Tortilla

{{Short description|Thin, flat, unleavened bread originally made from corn}}

{{About|the flatbread|the potato omelette|Spanish tortilla|other uses}}

{{Infobox food

| image = Mexican tortilla.jpg

| caption = Corn tortillas

| alternate_name = Torta, tortita, Titiya

| country = Mesoamerica

| region =

| creator =

| course =

| type = Flatbread

| served =

| main_ingredient = Masa harina, Hominy

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

A tortilla ({{IPAc-en|t|ɔr|ˈ|t|iː|ə}}, {{IPA|es|toɾˈtiʝa|lang}}) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread from Mesoamerica originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour.

The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas tlaxcalli ({{IPA|nah|t͡ɬaʃˈkalli|}}).{{Cite dictionary |editor-last=Wood |editor-first=Stephanie |title=tlaxcalli |url=https://nahuatl.uoregon.edu/content/tlaxcalli |access-date=2020-07-19 |dictionary=Online Nahuatl Dictionary |publisher=Wired Humanities Projects at the University of Oregon}} First made by the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica before colonization, tortillas are a cornerstone of Mesoamerican cuisine. Corn tortillas in Mesoamerica are known from as early as 500 BCE.

Etymology

The word tortilla is derived from the Spanish word torta, meaning "cake," plus the diminutive -illa; as a result, the word means "little cake" in Spanish.{{Cite web |date=13 January 2024 |title=Tortilla Definition & Usage Examples |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/tortilla |access-date=13 January 2024 |website=Dictionary.com}}{{Cite web |date=13 January 2024 |title=Tortilla Definition & Meaning |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tortilla |access-date=13 January 2024 |website=Merriam-Webster}}

Varieties

File:Mexican woman maize tortillas.jpg while making tortillas. Tulum and Coba, Yucatán, Mexico.]]

=Corn=

Tortillas made from nixtamalized maize meal (masa de maíz) are the oldest variety of tortilla. They originated in Mexico and Central America, and remain popular throughout the Americas. Peoples of the Oaxaca region in Mexico first made tortillas at the end of the Villa Stage (1500 to 500 BCE).{{Cite book|last=Winter|first=Marcus|title=Oaxaca: the Archaeological Record|date=1992|publisher=Minutiae Mexicana|isbn=968-7074-31-0|edition=2nd|oclc=26752490}}{{page needed|date=July 2020}} Towards the end of the 19th century, the first mechanical utensils for making tortillas, called tortilla presses, tortilleras, or tortilladoras, were invented and manufactured in Mexico.

=Wheat=

Europeans introduced wheat and its cultivation to the American continent, and it remains the source for wheat flour tortillas. Wheat flour tortillas originated in the northern region of Mexico.

Wheat tortillas usually contain fats such as oil or lard, salt, often leavening agents such as baking powder, and other ingredients. Otherwise, the preparation and cooking of flour tortillas on a comal is identical to that of corn tortillas. Flour tortillas are commonly used in dishes like burritos, tacos, and fajitas. It is part of the daily food repertoire throughout Mexico, Central America, and some states in the US.

=''Nopaltilla''=

A nopaltilla is a cactus-corn tortilla. The word is a portmanteau of nopal, Spanish for the Opuntia ficus-indica cactus, and tortilla.{{Cite news|last=Bernal|first=Marisa|date=2012-02-20|title=Cactus tortillas offer a novel take on traditional food|url=https://tucson.com/business/local/cactus-tortillas-offer-a-novel-take-on-traditional-food/article_53d06aa6-b5ee-53f1-85d4-3cb5b7d18cf9.html|access-date=2020-07-19|newspaper=Arizona Daily Star|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Vercammen|first=Paul|date=2009-03-17|title=Can green tortillas create new jobs?|url=https://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/17/can-green-tortillas-create-new-jobs/|access-date=2020-07-19|website=AC360°|publisher=CNN|language=en|archive-date=March 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323144245/https://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/17/can-green-tortillas-create-new-jobs/|url-status=dead}}