Tortilla chips, such a popular snack food and dip holder, is a relatively new Tex-Mex food, created in 1940s Los Angeles by Rebecca Webb Carranza, who owned a tortilla shop and Mexican delicatessen.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF TORTILLA CHIPS

Rebecca Webb was born in Durango, Mexico in 1907, to Leslie Webb, an engineer from Utah who worked for an American mining company in Mexico, and his Mexican-born wife, Eufemia Miranda.

In Durango, her family, including five brothers lived through the turmoil of raids by Pancho Villa and other bandits. Pancho Villa especially did not like her father, because he was American.

Leslie Webb moved the family moved to El Paso, Texas when Rebecca was a pre-teen. After her parents divorced, in the 1920s, her mother brought the children to Los Angeles. She met her future husband, Mario Carranza, on a blind date, and they married in 1931.

At that time, she was sewing ties for a neckwear company, and he worked in finance at O’Keefe & Merritt, an appliance maker. On the advice of a friend who ran a successful tortilla shop in East Los Angeles, the Carranzas opened one in the early 1940s and moved into an apartment above the tortilla factory and shop. [source: L.A. Times].

The deli sold fresh tortillas daily. In the tortilla factory, she observed the daily waste of misshapen tortillas and leftover dough that were discarded.

She set out to do something with the discarded tortillas.

According to the Boston Globe, for a family party in the late 1940s, Ms. Carranza cut some of the discarded tortillas into triangles and fried them into a delicious, crunchy snack.

A hit with the relatives, she soon was selling them for a dime a bag at her delicatessen, and at the factory that made them for her in southwest Los Angeles.

From Handmade To Conveyor Belt

Tortillas met the machine age in the late 1940s. The Carranza’s El Zarape Tortilla Factory was among the first to automate the production of tortillas, acquiring a tortilla-making machine in 1947.

Tortillas poured off the conveyor belt more than 12 times faster than they could be made by hand.

At first many, came out bent or misshapen, recalled decades later, and were thrown away. So we can thank tortilla machinery for the existence of taco chips.

The chips Ms. Carranza created were initially called tostadas, from the Spanish word for toasted.

Tortilla chips became a wild success among her customers. In addition to snacking from the bag, they were used with Mexican dips such as guacamole and salsa, and even with refried beans.

By the 1960s, the snack chips, packaged as Tortills Chips, were distributed up and down the West Coast by El Zarape, and had evolved into El Zarape’s primary business.

Competition Arrives

The product came to the notice of Frito-Lay, which began making their a mass-market version of the crunchy triangles. Soon, other manufacturers got into the act.

She turned her tortilla chip business over to her husband when they divorced in 1951, and he moved the factory to Long Beach. But by 1967, El Zarape was forced out of business by competition the superior marketing clout of Doritos and Fritos.

[2] Tricolor chips with dips (crema, guacamole, salsa) from Tastespotting.

[3] A bag of mixed chips from Abuelita’s (photo © Abuelita).

[4] We mix and match our own colors with one of our favorite brands of tortilla chips, Food Should Taste Good. Beyond the mixed colors and shapes, there are eight different flavors, from traditional to jalapeño, kimchi and olive.

The hard-working Ms. Carranza worked in East Los Angeles into her 80s, first as a meat wrapper at grocery stores and then as a U.S. Census taker. She had three more relatively brief marriages, and in 2003, at the age of 95, moved to Phoenix to be near her family: 2 sons, 12 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and 2 two great-great-grandchildren. She passed away at the age of 98.

All of her descendants and take great pride that their abuela invented tortilla chips.

It’s a nice story to share with a glass of beer and tortilla chips.
 

[5] Use leftover chips in Tex-Mex scrambled eggs…(photo © Taste And Tell Blog).

[6] Nacho hot dogs…and more everyday foods (photo © A Spicy Perspective).

MORE USES FOR TORTILLA CHIPS

Whole chips, broken chips and the crumbs at the bottom of the bag, can all be repurposed to add crunch and flavor to everyday recipes. Some ideas:

Burger crunch: taco-rubbed burgers with avocado and tortilla chips. Use this recipe from Kraft to season the burger meat; then add layers of avocado and broken taco chips.

