corn to cook it, the water alkalized in addition to boiling. This dissolved the hemicellulose in maize cell walls and made their food more nourishing. This process, called nixtamalization, can also be
