BA LogoBen Allen

 

Replicating a Mayan Tradition. Making Tortillas from Scratch.

A strain of corn originally from the Yucatan. Peg sports her huipil, also from the Yucatan and I'm pleased with the corn.

corn is growing The farmer

 

The corn grows in the moonlight.

The corn shows up in the moonlight.

 

The corn in fall with fans.

fall corn

 

Peg harvests an ear.

Harvest

 

Dried ears before opening.

a small harvest

 

Now shucked

dried corn

 

Now for the cooking. First add cal or lime (calcium oxide).

adding cal

 

Now a bit of heat. Yeah, it's supposed to look like that. At this point is does not appear appetizing, but a warm smell of corn starts to permeate the kitchen.

on the stove

 

Rinsing the corn. I was told to do this a minimum of seven times.

rinsing rinsingrinsing 3rinsing 3rinsing 2rinsing1

 

Now grinding with the molina. Not an easy thing to find. I suppose a metate would have been even more authentic, but I went with the "modern" technology of the hand molina.

grindingthe grinder

 

Cooking tortillas. Not the perfect circles I hoped for, but close. No wood fire over an open hearth. Natural gas instead.

making tortillastortillastortillas

 

Quality control from el maestro.

quality control

 

 

Helpful things

Good soil in which to grow corn (something I take for granted in Iowa)
Cal or lime (calcium oxide)
A hand grinder (molina)