This is a subject of great debate/concern to several people I've met during my visits to Puerto Vallarta. It especially affects those who are at the bottom of the economic scale. There are many people in Mexico who's daily subsistence relies on corn tortillas (a rolled tortilla with a sprinkle of salt is frequently an entire meal).

As the price of corn continues to skyrocket on the world market, more and more tortillarias have begun mixing flour into their masa as a cost saving measure. This has reduced the nutrients that a tortilla can deliver due to the empty carbs of the flour. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't know if this actually has an effect on people's health, but it's a commonly held belief that it does among the public. It's gotten to the point where the better tortillarias display a sign proclaiming 100% maiz.

stevez wrote:This is a subject of great debate/concern to several people I've met during my visits to Puerto Vallarta. It especially affects those who are at the bottom of the economic scale. There are many people in Mexico who's daily subsistence relies on corn tortillas (a rolled tortilla with a sprinkle of salt is frequently an entire meal).

As the price of corn continues to skyrocket on the world market, more and more tortillarias have begun mixing flour into their masa as a cost saving measure. This has reduced the nutrients that a tortilla can deliver due to the empty carbs of the flour. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't know if this actually has an effect on people's health, but it's a commonly held belief that it does among the public. It's gotten to the point where the better tortillarias display a sign proclaiming 100% maiz.

That is actually ironic, because maiz tortillas have less protein, fiber and calories than flour tortillas.

Maiz might be more traditional (and taste better IMHO), but nutritionally, they are a lower quality product.

I first heard about the flour/corn mixture a long time ago from a friend who's family is from a small town in central mexico near San Luis.

lodasi wrote:That is actually ironic, because maiz tortillas have less protein, fiber and calories than flour tortillas. Maiz might be more traditional (and taste better IMHO), but nutritionally, they are a lower quality product.

That's what I thought too, and I did some googling to try to find out, but I decided to leave it to someone who was more knowledgeable about nutrition to reply.

I have another corn vs flour tortilla question: it seems to me that corn tortillas are perceived as being "authentically" Mexican and flour tortillas as not being so, but I thought I heard once that that was an oversimplification and that corn tortillas are more common or popular in some regions of Mexico and (wheat) flour tortillas are more common or popular in other regions.much as, say, corn grows in Iowa and wheat grows in Kansas.

Katie wrote:

lodasi wrote:That is actually ironic, because maiz tortillas have less protein, fiber and calories than flour tortillas. Maiz might be more traditional (and taste better IMHO), but nutritionally, they are a lower quality product.

That's what I thought too, and I did some googling to try to find out, but I decided to leave it to someone who was more knowledgeable about nutrition to reply.

I have another corn vs flour tortilla question: it seems to me that corn tortillas are perceived as being "authentically" Mexican and flour tortillas as not being so, but I thought I heard once that that was an oversimplification and that corn tortillas are more common or popular in some regions of Mexico and (wheat) flour tortillas are more common or popular in other regions.much as, say, corn grows in Iowa and wheat grows in Kansas.

My understanding is that flour tortillas are more common in the north and corn tortillas are more common in the south of Mexico.

David Hammond wrote:

Katie wrote:

lodasi wrote:That is actually ironic, because maiz tortillas have less protein, fiber and calories than flour tortillas. Maiz might be more traditional (and taste better IMHO), but nutritionally, they are a lower quality product.

That's what I thought too, and I did some googling to try to find out, but I decided to leave it to someone who was more knowledgeable about nutrition to reply.

I have another corn vs flour tortilla question: it seems to me that corn tortillas are perceived as being "authentically" Mexican and flour tortillas as not being so, but I thought I heard once that that was an oversimplification and that corn tortillas are more common or popular in some regions of Mexico and (wheat) flour tortillas are more common or popular in other regions.much as, say, corn grows in Iowa and wheat grows in Kansas.

My understanding is that flour tortillas are more common in the north and corn tortillas are more common in the south of Mexico.

So in the center you'd get a blend! Although Guerrero is more south than central...

