Tortillero

Posted on by patiadmin

A tortillero is a tortilla holder, and many times a cover too, that is meant to hold and insulate tortillas. It helps them stay warm, soft and cozy after they have been heated and while you finish them off along with your meal. In a Mexican home, they are as popular as tortillas themselves, eaten almost everyday and accompany almost every meal. The same applies for restaurants, no matter how humble or fancy.

Tortilleros tend to be stunning in their craftsmanship, design and color. They are usually handmade and can have from the most simple to the most intricate designs. Mexican cooks take great pride in arranging their table to make it colorful and beautiful, and the tortillero is no exception.

Tortilleros are all circular in shape and are made from many materials. There are basically 2 different types. The first is a woven basket, typically made from natural sources such as wood, palm leaves or different plant materials. The woven version can come with or without a lid.

When it doesn’t come with a lid, usually a cloth napkin is placed inside to wrap and hold the tortillas. The cloth napkins can be as beautiful as the tortilleros! Many are hand decorated and sewn like the one above.

tortillero with a lid

Then…there are those with the lids, which tend to look like cute little hats.

tortillero cloths

The second type of tortilleros are those made completely out of textiles. They are just as creative and can be decorated as the woven ones, from simple, to very dressed. They always have an opening to place the tortillas inside and can also be placed inside of a woven tortillero.

tortilleros stacked

Tortilleros can also serve as open baskets for bread and come in many different forms… Just see how many!

Some people also like to get a thing called a “tortilla warmer”, which acts pretty much like a warming pillow. It can be placed in the microwave and then under the tortillero, to keep the tortillas even warmer…

Limes

Posted on by patiadmin

It’s hard to think of Mexico and not think of limes. In Mexico, limes are everywhere and served with everything from peanuts, to fruit, to tacos, to a steak dinner. So, it’s hard to believe that limes did not originate in Mexico and were brought over by the Europeans from the Indo-Malaysian region. Yet, the fruit was eagerly embraced and incorporated into Mexican cuisine, so much so, that it has become a necessity in the Mexican kitchen.

In my mind, no other citrus packs the punch that a Mexican lime does. Called limón in Spanish, it is also known as true lime, West Indian Lime, or sometimes key lime.

While on the smaller side regarding size and thin skin, this round and light green colored lime is extremely plump and juicy. As it ripens, it becomes softer, even more plump and its skin color turns lighter and yellow-y. Much more acidic than other limes and of course more than a lemon. It has a fresh, clean and lovely citrusy aroma.

There are other varieties of limes. The large fruited Bearss or Persian lime is what is more commonly seen in the grocery stores in the US. It is thicker skinned, shaped more like a lemon, a hybrid of a true lime and citron (the father of the lemon) and tends to be less juicy. But given increasing demand, true limes are appearing more and more.