BajaNomad - corn or flour tortillas?

corn or flour tortillas?

vivaloha - 12-19-2011 at 10:18 PM

dear nomads -

which tortillas do you prefer with which meals?
corn or flour tortillas?

trader joes now makes a mix of corn and wheat flour...
i'm not talking about those...

flour is great but has the lard (often but not always)
corn is great but often are cheap and fall apart...

that said, a tasty and proper, small double corn tortilla with a fish taco...
or
a bean and cheese burrito wrapped in a fresh flour tortilla can also be super nice...

please discuss...corn or flour and why? :coolup:

Woooosh - 12-19-2011 at 10:23 PM

Just had my sister in law make and serve up fresh flour tortillas (with vegetable fat). She even brings her own rolling pin when she travels...

I personally prefer flour, but it's hard to find them in a smaller size.

vivaloha - 12-19-2011 at 10:28 PM

ahhh...fresh made FLOUR without the lard...nicely done!

flour tortillas and pastor tacos...oh my...
or
flour tortillas and a papa rellena...oh yes...hot salsa...

the tacos are just tasting better lately...

KASHEYDOG - 12-19-2011 at 10:30 PM

Sorry, but I can't make a decision. I ........like......tortillas. Yes...that's it.........

Paula - 12-19-2011 at 10:31 PM

Oh, corn for sure! Flour tortillas should only be used for machaca burritos.

And REAL totopos are made of corn tortillas fried in lard-- nothing better!

goldhuntress - 12-19-2011 at 11:09 PM

I prefer flour, corn is a close second :biggrin:

Fish Tacos ~ I like flour, small ones
Chorizo and eggs ~ flour
Any meal served with beans and rice ~ flour
quesadillas ~ flour
enchiladas ~ corn, always, some people make them with flour :?:

That's just weird
Fresh hot corn tortillas with some fresh cheese and hot sauce, yummy!

I think corn has a much more distinct flavor and for me it can be too much. Flour is more mild and can blend well with many things. I have never really thought about why I like one over the other so that's just my first thought about it.

KASHEYDOG - 12-19-2011 at 11:10 PM

OK. If I have to be more specific here it is...........

[Edited on 12-20-11 by KASHEYDOG]

taco nomad 2.jpg - 17kB

BajaBlanca - 12-19-2011 at 11:22 PM

flour. the corn ones really do fall apart more easily.

[Edited on 12-20-2011 by BajaBlanca]

Bob H - 12-20-2011 at 12:08 AM

Flour.. and that's it!

DENNIS - 12-20-2011 at 07:17 AM

To avoid all of this inner conflict, use both....one inside the other. When you get tired of that, switch them around...the other inside the other. Kinda like two varieties of Tortilla Tacos.
Now....I didn't see this on the Cooking Channel, but I'm sure we will soon.

Gawwwwdammmm.....life is good.

DENNIS - 12-20-2011 at 07:28 AM

By the way....corn tortillas break up less readily when they're fresh.

It used to be one of my daily treats, to go to a Tortilleria near my house and have a couple of brand new, hot corn tortillas on the house. They'd put a container of butter, well...it was margarine, by the register and invite the customers and neighbors to have at it.
I wonder if they still do that? I'll put that question on my list.

.

[Edited on 12-20-2011 by DENNIS]

Hook - 12-20-2011 at 07:48 AM

It's pretty easy to find flour tortillas made with vegetable oil these days. The lard ones are in the minority over here; probably for economic reasons. Vegetable oil also seems to turn rancid slower.

As far as preferences, corn for tacos, tostadas, enchiladas and the base for huevos rancheros.

Flour for burritos and their kin.

shari - 12-20-2011 at 08:38 AM

Mexico is becoming more health concious finally...now there are a couple different brands of whole wheat tortillas made with vegetable oil, not lard and they are scrumptious...doctors are recommending them for those that just cant eat without tortillas.

Myself, I like the whole wheat flour tortillas but corn is better for me...and boy, ya cant beat a well made corn tortilla...specially the blue corn ones in DF!!!

ncampion - 12-20-2011 at 09:14 AM

Any tortilla made in Mexico is so far superior to what we get in the US. Here the health nannys make sure there's nothing "bad" in them so we can all live till we're 90 and suck money out of the Medicare system. In Mexico you get the real thing wih all the "bad" stuff that makes it taste good and you live till you die.

Bob and Susan - 12-20-2011 at 09:24 AM

in mulege there are 3 places that sell corn tortillas made from a machine

one is thicker
one is thinner
the other is thicker too

the thinner is better for chips but they are very brittle

captain4tuna - 12-20-2011 at 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
By the way....corn tortillas break up less readily when they're fresh.

It used to be one of my daily treats, to go to a Tortilleria near my house and have a couple of brand new, hot corn tortillas on the house. They'd put a container of butter, well...it was margarine, by the register and invite the customers and neighbors to have at it.
I wonder if they still do that? I'll put that question on my list.

.