Corn is obviously the more "authentic" Mexican insofar as maiz, and the civilization associated with it, is pre-Columbian. Lots of complex considerations around race, culture, colonialism, north v. south, indio v. criollo, and more goes into the corn v. not corn discussion. It's also worth considering that today, in 2014, maiz tortillas are still pretty much an artisanal and minimally processed food: corn, cal and water. Corn tortillas are still essentially local and are consumed near where they are made, in time and place. Masa is a major reason why Mexican food is great in Chicago, but not so great in other major North American cities without longstanding, huge Mexican populations and a market for fresh masa. Flour tortillas are of course more typically made with highly processed wheat flour, unknown to indigenous American cultures, more often made with preservatives and processed fats, etc. Even made-to-order flour tortillas in San Antonio (or Uncle Julio's) are generally made with processed flour. Sure, there are probably some flour tortillas somewhere made with more local, minimally processed wheat flour and there are definitely (terrible) commercial corn tortillas made with preservatives, softeners, moisteners and extra fat. But it's pretty clear that corn v. flour is much more than just which grain is used, even for products coming from the same tortilleria. Nutritionally, yeah, enriched wheat flour has more of everything compared to corn, for better and worse.

A quick call to La Quebrada revealed that the tortillas there are made of corn, no wheat whatsoever. They are definitely unique but my opinion of them does not change.

laikom wrote:A quick call to La Quebrada revealed that the tortillas there are made of corn, no wheat whatsoever. They are definitely unique but my opinion of them does not change.

Wait a minute. You called TFR? That's like, last-resort sh!t, man. We exhaust all of the philosophical possibilities first.

/plus, I demand my tortilla facials to be gluten-free.

Thesis: The Metaphysical properties of flour vs. corn tortillas and an inspection of the intersection of the parallel realities therein and it's influence in the Midwest states in the new millennium with regard to race and gender in shaping the political shift of local elections in gentrifying neighborhoods and it's impact upon future generations.









Sniff, sniff...


I smell grant money!

David Hammond wrote:

laikom wrote:I am fairly certain those tortillas are made with part flour and part masa which is not as uncommon as many may think.

Tortillas aside, I have long loved La Quebrada and was happy to jump on an excuse to get in on this event, thanks for setting it up Turkob! My favorite dishes were the pork guisado with red sauce, and the grilled meats such as the beef ribs and cecina, though just about everything was as exciting and flavorful as I remember.

I believe you're right about the flour/masa mix in the tortillas -- I wasn't that crazy about the flavor, either, but they were soft and perhaps more absorbent than tortillas that are all masa.

Had the cecina a few days ago and still thinking about it. The dried/salted then rehydrated/griddled meat seems almost light, and for meat that seems to have relatively little fat, very tender and flavorful.



Just as crustacean loves pork, beef loves guacamole. And because cecina seems relatively low fat, the guacamole adds a rounded richness to each mouthful of flavorful beef.

La Quebrada cecina is as good as it ever was in Cicero, served with guacamole, pico, beans and herbs en consome, homemade tortillas, and of course the chips with searing, steaming, simple salsa de molcajete.

Effective this week, the restaurant is closed on Wednesdays (a sign inside reports). This place has my continuing esteem in the spirit of the GNRs.

Santander wrote:

David Hammond wrote:

laikom wrote:I am fairly certain those tortillas are made with part flour and part masa which is not as uncommon as many may think.

Tortillas aside, I have long loved La Quebrada and was happy to jump on an excuse to get in on this event, thanks for setting it up Turkob! My favorite dishes were the pork guisado with red sauce, and the grilled meats such as the beef ribs and cecina, though just about everything was as exciting and flavorful as I remember.

I believe you're right about the flour/masa mix in the tortillas -- I wasn't that crazy about the flavor, either, but they were soft and perhaps more absorbent than tortillas that are all masa.

Had the cecina a few days ago and still thinking about it. The dried/salted then rehydrated/griddled meat seems almost light, and for meat that seems to have relatively little fat, very tender and flavorful.



Just as crustacean loves pork, beef loves guacamole. And because cecina seems relatively low fat, the guacamole adds a rounded richness to each mouthful of flavorful beef.

La Quebrada cecina is as good as it ever was in Cicero, served with guacamole, pico, beans and herbs en consome, homemade tortillas, and of course the chips with searing, steaming, simple salsa de molcajete.

Effective this week, the restaurant is closed on Wednesdays (a sign inside reports). This place has my continuing esteem in the spirit of the GNRs.

Great taco, in my rotation. A little less often with Minna's in my life tho.