Tortilla de tiesto, or toasted tortillas are
traditional for Ecuador and especially for the Andean Kichwa people.
They have long been part of Ecuadorian culinary
history and some kinds of versions surely were made even before the first
Spaniards came to Ecuador.
The oral and written history tells of Chuiquimarca
sisters that sold tortillas de tiesto at the train station over a hundred years
ago.
They were called “las longas de maíz negro”, or “longas
of black maize”.
Longa in Kichwa means a young man but after the
Spanish came it became an insult and pejorative meaning indigenous people.
Tortillas de tiesto are also part of lunch box
culture in Ecuador.
Before lunch boxes little children would take
tortillas de tiesto with them to school in brown paper bags.
These tortillas don’t spoil easily and maintain
their delicious taste, even after they are not warm anymore.
They are also very nutritious and fill the stomach
of an active child, unlike the modern French fries or other popular foods.
There are different kinds of tortillas de tiesto,
some are made only from corn or maize flour, other just from wheat flour, and
some use a mix of both.
The important thing is that the corn or maize tortilla isn’t fried
but toasted on a clay pot or pan, without any kind of oil.
This gives the tortillas their special flavor,
together with the cheese that is used in the mix.
The tortillas are eaten with black coffee with lots
of sugar, or sweet hot cocoa made from chocolate leaf.
I enjoy them with iced tea and a bit of butter on
them.
Whichever way you eat yours, they are sure to be
delicious.
TORTILLAS DE TIESTO
900 gr of raw corn flour
100 g wheat flour
Butter 200 g
4 egg
Salt to taste
150g warm water
250g cheese (grated)
PREPARATION:
1. In a pan mix the
corn flour and wheat flour.
2. Add the butter,
salt and eggs one at a time while kneading the flour, add water sparingly until
the dough is smooth and workable.
3. Let stand about 10
minutes.
4. Heat the clay pot
well and proceed to form the tortillas with hands in the center put a bit of
grated cheese.
5. Organize the
tortillas loosely around the clay pot and let them cook from the both sides
until they are nicely browned. remove from the heat and place in a covered a
basket to keep warm.
6. Serve and
accompany with your beverage of choice. In Ecuador tortillas de tiesto are
enjoyed with brewed coffee or hot chocolate.
Enjoy!
