How to make tortillas with Gabriela Cámara

Gabriela Cámara’s Mexico City kitchen

In Mexico, tortillas are served fresh at the table, wrapped in a cloth and placed in a basket to hold their warmth. They can be folded around just about anything, be the base for a taco, or fried to make a tostada. Tortillas are made from three ingredients: corn, water, and powdered lime (the mineral found in limestone). Ancient Mesoamericans discovered that soaking dried corn in a mixture of water and lime breaks down the kernels until they’re soft enough to mill. A fresh tortilla should be soft and pliable.

This project was featured in Issue 89 Latin.