Guatemalan Tortillas

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If you live in Guatemala you know that corn tortillas are important, if not fundamental in our everyday food. They are served with virtually every meal. This practice has a very long history, going back thousands of years to the Mayan empire. If you don’t live in Guatemala, you probably know the kind of tortillas that are sold in supermarkets, which are mass produced and have a long way to go to taste anything like the real thing; they are also different from Mexican tortillas, which are usually bigger and thinner. Guatemalan tortillas are white, fluffy, and best served steaming hot.

Tortillas are made from corn “masa”, a sort of wet dough which is also the base for white tamales. A tortillera (a woman who makes tortillas) will grab a handful of masa to make a round flat disk with her hands, which she them slaps with skilled hands to form a perfectly round tortilla. Let me tell you, this is quite hard to achieve… I tried it once, and my tortillas were awfully shaped.  She then places the tortilla in a hot “comal” to cook. The comal is set atop burning wood to heat it, which gives authentic tortillas a smoky flavor that has no comparison.

Tortillas can also be made at home, using Maseca, you just add water to the corn flour to form the “masa”. You can find small “comales” at the supermarket which you heat on the stove-top, and give shaping the tortillas your best shot. With practice, you’ll get it … or so they say.

You can have tortillas with anything. But the best for me, is when they are already made, to toast them up and accompany them with guacamole, fried beans and fresh cheese.

I took these pictures in Tecpan, Guatemala. We were having lunch at a grilled food restaurant and this lady was making yellow corn tortillas for us. They have a different flavor than the regular white tortillas, these are more flavorful. They were great!

If you ever have a chance to try authentic tortillas, I encourage you to do so.

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This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)