Nixtamal In London
Photo credit @Holasus
When I got married and moved to London in 2009 I remember there were very few authentic mexican ingredients that I could source, only a handful of Mexican restaurants and even fewer making authentic Mexican food.
Something has shifted since then, it could be partly be Mexican population growth in the UK, or more British people travelling to Mexico and experiencing the real thing who now demand authentic flavours here as well!
Equally this could also be attributed to the rise of some famous Mexican Chef’s like Erique Olvera owner of the renowned restaurant Pujol in Mexico City and Cosme in New York City. He has, also been part of the Emmy nominated documentary program on Netflix “Chef’s table” that has shined a new light and interest in Mexican cuisine around the world.
Another name that comes to mind is Chef Gabriela Camara with her famous restaurant Contramar in Mexico City, where they serve perhaps one of the most instagrammed dishes, their grilled snapper with red and green sauce; La Guerrerense in Ensenada, Baja California run by the legend Sabina Bandera that has been venerated by famous Chefs like Anthony Bourdain in his program ‘No Reservations’.
In my opinion it’s some of these factors (to name a few) that have brought interest in authentic Mexican ingredients, plus the love for tacos around the world has sparked the need for good quality corn tortillas.
Most of this has happened on the other side of the Atlantic but more recently in London we have seen a similar trend of higher quality Mexican dining. For example the famous Mexican Chef, Martha Ortiz who has opened her fine dining restaurant “Ella Canta” in 2017 and vibrant and authentic restaurants such as “El Pastor” with a few locations over London and “Santo Remedio” run by Edson Diaz-Fuentes and his wife Natalie, are bringing a good reputation to our cuisine. The promise of the young and inventive Chef, Santiago Lastra with his Mexican restaurant “ Kol” opening soon , brings hope to me that the Mexican food scene is changing in the UK, and authentic Mexican flavours are now more appreciated than ever.
Last year I was introduced to Alastair Westwood and True Masa, this little company and their team based in north London, is taking on the challenge of making the most genuine corn tortillas in the UK, these guys could have easily taken on the path that many other have of using corn flour to make their tortillas .
But Alastair and his team believe in making them from scratch and using the traditional and ancient Nixtamal Method to achieve this, the result is not only on a natural corn tortilla with no preservatives or conservatives, but a more flavourful and nutritious one.
This is such an interesting and complex subject from which I want to continue to learn more from, so I invite you to read the little interview with the managing director of True Masa and discover the Nixtamal beauty with me.
Jasmina is originally from Poland and is now part of the team at True Masa. Photo credit @Holasus
Photo Credit @Holasus
S. Hi Alastair can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do ?
A. Sure, I’m the Managing Director for True Masa. I was born in Mexico City and grew up in Cuernavaca. To me, Mexico is still very much home.
I suppose this strong connection with Mexico is what made me a good fit for helping to manage the day-to-day running of True Masa as I understand the importance of what we are trying to achieve and can relate to people’s desire when trying to find a great corn tortilla in the UK!
“The difference in taste, aroma and texture between a tortilla made using corn flour and one made using nixtamalized corn masa is huge. ”
S. How did the idea of bringing Nixtamal to London was born?
A. When I first moved from Mexico to live in London, I was struck by the lack of good authentic Mexican food. I would always bring corn tortillas back from Mexico in my suitcase and freeze to remind me of home. Over the years, the idea developed that it would be amazing to try and make authentic corn tortillas here in the UK.
Years later, one of our founders, Daniel, approached me. He’d had a similar idea and had been developing a project to launch nixtamalized corn tortillas in Europe. When he asked whether I might be interested in joining I agreed straight away!
S.What, in your opinion, makes a great tortilla and can you explain to us why?
A. In my view, to make a great corn tortilla you need freshly ground corn masa made using the nixtamal process. The difference in taste, aroma and texture between a tortilla made using corn flour and one made using nixtamalized corn masa is huge.
The corn you choose is also important. There are many different varieties and colours of corn (including blue, black, yellow, purple and red), each with their own distinct flavour and texture.
Aside from the process and corn you use, you are looking for a tortilla which inflates when cooked giving two distinct layers. A great corn tortilla also needs to be soft and easy to roll in your hands when heated.
“ This traditional and ancient process was developed in Mexico over thousands of years and remains one of Mexico’s best kept culinary secrets. ”
S. Without revealing your tortilla secrets can you explain (briefly) how nixtamal works?
A.Nixtamalization is the process of cooking and soaking corn in an alkaline solution. The cooked corn is known as nixtamal. It is then washed and ground using volcanic stones to create a masa (dough). Although this sounds simple, there are incredible variations in cooking time, cooking temperature and pH depending on what corn variety you choose to use and climatic conditions.
Nixtamalization Process
Photo credit Nixtmal ltd.
Incredibly, this is one of the only cooking processes that actually enhances the nutrition of a raw ingredient! Notably the nixtamal process releases the bound niacin locked in the corn kernel allowing your body to absorb it.
This traditional and ancient process was developed in Mexico over thousands of years and remains one of Mexico’s best kept culinary secrets.
S. Do you remember your first experience seeing nixtamal tortillas being made and can you tell us how your experience was?
A. I have fond memories of the smells of freshly made corn tortillas at tortillerias and taquerias in Mexico but, in truth, it wasn’t until I was in Mexico researching for this project that I saw tortillas being made using the whole Nixtamal process.
Watching fresh masa (dough) being milled using volcanic stones at a Molino in Mexico City was a truly magical moment. It was only then that I really understood how special this process is.
S. Do you see a growing culture of Mexican Food in London? How have nixtamal tortillas been received in London so far?
A. Absolutely! I have started to notice a real difference in Mexican food in London in the last five years or so. Suddenly, restaurants are serving incredibly authentic and traditional Mexican food that you just wouldn’t have been able to find before.
As tortillas are a cornerstone of Mexican cuisine, using the right tortilla is key to making good Mexican food.
Thankfully our nixtamal tortillas have been warmly received by chefs, businesses and the public.
S. How would you like to see True Masa moving on in the future?
A. Aside from tortillas, there’s a huge amount that can be created from freshly nixtamalized corn masa. In time, we would like to be able to offer a range of authentic products made using this incredible process.
Our hope is that as more people begin to understand the difference between corn flour and nixtamal we should also see demand for our tortillas and totopos grow.
S. Okay so now you have to answer the next 5 questions briefly and with the first thing that comes to your mind:
Favorite type of Taco?
A. Al Pastor.
Mezcal or Tequila?
A.Tequila.
Favorite place in Mexico?
A.Tepotzlan.
Pozole or Menudo?
A. Pozole.
Favorite Salsa Recipe?
A. A good salsa verde.
Pictured above: 1. Volcanic stones used to grind the masa, 2. Nixtamal masa being freshly milled. Photo credit: Nixtamal ltd.
Thank you to Alastair Westwood for helping with this interview and letting me work with their fresh nixtamal masa to create a new recipe for the blog, check below.
