High sugar corn production for ethanol has absolutely ruined commercial corn tortillas. Any of you from the southwest remember lovely chewy brown tortillas with that fabulous earthy aroma? The abomination of floppy sweet equivalent of Mexican Wonder Bread made with “corn flour”is about all you can find now. Even tortillarias use crappy white masa. I just spent close to thirty minutes making a few “real” fabulous corn tortillas with Nixtamasa Maseca. It takes a liile practice, but it is worth the effort.

I grew up in Tucson in a time long ago. Making your own corn tortillas is a labor of love.

My wife gets gastric upset from corn so we only eat flour tortillas at our house. Those are homemade.

Homemade flour ones are work too.

Homemade corn tortillas are pretty easy, but flour ones are a messy PITA. For those, I get the uncooked ones from Costco.

We've definitely seen a decline in what we can find at HEB.
MY wife makes awesome chicken enchiladas & we cannot seem to find decent corn tortillas that don't just disintegrate when you try to roll them.

Even tried the 'hybrid' corn/flour type & they just don't work the same.

Many commercial flour tortillas similarly have added sugar. Not sure why anyone would want these overly sweet abominations. "Mexican wonder bread" is a great analogy.

Sadly, I miss the good old corn tortillas since going low carb.
Corn was my favorite over flour and now all I get is those crappy substitute keto/low-carb versions or there is an all cheese wrap that isn't terrible.

Pueblo, Colorado here, the green chile capitol of the world, home of the annual Chile and Frijole Festival drawing farmers and competitive chefs from all over the Southwest states.

60 years ago a neighborhood lady pushed her cart down the alleys every morning selling fresh homemade tamales, a dime each or a buck per dozen. Now I spend $20 per dozen for half the product.

Same lady offered fresh tortillas every day, corn or white, made by hand. Delicious! Chewy, a bit salty, real substance to build tacos and burritos.

Since my mother-in-law passed away I no longer even know anyone who makes fresh tortillas. Every morning before the sun came up she was busy in the kitchen turning out dozens for everyone in the family. Fresh butter, salsa verde, salsa roja, fresh pico de gallo (in season), frijoles, huevos, papas fritas, bacon, usually posole or menudo.

The commercially made tortillas in the grocery store are nothing like traditional homemade tortillas.

Tengo hambre ahora.

Yeah, memories, living in Chula Vista, and later San Diego in 1961-62, and the "baby sitter" my mother hired while she worked, who took care of me and my two sisters.

She made corn tortillas (we helped), some corn flour oil and salt, showed us how to mix and knead, then make them flat and cook them on the back porch on bricks. She made a fire with a stack of red bricks. Then we made various fillings, some spiced chicken, beef, and vegetables.

Funny, it took me many years (40-60) to realize I was always "searching" for food prepared in (authentic) restaurants over the years to find the "taste/experience" that was from that time. Then I found the "tex-mex" served "from the menu" is not the same fare as what the folks owning/operating the restaurants, and if you can get what "the staff" is eating, is so much better experience. I found a restaurant owned by some folks that were from Mexico, and while talking to them about this very thing, they brought several items not on the menu, but what the staff ate in the back. And, it was what I remembered when I was a kid. It's different. I cannot explains the difference in taste and experience. But it's good. (tex-mex ain't bad, its just different)

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Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Many commercial flour tortillas similarly have added sugar. Not sure why anyone would want these overly sweet abominations. "Mexican wonder bread" is a great analogy.

Sugar is added to every damn thing nowadays. Mayo didn't used to have sugar. Now it does. Even hot Italian sausage at the market has sugar. I now have to make everything myself.

Not surprisingly perhaps, I love Mexican wonder bread. I like wonder bread too though. As a kid we took a field trip to a WB plant and at the end we each got a fresh loaf to take home. You never saw so many kids on a bus eating the centers out of a piece of bread. Lol

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Originally posted by pedropcola:
Not surprisingly perhaps, I love Mexican wonder bread. I like wonder bread too though. As a kid we took a field trip to a WB plant and at the end we each got a fresh loaf to take home. You never saw so many kids on a bus eating the centers out of a piece of bread. Lol

Texas does Mrs. Baird’s instead of Wonder Bread and I usually have a loaf, as there are some things that require plain squishy white bread. Good corn tortillas are integral to good Mexican or Tex Mex food. As someone said above, you can’t even roll the commercial ones to make an enchilada without them disintegrating. Traditional tortillas are made from field corn, which is not a refined eating cornn. Not Silver Queen.

Yep, I remember taking a couple different field trips to the Mrs. Bairds bakery in Fort Worth back in elementary school.

Sounds so Great Melissa. If I was anywhere near you I would come for a visit. Bring some ingredients and have lunch with you. I would expect you to answer the door with a Sig on your hip

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Originally posted by frayedends:

Sugar is added to every damn thing nowadays. Mayo didn't used to have sugar. Now it does. I now have to make everything myself.

Nothing wrong with making your own mayonnaise, but if you're gonna get store-bought, get the good kind. Duke's doesn't have sugar.

Duke's mayonnaise ingredeints: Soybean oil, eggs, water, distilled and cider vinegar, salt, oleoresin paprika, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor.

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Duke's mayonnaise ingredeints: Soybean oil, eggs, water, distilled and cider vinegar, salt, oleoresin paprika, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor.

This makes me wonder. You see it on the labels of many, many products. How would one know if you are allergic to a 'natural flavor'?

I've been tempted to get this tortilla press starter kit from Masienda and start making my own. I purchased a molcajate from them a year or so ago and it's been one of the best foodie items I've purchased in awhile. Salsa made in a molcajete needs to be tried by everyone at least once.

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

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Originally posted by frayedends:
Mayo didn't used to have sugar. Now it does.

Duke's doesn't have sugar.

Same with Sir Kensington or Primal Kitchen. No sugar.

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Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

Duke's doesn't have sugar.

Same with Sir Kensington or Primal Kitchen. No sugar.

Watch out for Blue Plate. It does have sugar.

Blue Plate Ingredients: 'SOYBEAN OIL, DISTILLED VINEGAR, EGG YOLKS, WATER, SUGAR, SALT, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (TO PROTECT QUALITY), NATURAL FLAVOR. '

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Sounds so Great Melissa. If I was anywhere near you I would come for a visit. Bring some ingredients and have lunch with you. I would expect you to answer the door with a Sig on your hip

You would be most welcome, but it would have to be my S&W Chief’s .38 special. Only gun I still have. Need to remedy that.