Welcome to ¡Ask a Tortilla Expert!, the world's premier column on all things tortilla! Each week until the finals of the 2023 Tortilla Tournament on October 8, judge Gustavo Arellano will take your most burning (but never burnt) tortilla questions. Grab your butter and salsa macha because things are about to get caliente.
Is it a sin to flip a tortilla with a butter knife after the age of 10, or just an outright sin?
I used to think so for a long time, because I couldn't conceive of anyone using a utensil to flip a tortilla while warming it on the comal. I mean, why would you? It's not the hardest task to pinch the edge of a tortilla — corn, flour, gluten-free, Mexican, Central American, whatever — flip it, then do it again, and do it maybe a maximum of four times. That's it. This isn't like making carnitas, where lard droplets bathe your forearms, or breathing in chile fumes while de-seeding them for salsa. Flipping tortillas on a comal with your fingers is perfectly safe (flipping them over an open flame with said fingers is another story), and the only acceptable use of a knife near a tortilla is to scrape off any burnt tortilla shards on the comal, or to spread something on your tortilla. If you're scared of a comal's heat, you don't belong in a kitchen… so I used to say.
But it turns out more than a few people who I respect, Mexican and not, use a utensil to flip their tortillas. A spatula, a fork, a wooden spoon, a knife. That's their custom, and that's what they like to do. To paraphrase Pope Francis: Who am I to judge, especially when I'd rather throw shade at your invariably improvable taste in tortillas?
A woman in Mexico nixtamalizes white corn that will be used to create masa for tortillas. Photo by Shutterstock
Do all/most corn tortillas use corn processed by nixtamalization?
Ultimately, all corn tortillas do, even evil, evil GRUMA. The way to make corn into masa is the chemical process of nixtamalization, in which maize is treated with an alkaline solution (in Latin America's case, calcium hydroxide aka cal) that makes the kernels softer, checkmates naturally occurring toxins in the corn that can lead to pellagra if you eat too much un-nixtamalized corn, and unlocks nutrients that wouldn't otherwise be available. It's truly one of the most miraculous food processes in the world. It also takes a hell of a lot of effort. That's why even tortillerias that nixtamalize their own corn frequently cut their finished masa with Maseca or other masa harinas (dehydrated masas) that contain a whole bunch of preservatives and other chemicals that make the finished product taste bitter. The better to stretch out your tortillas and make them last longer, you know?
If you want to nixtamalize your own corn, good luck! Many restaurants have jumped into the nixtamalization game, then pull back once they realize how laborious it is. That's why there's nothing wrong with buying unadulterated masa from your local molino, or a legit masa harina like what Masienda offers, or just not bothering with making your own tortillas and buying them from places that do them right, like Kernel of Truth Organics or La Princesita. Why, even Maseca now hawks one brand of their devil product as Nixta Masa — the tortilla world's version of oil companies boasting that their oil is greener than ever before.
Got a fluffy tortilla question? Ask the Tortilla Expert at mexicanwithglasses@gmail.com. The more obscure, the better!