Corn tortilla
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In Mexico and Central America, a corn tortilla or just tortilla is a type of thin, unleavened flatbread, made from hominy, that is the whole kernels of maize treated with alkali to improve their nutri
A stack of fresh corn tortillas
Tacos de barbacoa made with yellow corn tortillas at a Mexican restaurant in Chicago (2006)
Preparation of tortillas in Chichicastenango, Guatemala.
Tortillas of blue corn
Nixtamalization
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Nixtamalization is a process for the preparation of maize, or other grain, in which the grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, washed, and then hulled. The term can als
Corn tortilla
…of thin, unleavened flatbread, made from hominy, that is the whole kernels of maize treated with alkali to improve their nutrition in a process called nixtamalization. A simple dough made of ground hominy, salt and water is then formed into flat discs and cooked on a very hot surface, generally an iron griddle called…
An 1836 lithograph of tortilla production in rural Mexico
Bowl of hominy (nixtamalized corn kernels)
Dry maize, untreated (left) and boiled in lime (right). In this case, typical of El Salvador, 1 pound (450 g) is boiled with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of lime for 15 minutes, left to stand for a few hours, and washed with fresh water. The hulls are removed, and the kernels ground into masa. Exact methods vary by use and region.[citation needed]