[Edited on 12-20-2011 by DENNIS]

jadams - 12-20-2011 at 10:50 AM

Corn is for cooking !! Flour is for eating!!

BajaGringo - 12-20-2011 at 11:10 AM

Flour

Unless you hand me a fresh, hot fish taco in a corn tortilla...

wessongroup - 12-20-2011 at 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ncampion
Any tortilla made in Mexico is so far superior to what we get in the US. Here the health nannys make sure there's nothing "bad" in them so we can all live till we're 90 and suck money out of the Medicare system. In Mexico you get the real thing wih all the "bad" stuff that makes it taste good and you live till you die.

Ditto's...

Dave - 12-20-2011 at 12:05 PM

Are there conventions? Are certain things traditionally eaten with one or the other?

tiotomasbcs - 12-20-2011 at 03:07 PM

I believe carnitas should be served on corn tortillas, Dave. Most taco stands serving carnitas/pork only offer corn tortillas. With poblano/bean soup, of course! Fresh and hot flour tortillas are awesome. The 3pm rush on our local Panaderia for Bolillas also deserves a Honorable Mention! :yes:

MMMmmmm. Tio

Cyanide41 - 12-20-2011 at 03:13 PM

Like a proper gringo, I perfer the Flour. They are a must when eating lobster, chorizo/egg burritos.... actually ANY burrito.

I only eat corn in tacos, enchiladas or other dish that requires corn tortillas.

DavidE - 12-20-2011 at 03:41 PM

Tortillas de harina de trigo are strictly norteno, or very high altitude where managing a milpa is impossible. Tortillas de maize de maquina taste like cardboard. Totillas de maize de maize preparada are slightly better, but tortillas made by pat-pat-pat out of corn kernals ground on a mano y metate, and cooked on a comal de barro over hot glowing una de gato or guisaxche coals are the only way to go. These critters taste absolutely different than lesser tortillas! It's like comparing farmhouse from-scratch bread to bimbo or wonderbread.

Grinding corn on a mano y metate results in flour that is not perfectly consistant in size and patting the masa to flatten it is also uneven. Most Mexican young men don't know a real tortilla has an espalda y panza, they taper from one side to the other. When rolling up food inside one starts with the thin side.

Tonight I am having real handmade tortillas, absolutely from scratch and frijoles negros de olla replete with epazote. I cannot hardly tolerate this kind of meal anymore unless it is authentic. Beans, tortillas y chilis jalapenos I cab eat twice a week or more often and never feel cheated. I have served this fare to countless newbies (to authenticity not to mexico) and their remarks have been remarkably similar "My god, this is unbelievable! I didn't know that plain beans and tortillas could taste this good.

For a while Casimiro Cordoba offered this dish at El Taco de Huitzilopochtli if a person gave him a few weeks notice. But I guess he's he's gone now along with the pulque and a little bit of the real mexico went with him.

mcfez - 12-20-2011 at 05:16 PM

I prefer the old fashion lard based. Has a heavier taste / texture. Great for stuff like enchiladas. To help keep the corn tortilla from breaking apart...apply a little heat :-)

This was a interesting topic. I went around the web and found this GREAT site I like to share.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Tortilla_Taco_history...

sanquintinsince73 - 12-20-2011 at 05:32 PM

Flour tortillas right off the griddle, slather some butter on it and roll it up, down the hatch....outstanding. In the state of Sonora the flour tortillas are so big that they are called "Sobakeras", they extend from armpit to armpit, hence the name "Sobakeras".

Bajahowodd - 12-20-2011 at 05:48 PM

I really cannot speak about current Mexican preferences, but history shows that corn tortillas predate Columbus. Mexicans did not use wheat flour.

Although I must admit that I follow the DENNIS method by usually putting a corn tortilla inside a flour tortilla, the simple historical fact is that it was always corn.

Flour tortillas are in the category of such things as burritos, fajitas and chips and salsa. They are gringo creations. Not that I don't enjoy them all, but historical Mexican food includes the corn tortilla. No flour.

Hence, the government control of the price of tortillas.

Islandbuilder - 12-20-2011 at 09:02 PM

Mi amigo en San Quintin took me to a little carnitas shop that made their own half and half corn/flour tortillas.

Best

Ever

We went back twice to share with the rest of our group, but he was closed both times, at NOON!

It's a 4000 mile round trip, a long way for lunch, but we're going in February.

I hope he's open.......

KaceyJ - 12-20-2011 at 10:35 PM

No convention:

Too many corn tortillas in Socal are now made w cheaper white corn/wheat flour mixture and are terrible. No flavor and fall apart easily.

There are acouple of traditional manufacturers left.

Porkyland , SanDiego , used to sell all corn tortillas. Yellow.

Their "Indio" thick tortillas are/were to die for and are the bomb for enchiladas. They've recently changed to another brand that are thinner , but you can still find them at Costco on Market. Made by circle foods Otay.

