The Tortilla Senora

As we were setting up in Empalme on Tuesday, I noticed a lady making handmade tortillas right outside the church. What an amazing artisan she was!

I tried to post the 2 videos showing her work. Since I've never done that before, it became apparent quickly that I don't know how! I'll describe it with still photos, and later if I can find a techie to help me with the videos, I'll post them as well.

Starting with small balls of dough, which she apparently mixed, knead and shaped at home, she flattens them into small circles with her hand, and then rolls them out to about 8" diameter with a wooden cylindrical rolling pin. As she rolls, she liberally dusts each tortilla and the rolling surface with flour from the bag at her left hand.

She works by the dozen. So when she has a stack of twelve dinner-plate sized circles (remarkably uniform!!) she moves to the other side of her table, nearer to her stove. It's a 50-gallon drum with a hole cut in the side and a shelf positioned there to hold her wood fire. The top is slightly dome-shaped.

Now she takes each disc, one at a time, and spins and stretches it until the diameter is about 16-18". It's a very thin, large tortilla.

And then she drapes the circle over the dome of her stove. With bare fingers (this is a VERY hot surface!), she lifts and turns and flips and folds the tortilla till it's evenly cooked, yet still very soft.

The cooked tortillas are folded into rectangles and are carefully stacked until she has a dozen:

The next step made me laugh...but I was unable to capture a photo. She slid the stack into a plastic bag and held it by the upper corners. Pulling the corners taut, she flipped the bag over once to make a double fold at the top of the bag. Then she lightly pressed all along the fold against the side of her barrel, slightly melting and sealing the plastic. The original Dazey Seal-Meal! And we need a whole extra appliance for that maneuver!

The instant a dozen were finished, the next buyer in line stepped up with his 35 pesos (approximately $2). She pocketed the money and handed over the plastic bag with a smile as she stepped to the rolling end of her table...never missing a beat of her smooth, rhythmic tortilla dance. What an artisan!