Tortillas and masa

In Mexico almost every meal starts with corn. Long before the Spanish brought wheat, people there were already cooking the kernels with lime, grinding them into dough, and baking thin cakes on a comal, and that tortilla is still the daily bread of the country. You eat it with the taco from the stand on the corner, you roll enchiladas with it, and whatever is left you bake crispy the next morning for chilaquiles. In our shop in Amsterdam, the corn tortillas are next to bags of masa harina and heavy cast-iron presses, and in this guide you will read what to choose for what and how to make them yourself. They are the tortillas from Guanajuato and the pots from La Costeña as you see them in the supermarket in Mexico, so you cook with what comes to the table at home there. If you want to see the bigger picture first, start with Mexican cuisine 101.

What is the difference between a corn tortilla and a wheat tortilla?

Guanajuato White Corn Tortillas are made of corn, and that is the oldest and in most of Mexico also the most common tortilla: small, firm and with a full aroma of roasted corn. Wheat tortillas made of flour are larger, softer and more flexible. They belong especially to the north of Mexico and to Tex-Mex, where you know them from burritos and large quesadillas. For tacos, enchiladas, flautas and chilaquiles they almost always choose corn in Mexico. We currently only sell corn tortillas, and that is what this guide is about.

What is nixtamal?

Nixtamal is corn that is cooked and then soaked in water with lime, called cal in Mexico, and then rinsed well. Through this treatment the hard skin of the kernel comes loose, the corn becomes soft enough to grind and the taste changes: you get that slightly earthy, warm aroma that you immediately recognize from a good tortilla. The word comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. Freshly ground nixtamal is called masa, and that dough is the basis of tortillas, tamales, sopes and gorditas.

Plain cornmeal or polenta is not treated like that, and thus you do not get a dough that bends: it crumbles when pressed and breaks as soon as you fold it.

What is masa harina?

Maseca Corn Flour is masa harina: masa from nixtamalized corn that is dried and finely ground into a flour. Mix it with warm water and a pinch of salt, then in a few minutes you have masa again, without having to cook and grind corn yourself. Maseca is one of the best-known brands in Mexico and the bag that you see on the counter in many Mexican kitchens.

Maseca white masa harina · 1 kgThe classic white masa for tortillasMaseca yellow amarillo · 1 kgFrom yellow corn, for tortillas with a warm colorMaseca Antojitos 1 kgFor sopes, gorditas and other antojitos

Maseca white, yellow or antojitos?

Maseca Amarillo is made from yellow corn and gives tortillas with a warm yellow color, while the white is the classic, somewhat more neutral choice that you encounter most often in Mexico. Maseca Antojitos is intended for antojitos, the thicker snacks like sopes and gorditas. By the way, you do not only make tortillas with masa harina: in champurrado, the warm Mexican chocolate milk, a few spoons of masa make the drink thick and velvety.

View all tortillas and masa harina →

Is P.A.N. the same as masa harina?

P.A.N. Harina is not masa harina, even though it is often in the same shelf and the bag looks very similar. It is pre-cooked cornmeal for arepas, the corn bread from Venezuela and Colombia, and the corn is not treated with lime. If you make tortillas from it, they tear when pressing and break as soon as you fold them. For arepas, P.A.N. is just right; for tortillas, tamales and champurrado you choose Maseca.

Which corn tortillas can you buy from us?

Guanajuato makes the corn tortillas that we sell. For tacos you choose the 12 cm in a pack of thirty: that is the real taco size, as small as you get them on the street in Mexico. Otherwise you take the 15 cm, in white per ten pieces, white in a kilo pack with about forty pieces, and blue. The blue ones are from blue corn and have a dark, grey-blue color that immediately stands out on the table. Fifteen centimeters is a nice size for enchiladas, flautas and quesadillas. Taqueros often lay two tortillas on top of each other so the filling does not leak through, and you can do that at home too.

Taco size, 30 pieces Guanajuato · 12 cmThe real size for tacosWhite, 10 pieces Guanajuato · 15 cmEnough for a weekday taco nightWhite, 1 kg Guanajuato · 15 cm · ca. 40 piecesFor a full table or enchiladas for manyBlue Guanajuato · 15 cmFrom blue corn, beautiful dark on the table

View all Guanajuato tortillas →

How do you make corn tortillas yourself?

