La Tortilleria
By: Barnaby Dorfman
Published: March 30, 2008

No matter how hot and humid the weather, we are always drawn to the smell of freshly made tortillas in Mexico. While meandering around the old-town section of Puerto Vallarta, we happened upon "Tortilleria La Gloria," a fresh Tortilla factory. A staple and omnipresent element of the Mexican diet, "Tortillas de Maiz," or corn tortillas, date back to pre-Columbian times. Originally called “tlaxcalli” by the Aztecs, the Spanish conquistadors named them for their familiar "Tortilla Española," an egg and potato omelet still popular in Spain.
Traditionally, tortillas are made from corn meal that has been treated with the mineral lime, which causes it to release important amino acids. If this step is skipped, a diet high in corn can lead to a horrible dietary disease called Pellagra.
Inexpensive and versatile, it's easy to understand why Mexicans love their tortillas. We've been eating them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  The folks at La Gloria were kind enough to allow us to photograph their operation behind the scenes.

Comments:
Greg Bulmash
March 29, 2008

They're not so inexpensive any more.
There's been a tortilla crisis as the increasing demand for corn for biofuels has driven up corn prices, causing tortilla prices to jump as well.
There's a great <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/26/AR2007012601896_pf.html" rel="nofollow">article on the tortilla crisis</a> at the Washington Post.  Amazingly enough, poor Mexicans get 40% or more of their daily protein from tortillas.  It's more than something they love.  It's an important way for them to maintain muscle mass so they can keep doing the back-breaking labor many of them do.
Dreama

Looking at these photos makes my mouth water :)