corn tortillas vs. flour tortillas
versus
tue 9/16/2008
| name | Tortillas de maíz (corn). | Tortillas de harina (flour). |
| origin | Oaxaca in central México. | Sonora and Chihuahua in northern México. |
| introduced in | Between 1800 and 300 BC. | After 1492. |
| main ingredients | Nixtamalized maize, which is prepared with corn and lime water. | Wheat, water, vegetable oil and butter or lard (depending on the region). |
| eaten in | México, U.S., Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. | México, U.S. and Spain. |
| the look | Thick and yellowish. | Flat, thin and off-white. |
| often used for | Tacos. | Burritos. |
| makes frequent appearances at | Dinner. | Breakfast. |
| can also become | Chips or tostadas. | Buñuelos. |
| essential ingredient for | Quesadillas, enchiladas and chilaquiles. | Quesadillas and fajitas. |
| calories | 90. | 140. |
| grams of fat | One. | Three. |
| different colors | Black, purple and green. | Green, brown and red. |
| roll your own | "Use masa harina that is only corn and lime (calcium hydroxide) for corn tortilla making." - Elise.com. | "Use just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking." - Gourmet.com. |
| bet you didn't know | "Chemists at the U.S Department of Agriculture say the aroma of a tortilla is mostly due to 2-ameno-acephenone, a compound which develops when corn is soaked in lime water, the traditional treatment for producing corn masa." | "Flour tortillas are a favorite bread item of the Shuttle astronauts. Tortillas provide an easy and acceptable solution to the bread crumb and microgravity handling problem, and have been used on most Shuttle missions since 1985." |
| sometimes features the face of | Hello Kitty. | Jesus and Mao Zedong. |
| as seen in | The movie Tortilla Soup with Hector Elizondo. | The movie Tortilla Heaven with George Lopez. |
dying to live
daily dos
fri 6/6/2008
(image by billjacobus via flickr)
Tortilla prices in México continue to rise, with some forecasters predicting an increase of 40 percent by next month, a figure much higher than the 18 percent increase previously announced by the National Chamber for the Tortilla and Dough Industry.
the price is tight
daily dos
fri 5/16/2008
(image by stu_spivack via flickr)
Tortilla prices in México will rise by 18 percent next month, according to Mexico's National Chamber for the Tortilla and Dough Industry.
hot off the comal
daily dos
thu 4/26/2007
(image by DavidDennis via flickr)
México's government renews a deal to put a cap on tortilla prices. In early 2007, the price of tortillas spiked dramatically due to increased demand for corn from U.S. ethanol producers.
Tortillas
entonces
sat 2/3/2007
Many people, including scientists and some big companies believe that we are running out of oil. What oil there is, is located mostly in very hostile environments. One possible alternative to oil is ethanol. Lately, there has been a high demand for ethanol. Even U.S. President George W. Bush said "We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol…" Ethanol is primarily made out of corn. The more demand there is for ethanol, the more expensive corn becomes. But ethanol is not the only product made out of corn. So are corn tortillas. Over the last six months, the price of corn meal for tortillas in Mexico has doubled. Most Mexicans rely on corn tortillas to keep from going hungry. Entonces: many Mexican families are now worried about going hungry because we may be running out of oil.
Images via Flickr by mattdente, swanksalot, Fábio Pinheiro, Omar Omar, Tjeerd, madpai, Señor Codo, presta, Amor Ministries and carlosfpardo.
Updates: At blog.wired.com, commenter Jon P points to the role played by Mexican trade policy, a factor also cited by The Dallas Morning News. But in a recent story on NAFTA, the San Diego Union-Tribune notes that "allowing corn imports is politically risky" in Mexico. See comments below for additional links and extended discussion.
got mlk?
daily dos
mon 1/15/2007
Mexican president Felipe Calderón promises to curb rising tortilla prices.