A tortilla press and a bag of masa harina are actually all you need, together with warm water and salt. You knead the masa harina with the water for a few minutes into a dough that feels like soft clay, let it rest covered for twenty minutes and roll balls from it. Each ball you press flat between two sheets of plastic in the press into a disc of about two millimeters thick. Then it goes on a hot, dry comal or frying pan: half a minute, turn over, then forty-five seconds until brown spots appear, and then turn over one more time and gently press in the middle. If it puffs up, it is done.

The dough tells you itself what it needs. If it sticks to your hands, sprinkle some masa through it, and if the edges crack when you press, knead in a spoon of water. If you do not have a press, lay the ball between two sheets of plastic and press it flat with the bottom of a heavy pan. The whole recipe with quantities you find at making corn tortillas yourself.

Tortilla press, 16 cm Tortillada · cast ironFor tortillas up to about taco sizeTortilla press, 20 cm Tortillada · cast ironA little larger, for bigger tortillasTortilla press, 25 cm Tortillada · cast ironLarge size, for small and large tortillasTortilla pan Tortillada · 26 cmA cast-iron comal that heats evenlyTortilla cloth TortilladaKeeps a stack of tortillas warm and soft

How do you warm up corn tortillas?

A cast-iron tortilla pan or a dry frying pan over medium-high to high heat is the best way to warm up corn tortillas. Place them in the pan one at a time, without oil, and leave them for twenty to thirty seconds on each side until they become pliable and develop a few brown spots. Then immediately stack them in a clean tea towel or a tortilla cloth, because the heat and steam keep them soft until everyone is at the table. A cold corn tortilla breaks when folded, so don't skip this step, even if you're making flautas or enchiladas. Check the label for how to store an opened pack and how long it will keep.

Recipes with corn tortillas and masa harina

From tacos to tamales: these recipes are all about corn.

Corn tortillasMake your own with masa harina, warm water, and salt, then cook them on a comal.Tacos al pastorPork shoulder in an achiote marinade with caramelized pineapple, served on a warm corn tortilla.Enchiladas verdesTortillas dipped in tomatillo sauce and filled with shredded chicken thighs.Chilaquiles verdesTortilla chips briefly simmered in salsa verde, topped with a fried egg.QuesadillasWith flor de calabaza, huitlacoche, and cheese, cooked on a dry comal.Flautas de polloRolled tortillas filled with chicken thighs, fried until crispy.Tamales verdes de polloMasa with chicken thighs in salsa verde, steamed in corn husks.

Canned La Costeña Tomatillos are used for the green sauce in enchiladas verdes, and if you're short on time, grab a jar of La Costeña Salsa Verde for chilaquiles. The chips taste best homemade: cut day-old corn tortillas into wedges and fry until golden brown. For quesadillas, you can find flor de calabaza and huitlacoche right on the shelf in jars. Tamales require coarser masa para tamal and corn husks, which are currently sold out; if you still want to try them, take a look at the ready-made tamales from La Reina de las Tortillas.

Where can you find tortillas and masa harina?

You can find tortillas and masa harina together in our tortilla collection, alongside the salsas and fillings to go with them.

Tortillas and masa corn, Maseca, pressesMasa harina, tortillas, and everything you need to make themShop nowGuanajuato 12 and 15 cmReady-made corn tortillas to warm upShop nowSalsa and hot sauce verde, roja, taqueraFor enchiladas, chilaquiles, and the tableShop nowReady-made tamales and fillingsTamales and taco fillings to warm upShop now

Read more about Mexican cuisine

For ideas on what to serve at taco night, read Taco Night at Home. Find out which chili pepper to use in your sauce in Dried Mexican Peppers, and learn about the sauce used for enmoladas in Mole Explained. You can also read about Mexican Beans and Mexican Snacks.

Frequently asked questions

A stack of warm corn tortillas in a cloth on the table is perhaps the simplest and at the same time the most Mexican thing you can put out, because everyone grabs one, fills it with whatever is on the table, and eats it with their hands. Feel free to start with a pack of Guanajuato and a dry pan, and only start pressing when you feel like it, because you won't soon forget the moment your first homemade tortilla puffs up on the comal. If you are in the toko in Amsterdam in front of the shelf with masa harina and don't know which bag to get, feel free to ask us, and if you want to know how tortillas fit into the bigger picture of peppers, beans, and salsas, keep reading in Mexican Cuisine 101.