Tortillas

Homemade food.  It’s something loved and welcomed among all people and a bridge between cultures.  I thought about that today when we had a mini class to learn how to make tortillas.  Suddenly we had a way to bond with the wonderful women who cook our food everyday.  They seemed excited to share their skill set and we were eager to learn how the delicious, warm flat pieces of bread that we enjoy every morning come into existence.  I realized there was an art to getting just the right amount of dough, forming it into a small ball in the palm of one’s hand and then flattening it out in a perfect circle.  There are two ways to go about the flattening – one way involves a heavy metal contraption that squeezes the dough between two cast iron plates.  That was quite fun and the challenge came in learning how to apply just the right amount of pressure to get the appropriate thickness.  My first attempt looked more like a French crepe, as I got a little over excited with the pressure applied.  The second method of flattening involves a seemingly easy twirling of the dough ball on a flat surface with just the tips of one’s fingers.  The reality of the task’s ease was quite different – my attempt came out looking much more like what I would expect a 3 year old would make if told to squish her Playdoh into a pancake.  Nevertheless, the cooks were patient with us and let us keep trying.  In the end, I don’t think I significantly contributed to the large basket of tortillas that were served at dinner as many of my trial ones ended up being reshaped by the professionals.  But I enjoyed the experience and have a new found appreciation for the work and pride that goes into making quality homemade food to share.   

Christina Kinnevey, Community Medicine and Global Health Fellow