The process of creating superior tortillas begins with dried field corn, which is different than the sweet corn grown in the US. Finding a consistent supply of Mexican corn used to be difficult for restaurants, and its scarcity kept most restaurants from establishing a tortilla program. Today, one company is taking the guesswork out of finding the right corn by importing more than a dozen breeds of Mexican heritage corn from small farmers in Mexico.
“Mexico is the birthplace of corn...it has the longest evolutionary advantage compared to what we are used to in the US,” said Jorge Gavira, founder of Masienda.
Gavira started the company in 2014 after being inspired by a conversation he had with chef Enrique Olvera at the G9 Chefs Summit at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Olvera, whose restaurants include Pujol in Mexico and Cosme in New York City, is one of several top chefs helping raise the profile of Mexican heritage corn by making it a mainstay of his menu. Masienda supplies more than 150 restaurants and the support of chefs is helping drive demand for Mexican corn and support the country’s small farmers.
“Chefs have more cultural capital than ever before…[they] make a strong case for why this product is superior in every way,” Gavira said.
One such chef is Colin King of Oyamel in Washington, D.C., which has been sourcing corn from Masienda since March. “The end product offers a truly aromatic experience where a buttered popcorn flavor comes through, allowing the tortilla to become much more than just a vessel for the ingredients within, but to be represented as an integral part of the experience,” King said.
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