Casserole toppings: broken and crushed tortilla chip pieces are a great casserole topper. Here’s a recipe for Chicken Tortilla Casserole from Kristin’s Kitchen.

Cheesy casseroles, like this Ranch Black Bean and Veggie Tortilla Casserole recipe from Mom Foodie.

Chili Topping: Use the chips or crumbs for a chili topping, like this Salsa Verde White Chicken Chili recipe from The Comfort Of Cooking.

Crusted Chicken, Fish & Seafood, like this Taco-Crusted Scallops recipe from The Woks Of Life.

Egg Scrambles, like this Mexican Egg and Sweet Potato Breakfast Scramble recipe from Taste And Tell Blog.

Hot Dog Topping, like this Nacho Hot Dogs recipe from A Spicy Perspective.

Salad topping, from green salad and potato salad to Tex-Mex salads like this Chopped Taco Salad recipe from Cinnamon Spice And Everything Nice.

Vegetable tots, like potato or this recipe for Tortilla-Chip Crusted Cauliflower Tots from Mom What’s For Dinner Blog.

But this lesser-guilt recipe for baked churros (instead of fried), from The Baker Chick, is reason enough to serve them anytime.

The recipe is below, but first:
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CHURROS

According to Fox News Latino and other sources, churros evolved from a Chinese cruller* (youtiao).

Portuguese sailors discovered them them on their Far East voyages, which reached China in the early 16th century.

They brought the recipe home with them; but that pastry was savory, seasoned with salt. The recipe spread to Spain, and the Spanish improved on the concept by adding sweetness.

And, prior to frying, they passed the dough (extruded) through an implement with a star-shaped tip that created ridges.

That implement is a churrera, a syringe-like utensil that features that dies of different shapes. It is still used today.

The original was a star shape; but the churrera, (an inexpensive tool) comes with different die attachments, so today pastry makers have a choice.

In addition to the eye appeal, the signature ridges created by the tip turned out to be great for holding dipping sauces: an improvement over the original.

The churros were dusted in cinnamon and sugar, and dipped in chocolate sauce, and enjoyed at breakfast with café con leche or hot chocolate (hot chocolate developed in Spain around the same time as churro pastries).

Churros arrived in Europe in the 16th century, at the same [relative] time cacao came from Mexico to Europe, and became hot chocolate.

While traveling from country to country, the churro was enhanced, from guava-filled churros in Cuba, the dulce de leche-filled churros in Mexico and cheese-filled churros in Uruguay.

Dulce de leche, a popular sauce for churros, was invented in Argentina in the 19th century. The first historical reference to the Argentinian dessert comes from a peace meeting between military leaders in 1829.

According to legend, dulce de leche was produced by accident when the maid was cooking some milk and sugar and was unexpectedly called away.

Upon her return, the mixture had transformed into a thick, brown consistency (not very different from caramel sauce, which is made with sugar, cream and butter).

The “new dessert” was called dulce de leche, a milk sweet [confection]. Today it is usually made with sweetened condensed milk (which did not exist at the time).

[1] Churros, shown here with fruit dippers and spicy chocolate fondue. Here’s the recipe (photo © McCormick).

[2] A portion of churros nicely arranged in a doily at Soccarat Paella Bar in New York City (photo © Soccarat).

[3] Serve churros in a basket (photo © King Arthur Flour.

*The Chinese cruller, youtiao, also popular in, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

†There is also a story about nomadic Spanish shepherds developing churros while tending their flocks in the mountains. There are breeds of Spanish sheep called the navajo-churro and the churra, the horns of which are said to look similar to the fried pastry. This story is highly unlikely. At the time, sugar was very expensive, and not likely to be available to the shepherds. Not to mention, “churro” comes from “churrera.”

[5] Why fry when it’s easier to bake—and not oily, and with fewer calories?

[6] Another way to enjoy churros: Dip them in icing and garnish with nuts, sprinkles, etc. (photo © BHG).

