6/11/07-Ruben from Wisconsin wrote: Why do some Hispanics eat corn, and some eat flour. There seem to be die-hard advocates of each. Where does this rivalry come from?
-Ruben
Well, un poquito research and a chat with the very friendly folks at the Tortilla Industry Association (TIA) and bingo! Did you know that tortillas really have become “the best thing since sliced bread”? Seriously! Tortilla sales now surpass wheat bread sales & trail white bread sales by just 2% according to the TIA!
Who Eats What?
Central Americans prefer corn overall.
South Americans- Tortillas are not a native food! In fact, they are relatively new!
North Americans-...Well we know Americans tend to prefer flour...(but we do eat todo/everything!)
CENTRAL AMERICA
The Tortilla Association says: "In Central America corn tortillas are very popular, it is a basic, source of nutrition for this population. When it comes to Central America, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, & Mexico- tortillas are not only for breakfast, or lunch, but for everything. Some poor people in such countries depend on corn tortillas for sustenance with a little bit of refried beans."
One writer on RoadFood.com from Central America says: “We never discussed getting tortillas de maiz because that would have been redundant, there wasn't any other kind.” One of the folks here at Hispanic.com remembers visiting Central America in the 80s & being homesick for flour tortillas because there were none!
NOT A SOUTH AMERICAN FOOD!
The Tortilla Association tells us tortillas aren’t a native South American food. It's a myth! Latin American countries may have varieties on tortillas, like the arepas in Colombia, but they aren’t a part of the culture.
Stella Parra from the Tortilla Association tells us: “In Latin America, we do have companies who are members, but in this case…it’s Mexican culture that has been exported. Tortillas are definitely not as popular in the US. But it’s starting. We also have members in Europe, Netherlands, Spain, etc. Tortillas are becoming very popular worldwide.”
TORTILLAS- WHERE’D THEY COME FROM ANYWAYS?
There’s a couple of thoughts on the flour tortilla issue.
Flour Tortilla History 1
Here’s one we read on a forum: San Antonio got its first flour mill in 1859. Flour was cheap. And flour tortillas were much easier to make than corn ones.
Goodness yes- curing the corn, grinding the corn, kneading it etc,..lots of work in those pre-mechanized days. We’re lucky we run on over to HEB, Safeway, or heck even 7-Eleven & just pick some up.
Flour Tortilla History 2
This is from Professor Charles M Robinson III, from South Texas Community College- McAllen
Much of the US/Mexico border was settled by conversos (converted Sephardic Jews or people of Jewish descent from Spain and Portugal). They immigrated to Mexico in the early years of the colonial period, brought their unleavened flour, and came up with the tortilla.
Corn Tortilla History
From What’s Cooking America
In 1519, Hernando Cortez, and his conquistadores arrived in the New World on April 22, 1519, they discovered that the inhabitants (Aztecs Mexicas) made flat corn breads. The native Nahuatl name for these was tlaxcalli. The Spanish gave them the name tortilla (small cakes). In Cortéz' 1520 second letter to King Charles V of Spain, he describes the public markets and the selling of maize or Indian corn.
So that’s the tortilla. No rivalry…just different.
-Ask A Hispanic