In Mexico, a flour tortilla or wheat tortilla is a type of thin, unleavened flatbread, made from finely ground wheat flour.
A similar bread of corn (the corn tortilla) predates the arrival of Europeans to the Americas, and was called "tortilla" by the Spanish from its resemblance to the traditional tortilla de patatas, Spanish round unleavened cakes and omelettes (originally made without potatoes which are native to South America).
But it is the Mexican meaning of "tortilla" that is most familiar to North Americans, and possibly most of the world outside of Europe and South America, where the original Spanish meaning is best known.[citation needed]
The flour tortilla is probably best known in the USA as the tortilla used to make burritos, a dish originating in northern Mexico. Wheat tortillas are also a traditional staple of the peoples of north,northwest and northeast Mexican states,and many southwestern US Native American tribes. As an easy solution to both the problems of handling food in microgravity and preventing bread crumbs from escaping into delicate instruments, wheat flour tortillas have been used on many NASA Shuttle missions since 1985. [1]
The wheat flour tortilla was an innovation after wheat was brought to the New World from Spain while this region was the colony of New Spain. It is made with an unleavened, water based dough, pressed and cooked like corn tortillas. These tortillas are very similar to the unleavened bread popular in Arab, eastern Mediterranean and southern Asian countries, though thinner and smaller in diameter. In China, there is the laobing (烙餅), a pizza-shaped thick "pancake" that is similar to the tortilla. The Indian Roti, which is made essentially from wheat flour is another example.
Tortillas vary in size from about 6 to over 30 cm (2.4 to over 12 in), depending on the region of the country and the dish for which it is intended.
In commercial production and even in some larger restaurants, automatic machines make tortillas from dough.
A simple flour tortilla recipe:
4 C flour 1/2 C shortening 1 t salt 1 C warm water
Mix 2 C flour, all of the shortening and salt until the mixture has the consistency of small crumbles. Add warm water. Mixture will be sticky. Add remaining flour and knead until dough is pliable and springy. May not need all of the flour. Let sit covered for a minimum of one hour. Take small portions and form a ball. Roll out with rolling pin and cook over medium heat on a cast iron skillet until brown spots form.
See also
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- Tortilla de patatas
- Tortilla art
- Tortilla chip
- Mexican cuisine
- Honduran cuisine
- Blintz
- Crêpe
- Lefse
- Pancake
- Pita
- Roti
- Low-carb tortilla
Etymology
"Little sandwich"
Torta, sandwich, plus the diminutive -illa.
References
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