Ingredients For 18-20 Churros

 
Plus

________________

‡If you don’t have large eggs, use what you have but aim for 2/3 cup of egg. A larger amount could yield more watery dough.
________________

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

2. REMOVE from the heat add the flour; stir to combine. The mixture will thicken and start to resemble the texture of mashed potatoes.

3. LEAVE the dough in the saucepan, but beat it on low with a hand mixer, adding one egg at a time and mixing well before adding another. After adding each egg, the mixture will become wet and glossy, but after mixing on high for a few seconds it will thicken again. When all the eggs are are combined…

4. ADD the vanilla. The dough will be thick and starchy, still with a similar texture to mashed potatoes. Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Lightly spray a cookie sheet and pipe 6-inch rows of the dough with at least 1 inch between each churro.

5. BAKE in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

6. REMOVE from the oven, brush the warm churros with melted butter or spray lightly, and place in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and shake the dish to make sure they are well-coated.

Churros are best enjoyed warm. If they cool to room temperature, give them 30 seconds in the microwave.
 
 
MORE CHURROS RECIPES

Want to make homemade tortillas for Cinco de Mayo?

Practice this weekend with this recipe from King Arthur Flour. They’re so much more authentic than the flat-pressed commercial versions.

Although traditionally made with lard, these tortillas are equally delicious using butter, shortening, or vegetable oil as the fat.

This is also a flour tortilla version. The originals were made with corn flour until wheat flour arrived with the Spanish in the 16th century. If you prefer a corn flour version, here’s a recipe and video from Mexican food specialist chef Rick Bayless, plus more about corn tortilla.

The resting period improves the texture of the dough by giving the flour time to absorb the water. It also gives the gluten time to relax, making the tortillas easier to roll out.

You may extend the resting, or skip it altogether if you don’t have the time—the recipe is pretty forgiving. The tortillas will roll out and stay thinner if you include the rest, though.

If there are leftovers, allow them to cool completely, then wrap them tightly in plastic and store them in the refrigerator. Reheat in an ungreased skillet, or for a few seconds in the microwave.

Prep time is 15 minutes, and cook time is 15 to 25 minutes.

> June 16th is National Tortilla Day.

> The different types of bread: a photo glossary.
 

RECIPE: HOMEMADE TORTILLAS

Ingredients For 8 Eight-Inch Tortillas

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the lard (or butter, or shortening; if you’re using vegetable oil, add it in step 3). Use your fingers or a pastry blender to work the fat into the flour until it disappears. Coating most of the flour with fat inhibits gluten formation, making the tortillas easier to roll out.

2. POUR in the lesser amount of hot water (plus the oil, if you’re using it), and stir briskly with a fork or whisk to bring the dough together into a shaggy mass. Stir in additional water as needed to bring the dough together.

3. TURN the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead briefly, just until the dough forms a ball. If the dough is very sticky, gradually add a bit more flour.

4. DIVIDE the dough into 8 pieces. Round the pieces into balls, flatten slightly, and allow them to rest, covered, for about 30 minutes. If you wish, coat each ball lightly in oil before covering it to ensure that the dough doesn’t dry out. While the dough rests…

5. PREHEAT an ungreased cast iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat, about 400°F. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll into a round about 8″ in diameter. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Fry the tortilla in the ungreased pan for about 30 seconds on each side.

6. WRAP the tortillas in a clean cloth when they come off the griddle, to keep them pliable. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
 
 
TORTILLA HISTORY

The mainstay of the Mexican diet was and still is, the corn* tortilla, made with indigenous corn from prehistoric times. Excavations in the valley of Valle de Tehuac, in Sierra Mountains in the state of Puebla, date their use to more than seven thousand years [source].

[2] The best flour makes a different.

[3] “Women Grinding Maize” by Diego Rivera (photos #3 and #4 of paintings courtesy Diego Rivera Foundation).

[4] “Tortilla-Maker” by Diego Rivera.

The corn used was a very small wild cob (that was bred, by 3000 B.C.E., into the large ears we know today), ground corn foods, along with roots and fruits plus hunting, comprised the diet.

The cooking process is little changed today. Corn kernels are cooked with lime to remove the husk (known as nixtamalization), then ground on a stone slab with a grinding stone (photo #3). The dough is formed into small round balls that make the individual tortillas, and patted out by hand into thin round cakes (photo #4), and cooked over a fire (today, homemade versions use a skillet on a stove top).

