Dear all,
Here is the link to OKa's tortillas.
Ya, I have spent around 3 weeks in Mexico when I was a PhD student. Tortillas were served every lunch and dinner. For us 4 persons, they served ~10 tortillas in stack on the table and we hardly ate them all. When we did so once, they served another stack!
Thank you for your presentation on corn tortillas!
返信削除I have to admit, I’m one of those people who doesn’t yet know the differences between all the tacos and tortillas.
I was wondering—are both flour and corn tortillas nixtamalised, or is nixtamalisation specific to corn?
Thank you for your presentation, it was very fun even only read the story. I didn’t know nixtamalization could make corn taste sweeter and healthier! Does this mean corn tortillas naturally taste better than plain corn, and do people still use the traditional methods today?"
返信削除Thank you for your question. Nixtamalisation is specific to corn. This is because corn, which is wrapped in a very hard husk, has poor nutrient absorption, and nixtamalisation is a technique developed by the Mexican people, who ate corn as their staple food, to increase nutrient absorption.
削除Thank you for your presentation, Oka san. I have two question.
返信削除Why did you choose Mexico as the location for your avocado research?
Are there any food-processing methods in Japanese cuisine that are similar to nixtamalization?
Thank you for your question.
削除Mexico is the country of origin of avocados and has a rich genetic resource. The only avocado variety available on the global market is the Hass variety, but I thought that among Mexico's genetic resources, I could find a variety suitable for cultivation in Japan.
There is no direct equivalent of nixtamalization in Japanese cuisine. However, alkaline processing is used in foods such as konjac, where lime or ash solutions modify texture. Fermentation methods also improve digestibility, though they differ fundamentally from alkaline treatment.
That was a very interesting presentation. I didn't know Mexican tortillas were made from corn. There are many types of corn in Mexico, and I was particularly intrigued by the blue tortillas made from blue-purple corn.
返信削除I have one question: Are Mexican tortillas made from a blend of multiple types of corn? Or are they made from just one type of corn? Using multiple types of corn seems like it would be more nutritious than using just one type, but I was wondering if the taste wouldn't be consistent, so I asked.
Thank you for the question. Traditionally, tortillas are usually made from a single corn variety, especially in small-scale or artisanal production, where each variety has distinct flavor and texture characteristics.
削除However, in commercial production, different corn varieties may be blended to achieve stable flavor, color, and processing properties. While blending can increase nutritional diversity, consistency and cultural preference are often prioritized.
Thank you for your presentation on tortillas.
返信削除I am curious about two points and would like to ask the following questions:
1. Is there a standard thickness for tortillas, or can the thickness be adjusted depending on the type of dish or how the tortilla is used?
2. If corn is not nixtamalized, what would be the main nutritional and textural differences in the final tortilla product?
Thank you for your questions.
削除1. There is no single standard thickness for tortillas. Thickness is adjusted depending on the dish and its use. In particular, blue corn tortillas are often thicker, as they are traditionally hand-shaped, which naturally results in more variation and greater thickness.
2. Without nixtamalization, tortillas would have poorer texture and reduced nutritional quality. Nixtamalization improves dough cohesiveness and flexibility, while also increasing mineral content, especially calcium, and making niacin more bioavailable. Without it, tortillas tend to be more brittle and nutritionally less balanced.
Thank you for your interesting presentation! I didn't know the corn tortillas, so I want to try them.
返信削除Actually, I thought that the dish used tortillas was only tacos.
Besides tacos, what other dishes do you use tortillas for? I'd like to know more about the dish in the photos on slide 4.
The tortillas used in tacos are baked dough, but they can also be deep-fried or simmered in soup after baking. Chilaquiles, a deep-fried tortilla topped with sauce and meat, is a popular breakfast dish. However, it is a bit too heavy for Japanese people.
削除Thank you for the presentation. It was really interesting to learn that there are many kinds of tortillas and they are an important part of the Mexican culture.
返信削除I had tried tortillas in tacos or nachos. Are the tortillas for nachos fried in oil? The different textures are fun and interesting too.
Thank you for your question. Yes, that's right. Nachos are deep-fried tortilla dough. They're often served with guacamole, an avocado dip. Chilaquiles are also deep-fried tortillas topped with sauce and meat.
削除It was very interesting to read the actual experiences you had there. I also like tortillas and make them occasionally (I even have a tool to press them!). It's a hassle to buy corn flour in Japan, but I like corn because it's lighter and more toasty than flower. I've seen black corn, but do "blue tortillas" made with it taste different?
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削除It's amazing that you can make your own tortillas! The blue tortillas were very sweet and delicious compared to the others.
削除I had always thought it was just flour dissolved in water. However, I learned that its production method is actually quite sophisticated for efficient nutrient intake, and that it can also be made from corn and other grains.
返信削除In Mexico, is it more common to buy it from street vendors or make it at home?
There are many types of street food in Mexico, but many of them are made with corn. For example, there are tamales, which are corn-based pastry filled with meat and sauce, wrapped in corn husks, and steamed. There are also esquites, which are corn husks boiled and topped with mayonnaise, cheese, and chili peppers.
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