Tortillas in Puebla

The criollo corns that are grown and continue to fill the corn fields of Puebla are mainly tuxpeño, cónico, elotes cónicos, cacahuacintle, arrocillo, bolita, palomero toluqueño and chalqueño all in various colors.

Mesoamerican in origin, nixtamalization is a technique that involves cooking corn with the mineral lime, which makes it easier to digest, more nutritious and flexible, and helps preserve it. This technique is one of Mesoamerica's most important culinary contributions to the world.

As it was done in ancient times, ash from firewood is also used to nixtamalize. As such, the word "nixtamalize" comes from the Nahuatl words nixtli and tamalli, which mean ash and dough, respectively. 

Our ancestors discovered that when corn is cooked with wood ash, it generates a chemical reaction that makes this grain more nutritious, and also gives the masa a more pleasant flavor.

To this day, there are many regions in our country that continue to use ash to make tortillas and tamales.

Lime is one of the three ingredients required to make corn tortillas. Thanks to it, we can carry out the nixtamalization process and obtain flexible, nutritious and delicious tortillas. However, tortillas cannot be made with just any kind of lime. There are two types that are used to prepare nixtamalized foods.

One of them is "quicklime," which is chemically known as calcium oxide. When water is added to this "quicklime," the reaction of the calcium oxide with the water turns it into calcium hydroxide or "slaked lime." It should be noted that lime is a product that is obtained when limestone is calcined at an approximate temperature of 1800ºF.

There is not one exclusive recipe to make tortillas, and it may vary depending on the traditions, tastes and corns available in each home or region.

However, it is important to note that in all cases, it is prepared following three main steps: nixtamalization, grinding and preparing the tortilla, in a method that only uses corn, water and lime.

Although nixtamal mills have been slowly disappearing in the cities, in many places people continue to bring buckets of corn to the mill to obtain the masa for tortillas.

The vast majority of corn mills, in which tortilla masa is made, use stones as the grinding element.

The use of stones to work the masa is reminiscent of the traditional method of grinding the grain in the metate.

The comal or comalli, a flattened circular dish, is linked to the preparation of tortillas and foods such as molotes, tlacoyos, sopes and quesadillas, among others.

Clay is the material from which comales have been made since pre-Hispanic times, although today metal is the most prevalent.

The "palmeadoras," or tortilla makers, are women dedicated to making tortillas by hand, thanks to their mastery of the technique of passing the masa from one hand to the other to give it its shape. The wood or metal press has now replaced the palmeadoras.

Coapan is a town located within the municipality of Tehuacán, Puebla, which is famous for making the most delicious tortillas from nixtamalized corn, an activity that provides work to many families in the community and that represents a very important part of its culture and tradition.

For over 20 years, Coapan has held a traditional race of female tortilla makers, which harks back to the time when the women of Coapan had to run from their community to the center of Tehuacán to be sure to get a good space close to the market to sell their tortillas.

Among the most popular options, whether in the morning or in the afternoon, are tacos placeros (literally "plaza tacos"), which, as their name suggests, are traditionally served in plazas, markets and parks.

Their fillings are quite varied, ranging from stuffed chili peppers to stewed meats all the way to rice with hard-boiled egg.

Everything about Puebla is so cool and tasty! Its chalupas, memelas, quesadillas and tamales adorn the tables of this state

And we can't forget about its moles (always flanked by red rice with cilantro, tomato, garlic, onion), its ever-present tortillas and, of course, its "tamalitos tontos."