Edible Toronto

Making Tortilla One Cob at a Time

• Photo by Luke Clarridge

  Tortillas at Maizal are cooked on the flat-top every day to ensure ultimate freshness. For Ivan Wadgymar, Maizal’s founder and owner, this way of cooking pays respect to the heritage and culture of Mexico. He calls them “the-way-it-has-always-been-done” tortilla.

• The kernels are boiled with slaked lime before passing through a grinder, which produces a dough called masa. The masa is then hand-rolled into small balls, before being flattened and cooked on the stovetop.

• The fresh tortillas are turned into tacos, as shown by Saqib Siddiqi, ranging in flavours from cochinita pibil (pulled pork with achiote sauce) to cecina (steak with black beans, onions and cream) and quesadillas, many of them vegetarian options such as mushroom epazote and cactus with Oaxaca cheese.