This is a pencil case in the shape of a tortilla. Looks like a tortilla wrap when you roll it up!
Fast forward to the present day, and tortillas have spread far beyond their Mesoamerican roots. They've become a global sensation, adapting to various cultural preferences and evolving significantly in the process. Nowadays, tortillas are not just made from corn but also from wheat flour, and you'll find them in different sizes and thicknesses to accommodate different dishes.
Let's take a trip back in time and explore the origin of the beloved tortilla. This flatbread has a history that traces back thousands of years. The tortilla, a staple in Central American cuisine, was first crafted by the indigenous people of Mesoamerica, including the Mayans and Aztecs.
These ancient peoples used nixtamalization, a process that involves soaking corn kernels in an alkaline solution, to create a dough called "masa." They then shaped and cooked this dough to form the first tortillas. These original tortillas were much different from the ones we know today, but the basic concept remained the same.
In these early days, tortillas were integral to the diet and even the culture. They played a significant role in rituals and ceremonies and were used as eating utensils, sort of like an edible spoon or fork. They also bore symbolic significance, with some communities believing that tortillas represented the sun due to their round shape and golden color.