To-To-Tortilla!

SLAP, SLAP, SLAP. Throughout the entire evening, the constant noise reverberates throughout my house. You would assume someone is getting hit with la chancla, but in reality the only thing that is getting struck is my family’s taste buds with the amazing tortillas my mom makes every day. Growing up in a Hispanic household, I practically came out of the womb eating tortillas;  they’re a crucial part of every meal. Every day I’ve observed my mom make corn tortillas by hand, and for a time I believed that she was entirely responsible for their creation. However, despite the fact that it takes her a lot of work, I never gave the other steps of the process any thought.  Tortillas are laboriously constructed, and there are so many more steps than I originally knew about.  I’ve done some research on tortillas, and now that I know all the delicious details—from the corn to the production—I’ll present them in this blog to you!

Overview of the History…

I’ll give you a brief overview of the history of tortillas before we get into the fun stuff.  The origin of tortillas is said to be a Mayan peasant who created them for his starving king, kind of ironic isn’t it? Around 10,000 BC, corn tortillas were used for the first time in history, truly something worthy of a history book. The local population, including the Aztecs and others, all consumed some form of maize bread when the Spanish came. The Spaniards had learned that the natives were eating some kind of corn-based bread when they landed in Central America in the 1500’s. The Mayans consumed maize both raw off the cob and ground into cornmeal. Following that, masa, a maize dough, was made using the cornmeal.The beginning of an iconic era began since, spreading this delicious little white cake all over Mexico.

Crossing Borders

Over the years, tortillas have been rapidly taking over the United States, it has become a $6 billion industry.  The popularity of tortillas in America has grown quickly; they are now second only to sliced bread in terms of popularity, surpassing bagels and muffins. But what has made them so popular? Is it because white people are finally developing a sense of taste?   It is due to the fact that both the number of Hispanic Americans and the popularity of Mexican food have increased.  As early as the 1900s, tens of thousands of Hispanics immigrated to the United States, bringing with them their delicious food (tortillas) to share with Americans. In which today,  has become a massive industry, and a global hit! We have to love Tortillas, don’t we?

How Corn Is Produced

One of the most widely grown crops worldwide is maize, and the USA is one of the nations with an economy that is mostly based on corn production. The climate and soils of each region where corn is planted have an influence on its growth. When temperatures are moderately warm, good corn production results, so if you ever want to plant corn, wait until the 20th and 10th of May for the best results, which is what most farmers do. In addition to particular temperatures and climatic conditions, the soil must also be at a particular pH level for it to be successful in its production. Loose soils with excellent drainage, aeration, and retention of adequate water near the roots are necessary for corn cultivation. Soils that are too dense, too sandy, or that have inadequate drainage are not suited. Germination, vegetative, and reproductive stages of maize production follow planting, and to make things quick for you, the reproductive stage is crucial because this is when the plant is most vulnerable. After this, the kernels begin to form, then you have the corn ready to be picked! However,  the heirloom corn is an exception to this rule. Heirloom corn is produced from farmer-preserved seeds that have been carefully chosen for having the best flavor over hundreds (or even thousands) of years. Before the corn is given to the following generation, each generation works to further improve its flavor and quality. Open-pollinated heirloom  corn varieties are typically less labor-intensive to grow than their high-performing contemporary counterparts. In healthy soils, adding nitrogen in the form of composted manure during planting and blood meal at the last hoeing or cultivating should suffice. The best part is that there are practically unlimited varieties, and you may make your own by choosing ears with distinctive characteristics and        raising the seed in a separate bed the next year.

 So Is It Sustainable or Not?

Corn poses a serious concern since it is not a sustainable crop, it quickly depletes nitrogen and other crucial nutrients from the soil, and it requires a lot of water to grow, making farmers reliant on both irrigation and precipitation from the sky.  And because it’s the foundation of our food system, farmers often seek to cultivate it in enormous amounts, which results in seeds adapted for drought and crammed into overcrowded fields. Add climate change to the equation—which, according to the National Climate Assessment, will result in more frequent droughts in the Midwest region of the United States—and the foundation of our nation’s corn production, which has been increasing on a nearly constant basis since the 1930s, appears increasingly threatened. The solution to the question of how to make corn sustainable depends on a variety of other elements in addition to corn. To make maize more environmentally friendly, there are a variety of various ways to grow and produce it. Such as Short stature corn cultivars offer a number of possible long-term advantages for coping with extreme weather, including improved stability  and the ability to apply crop protection agents with more precision.

How to make To-To-Tortillas (from a hispanic mom)

All you need to make a tortilla is a tortilla press. This device appears frightening, especially in the hands of a mother who used to threaten us with a chancla, but it is quite simple to use.

Maseca mixed with water

1. Grab some maseca (corn flour) and mix it with water, you can find corn flour at any store but for a better taste my mom recommends buying from a Mexican store)
2. After that mix your maseca with water
3. Grab your tortilla press, mold your maseca into little balls and slap them to make sure the consistency is good!
4. Put your maseca ball onto the tortilla press and then press it,  then you will have a circle and this is what you will put on the griddle.
5. Then just flip it with your bare hands until it’s fully cooked.
6. You will then get beautiful tortillas!

Tortillas are puffing up

Bibliography

Hartley , A. (2018, February 23). A brief History of the Tortilla. Alto. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://altohartley.com/a-brief-history-of-the-tortilla/#:~:text=According%20to%20legend%2C%20tortillas%20were,some%20sort%20of%20maize%20bread.

Family , M. (2019, October 10). The Tortilla’s History: A Look Back Through Thousands Of years: Mayan family Mexican restaurant. Family Mexican Restaurant in Lacey WA from Mayan Family Mexican Restaurant. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.mayanmexican.com/blog/the-tortillas-history-a-look-back-through-thousands-of-years/#:~:text=Tortillas%20have%20been%20around%20for,both%20Mayan%20and%20Aztec%20diets

Blog post by Laura Arzola

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