Next time you have a hankering for tortillas, whether it be corn or flour, make sure to stop by Chapala Mexican Restaurant for our wide selection of tasty Mexican food.
Corn Tortillas
A Short History
Corn tortillas date back to as far as 10,000 B.C. as a staple in the Aztec diet. The first tortillas were no more than cornmeal and water. Eventually, the Aztecs discovered they could hull the corn kernels more easily by soaking them with lime (the alkaline stuff you get from heating limestone, not the citrus fruit). This is still the traditional way of making fresh corn tortillas today.
Corn tortillas have a lot of flavor and texture. They tend to be on the smaller side, if they are too big they can break apart easily.
Best Uses for Corn Tortillas
Tacos
If you are making a simple taco, corn tortillas are best as they help bolster the ingredients and add to the overall flavor. If you are planning on building an epic taco you may choose to use a flour tortilla to hold all of the ingredients together.
Chips
Tortilla chips are always made with corn tortillas. There’s nothing quite like our freshly made Chapala’s tortilla chips
Taquitos
Taquitos are always made with corn tortillas. A taquito made with a flour tortilla is called a flauta.
Enchiladas
Corn tortillas stand up well to being soaked and baked in sauce. We recommend always using corn tortillas when making enchiladas.
Flour Tortillas
A Short History
Flour tortillas were thought to have originally been invented by Spanish Jews exiled to New Spain (what we now consider Mexico, Central America, and Panama) during the Inquisition. Maize (corn) was considered non-kosher so they used the wheat brought with them from Europe instead.
Flour tortillas require lard or vegetable shortening to bind the dough together making them stretch and bend better than corn tortillas. Because of this, flour tortillas can be much larger than corn tortillas.
Best Uses for Flour Tortillas
Burritos
Burritos can only be made with flour tortillas since corn tortillas can’t be made in a size big enough.
Fajitas
Flour tortillas stand up better to all of the fillings and won’t leave the guacamole spilling onto your shirt.
Quesadillas
Flour tortillas are big enough to create a large, soft but crispy tortilla that will leave you satisfied.
