I’m so old I can remember when the word “tortilla” by default referred to the corn variety. It was in the early '80s, I think, that flour tortillas began taking over as the default tortilla. I blame the burrito. Don’t get me wrong-- I like burritos as much as anyone. But the burrito begat the wrap sandwich, which exploded in popularity, and pretty soon corn tortillas had been all but forgotten.
I can only speak as a non-Latina who isn’t a part of Latino society. In the Latino sections of groceries, I still see corn tortillas going strong. I guess I’m talking about Mexican food as interpreted by gringo culture in the mid-Atlantic United States. I don’t know about other regions of the country. I think gringos have overwhelmingly come to prefer flour tortillas because of their greater elasticity, they can bend without breaking and thus are malleable for burrito-like preparations.
I still prefer the flavor of corn tortillas and would not use anything else to make enchiladas, one of my favorite dishes, or to serve with refried beans. Otherwise, it seems their main purpose has been diverted to making chips and taco shells. The flavor of the commercially prepared flour tortillas in the stores doesn’t have anything to offer. I would rather have the corn ones for their flavor, even if they aren’t as bendable. For enchiladas, I dip them in hot oil to give them the flexibility needed to roll them up in one piece.
I don’t much care for the mouth texture of corn tortillas (unless they’ve been fried) so I am fine with the trend.
That said, I run into corn tortillas being used all of the time so I don’t know if it really is a trend (but then I live within pretty good Mexican food territory).
For other people it’s the white flour tortillas that could pose a problem in the form of constipation. I always prefer the corn ones & feel as if a fast one is being pulled when tacos (for example) are served in flour tortillas. I agree with everything in the OP.
I, like obfusciatrist, live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have never seen flour tortillas used for tacos or enchiladas. Most Mexican restaurants here offer the choice of corn or flour tortillas with combination plates. Grocery stores sell both corn and flour tortillas.
To make a corn tortilla flexible, heat it in a dry frying pan for several seconds.
Since corn (as well as chocolate, tomatoes, and mezcal) is Mexico’s gift to the world, and figures stringly in the cosmovisions of most Mexican indigenous peoples as well as the modern Mexican’s idea of his/her history, culture, and well-being, many Mexicans consider it almost their patriotic duty to scorn wheat-flour tortillas.
However, when-flour tortillas do enjoy a certain popularity in parts of Mexico, especially in the north, and are often purchased in convenience stores in wrapped plastic, since they keep better than a corn tortilla.
But the norm is ovewhelmingly to get fresh corn tortillas from the local maker, or (in rural areas) to make them yourself (really, the WOMEN make them) from your own, or locally purchased, corn meal.
Even in Toronto, a near-wasteland when it comes to proper Mexican food, it’s not that hard to find corn tortillas. Most restaurants will have both on hand, and you can buy both types in just about any supermarket.
That said, unless I’m shopping in a Latino market, I do find that there is a waaaaay larger selection of flour vs. corn. I suspect that’s mostly because the flour tortilla has been appropriated for wrap sandwiches, where the corn doesn’t get used much outside of Mexican dishes.
Wheat grows in Northern Mexico; wheat tortillas are the standard accompaniment for fajitas–adapted from the meat-heavy cuisine of El Norte. And big ones are flexible enough to make burritos–which have come from California to rule the Southwest.
I do think wheat tortillas keep fresh longer–but the best Mexican/Tex-Mex places in Houston boast freshly made corn tortillas. As do some grocery stores. Soft tacos can be wrapped in either kind. (Crunchy corn taco shells are shamelessly Tex-Mex but can be delicious.)
However, I would like to go on record against enchiladas made with flour tortillas. They are often used for delicate, specialty seafood or spinach enchiladas–kind of like crepes, no? No! Flour tortillas cooked in sauce devolve into paste & are to be shunned.
No. A taco shell is a deep fried corn tortilla, which are usually significantly smaller than flour tortillas and much more fragile, and a real Mexican taco is two corn tortillas with a small amount of ingredients on top.
I don’t think I would even know where to go to get a taco on a flour tortilla, other than Taco Bell. Around here (Chicago), all the taquerias serve corn tortillas exclusively, in my experience. Double wrapped, topped with onion and cilantro. Make mine adobado or al pastor.
I think one reason for the “popularity” of flour tortillas is that they hold together better for burritos and wraps. Corn is definitely the way to go for tacos and enchiladas, though.
We use flour tortillas at home almost exclusively, but I do have a package of corn tortillas at home that I don’t really know what to do with. I used them in a recipe we call “nachos”, but it isn’t really (corn tortilla + chili + olives, cheese, etc, bake 15 minutes).
One reason I haven’t used them yet is because they’re so small, I can’t just substitute them for our usual flour in a wrap. If you have suggestions, I’m open!
That is a perfect example of what I’m talking about.