For tamales, the cake is placed in an unbaked tortilla, filled, and wrapped in a corn husk for cooking.

When Hernan Cortez and his conquistadors arrived in the New World in 1519, they discovered that flat cornbreads were a staple Aztec food. In the Aztec’s Nahuatl language, the word for them was tlaxcalli (pronounced tih-lax-CAH-leee. The Spanish gave them the name tortilla.

Technology arrived centuries later, in the 1940s when the use of small gas engines and electric motors became widespread to power grinders for making masa (the ground corn). A hand press became used to form the masa into tortillas.
 
By the 1960s, small-scale tortilla-making machines could churn out hot, steaming tortillas every two seconds—quite a change from the hours they took to make before modern times.
________________

*Wheat flour only arrived in the 16th century, with the Conquistadors, and became popular in Mexican/U.S. border cooking. By the time Spaniards reached the shores of what is now Mexico in the 1400s, indigenous Mesoamericans had a sophisticated and flavorful cuisine based on native fruits, game, cultivated beans and corn, and domesticated turkeys.
 
 

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We found this spring salad bouquet recipe (photo #1) on the social media pages of the New York City outpost of Catch seafood restaurant (a charming spot with a roof deck for alfresco dining).

The salad is no longer on the menu, but it looked so festive we had to make it for ourselves. There are two spring salad dressings below: basil vinaigrette and blood orange vinaigrette.
 
 
SPRING SALAD INGREDIENTS

 
It’s topped with zigzags of ranch dressing.

We preferred tossing it with a sprightly vinaigrette.
 
 
More To Add To Your Spring Salad Bouquet

 
 
SPRING SALAD VINAIGRETTE RECIPES
 
RECIPE #1: BASIL VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

[2] Fiddlehead ferns (photo by Katharine Pollak | © THE NIBBLE).

[3] Chioggia beets (photo © True Food Kitchen).

 
Combine all ingredients. To emulsify so they don’t separate, use a blender or an Aerolatte Milk Frother.
 
 

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[1] Hand pies plated as a gourmet dessert at Sirena Cocina Latina in San Diego (alas, now closed). [2] Use cutters to make prettier pies, and crimp the edges with a fork (here’s the recipe from Driscoll’s Berries). [3] A ham, brie and fig jam hand pie with grainy mustard sauce (here’s the recipe from Cooking On The Front Burner).

Like pie? Like savory pie? Like fancy desserts?

Combine the two with plated hand pies. The pies, meant to be eaten without plate or fork, taste even better with a bit of glamour.

Sweet Hand Pies

Restaurant Sirena Cocina Latina in San Diego plated fruit pies with dessert garnishes (photo #1):

 
Savory Hand Pies

For an appetizer or first course, you can make meat, cheese or vegetable hand pies—or any variation combination (photo #3).

Choose savory garnishes:

 
TIP: Sweet or savory, use your cutters to create a shape at the top of the pie (photo #2).
 
 
THE HISTORY OF HAND PIES

Since there was dough, something to fill it with, and something to bake it on or in, there have been hand pies—beginning with savory pies.

Cultures around the world have what we now call hand pies: portable meals that could be stuffed with leftovers or any variety of kitchen ingredients. Empanadas, a popular Mexican street food, Jewish knishes and and Jamaican meat patties are hand pies.

Until someone in the U.S. called them hand pies (if you know who, raise your hand), these grab-and-go mini-meals were called meat pies or pasties (rhymes with nasty, not tasty).

In our own culture, they trace their origins at least to 19th-century England, where they were a convenient lunch for Cornish tin miners—but not as we eat pasties today.

For miners, the pastry casing kept the filling warm and dirt-free. Holding the edges, miners would eat the filling and discard the dough.

Cornish immigrants to northern Michigan brought the tradition to the U.S. [source] The concept engendered fruit versions among America’s home pie bakers, and corner sweet shops sold them to enthusiastic fans.

They’re portable, requiring no plate or fork, and can sit in the heat without melting. Give us a good crust, and we’re in!