Heat a little OO in a frypan, quickly soften tort, add shredded chicken, roll , top w homemade chili sauce and cheese w a side of refritos and rice :bounce:

Then there are flour torts , for whenever corn is not available.

durrelllrobert - 12-22-2011 at 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ncampion
Any tortilla made in Mexico is so far superior to what we get in the US.

Tortillas? They don't call them that in Alberta Canada, probably because the don't know how to pronounce it. They call the flour ones "WRAPS" and the corn ones "SHELLS" :?:

vivaloha - 12-22-2011 at 07:33 PM

thanks for weighing in on the corn vs. flour thing...

a quick question as long as we are here...

a gordita? is that a thicker version corn tortilla?

i hear the indio shout out too...means thicker, i believe...

seems that most of the crew likes the corn for tacos,

enchiladas, huevos rancheros...

flour seems preferred for the burritos...

about what i expected to read...thanks for your contributions

peace and happy holidays! feliz navidad!

VA

MitchMan - 12-23-2011 at 09:10 AM

Anyone know where you can get the old fashion thick maize tortillas in La Paz? Not those tasteless thin white corn machine made things. Actually, I haven't seen any of the 'real' corn tortillas since the late 90s in Ensenada and San Quintin.

Bajahowodd - 12-23-2011 at 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by durrelllrobert

Quote:

Originally posted by ncampion
Any tortilla made in Mexico is so far superior to what we get in the US.

Tortillas? They don't call them that in Alberta Canada, probably because the don't know how to pronounce it. They call the flour ones "WRAPS" and the corn ones "SHELLS" :?:

Good point, since so many cultures use some form of "bread". What about the Chinese? Or the Arabs? Flatbread??

The term "wraps" covers a multitude of nothing more or less than a tortilla.

And, I really would appreciate some additional comments on the issue about white v. yellow corn.

DENNIS - 12-23-2011 at 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
And, I really would appreciate some additional comments on the issue about white v. yellow corn.

What??? You don't like the Blue variety? :light:

Gorditas

Gypsy Jan - 12-23-2011 at 05:59 PM

From Cristina's wonderful blog, "Mexico Cooks" http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2007/03/from_baj...

Also, from Wikipedia: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Gordita

bacquito - 12-24-2011 at 11:49 AM

I prefer corn tortillas!

bajalinda - 12-26-2011 at 11:26 AM

Definitely flour tortillas - I'm with the crowd that thinks corn tortillas break apart too easily and I just don't really like the taste either.

Mitchman - there are 2 little tortilla shops on Marquez de Leon (one on the corner of Gomez Farias and the other on the corner of Heroes de Independencia). One makes flour tortillas and the other one makes corn tortillas. We go to the flour tortillas one when we want really good tortillas instead of taking the easy way out and simply buying a package off of the grocery store shelf. I can't personally vouch for the corn tortilla shop (since I'm not a fan of the corn ones), but local Mexican friends say they are really good. Don't know if they are the thick style you are looking for, but you might want to check it out.

MitchMan - 12-26-2011 at 11:30 AM

Thanks, bajalinda.

J.P. - 12-26-2011 at 11:35 AM

About two or so years ago the price of Corn went up to the point most of the Taco stands had to raise their price. It would be my guess the all Corn Tortilla is pretty much a thing of the past. :no:

Pompano - 12-26-2011 at 11:36 AM

Harina...viva lard! Maize to too chewy, too ..

....yucky.

Granddaughter's word. Good enough for me.

DENNIS - 12-26-2011 at 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by J.P.
It would be my guess the all Corn Tortilla is pretty much a thing of the past. :no:

I doubt that. If so, it would hurt a lot of US corn farmers who supply Mexico with a large part of their needs. The Mexican government subsidizes the tortilla industry in country as well.

J.P. - 12-26-2011 at 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by J.P.
It would be my guess the all Corn Tortilla is pretty much a thing of the past. :no:

I doubt that. If so, it would hurt a lot of US corn farmers who supply Mexico with a large part of their needs. The Mexican government subsidizes the tortilla industry in country as well.

I didnt mean the end of Corn tortilla's I said 100% corn. the Ethenol demand on The corn crops in the U.S. is the reason for corn shortage in Mex. a lot of places are going to a corn and flour mixture. :wow:

Bajahowodd - 12-27-2011 at 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
And, I really would appreciate some additional comments on the issue about white v. yellow corn.

What??? You don't like the Blue variety? :light:

Actually, here in SOCAL, with great concentrations of Mexicans, legal or not, blue corn tortillas are not difficult to find. I like them.

And, although I've never seen them anywhere else, at the 99 cents only stores, they carry green tortillas, that are fundamentally corn, infused with nopal. Very interesting taste.

805gregg - 12-27-2011 at 07:24 PM

Corn for tacos, flour for burritos. I'm about to make a tortilla press so i can make fresh corn tortillas.

durrelllrobert - 12-30-2011 at 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by J.P.
a lot of places are going to a corn and flour mixture. :wow:

the latest c-cktail in the US is an Ethanol-corn mix and in MX it's a tequilla-corn mix