How to recognize a true tortilla?

There is a ritual that, in front of the comal, becomes endearing: placing a hot tortilla on the palm of your hand and using the fingers of the other hand to roll it up as tightly as possible. Better if there’s a pinch of salt inside. Salsa martajada? Oh yes, please. But this ritual is only possible if the tortilla is flexible enough not to break. Knowing how to recognize an authentic tortilla, besides being a 100% healthy habit, is the tastiest way to experience them. According to the Maya, corn is the cornerstone of our origin, and according to the Aztecs, it is a testament to the love Quetzalcóatl felt for his people, who, to obtain a golden seed, ventured into the mountains becoming an ant. From that seed arose the tortilla, a symbol of identity and national culture. In the most practical sense, there is no plate, napkin, or spoon more precise for scooping up a stew. Nor one with better flavor. We all believe we know it intimately, but to be honest, when was the last time you made your own tortilla? Two months ago? A year ago? Never? When I met Rafael Mier, director of the Mexican Corn Tortilla Foundation, I didn’t understand why it was necessary to promote the topic of good tortillas and learn to differentiate an authentic tortilla from others. Are all tortillas from tortilla shops authentic? Or not? The tortilla is the favorite canvas of the national dish: tacos. And although it’s always present on tables, Rafael made me understand that the true tortilla is scarce, especially in large cities. Not only that. Few know the process behind its making and what its original ingredients are. Luckily, there is now regulation in the market for tortilla shops to describe the ingredients they use. No, it’s not just corn. Sometimes the dough is mixed with wheat flour. The traditional tortilla must be distinguished from the rest. It comes from Mexican corns, some of which are at risk of extinction. The issue is that some farmers have preferred to plant other crops or use corns that are more resistant to pests. Transgenics, indeed. In the traditional process, the corns that are harvested according to the season are allowed to dry naturally and are then shelled with the help of an olotero. Next, they undergo the nixtamalization process in which the corn grains are polished like rough diamonds to make them more digestible in the body and to maximize their nutritional contribution: increasing their calcium, protein, and antioxidant content.The true tortilla –the healthy, the authentic– is nixtamalized. To achieve this, you must dissolve lime in water, cook the grains in the mixture, let them soak overnight, and the next day, rinse until the water runs clear. From there, the precious nixtamal is obtained, which is taken to the mill or the metate. The result is a moist and delicious dough, ready to shape tortillas, tlacoyos, sopes, or (insert your favorite corn dish). When they puff up on the comal or on the griddle of the tortilla shops, the promise of a good meal is evident. The process is pure culture. But as unbelievable as it seems, in most culinary schools, this ritual is not taught. There is no doubt that, to recognize a good tortilla, we also need to become friends with the language, with its knowledge. Rafael advises consuming those that are not industrialized, meaning they do not contain additional ingredients beyond the traditional ones (corn, water, and lime or ash). As consumers, we have the right to know all the ingredients in our tortilla; thus, it is important to demand their correct labeling, he states. He also mentions that colored tortillas are indeed traditional. Their color comes from corns with shades like the rainbow. But be careful. There are vendors who use dyes to mimic the colors of blue or green corn. A tip to differentiate the real deal from the fake is to apply an acidic agent –like lemon juice–. If upon applying the lemon, the tortilla turns violet or pink, it is real blue corn tortilla; if it turns grayish or doesn’t change color, it is a tortilla dyed with artificial coloring. Another tip is to check the flexibility of the tortilla. If it breaks or stiffens as soon as you place it on the comal, you may be facing a fake tortilla. These and other tips can be found on the newly launched blog of the foundation. The good tortilla deserves to be distinguished from the others. Ask at your tortilla shop if the ones they offer are nixtamalized and if they come 100% from national corn. Its aroma, a prelude to a feast worthy of gods, and its flavor should not be taken for granted. And while we learn to nixtamalize together, here are some recipes you can prepare in its honor: Tongue TacosMixiote TacosRib Tacos