That's a wrap

Do you have a favorite Jewish food? Is it borscht, latkes or bagels and lox? For me, it’s tortillas.

You might not think of tortillas as Jewish food and, admittedly, I never did, either. But some culinary historians believe the flour tortilla was invented by Jews deported to the New World from Spain.

Concerned maize flour used in corn tortillas, a centuries-old staple of Mexican cooking, might not be kosher, they instead used the wheat flour first brought to the Americas by the Spanish and created an innovation that has since become the foundation of Tex-Mex cuisine.

Though the invention of the flour tortilla, thus, goes back more than 500 years to the Spanish conquest of this hemisphere in the 16th century, the flatbread is nonetheless a culinary newcomer, relatively speaking.

Archaeological evidence suggests tortillas made with corn rather than wheat flour may go back as long ago as 10,000 B.C. According to Mayan legend, they were invented around that time by a peasant to satisfy a ravenous ruler.

Though good enough to eat all by themselves, the flour tortillas of the Rio Grande Valley are versatile roll-ups for all kinds of food -- in this case, scrambled eggs with steak and avocado, a Tex-Mex staple.TOM HARTE

Clearly, by the time the conquistadors got here, the natives were already old hands at the deceptively simple process of making the basic tortilla — from the thin ones characteristic of Oaxaca to the thick ones of Guadalajara.

Moreover, tortillas already were well established as one of the cornerstones of Mesoamerican cuisine. They were eaten at every meal and used to commemorate important events. One Mayan tribe even buried them with their dead.

Even now, it is estimated the typical Mexican family of four consumes a couple pounds of them every day.

When fluctuations in the international price of grain make them more expensive, it’s considered a crisis. No wonder in Mexico tortillas are referred to as “the bread of life.”

Their dominance has now extended into this country. For some time now in the U.S., tortillas have been outselling hamburger and hot dog buns. According to the Tortilla Industry Association, they are the fastest growing segment of the baking business. Today there are approximately 400 tortilla manufacturers in this country, with sales amounting to well over 10 billion annually.

So it’s no exaggeration to call tortillas the other white bread.

I’ve developed a renewed appreciation for the tortilla, having just returned from a stay in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where Tex-Mex cooking was born and the flour tortilla is king.

They are so essential to the region, even some Wal-Marts have mechanized tortillerias on the premises. It was there in Port Isabel at Manuel’s Restaurant that I first tried one of the flour tortillas handmade by Graciela Molina, who has perfected her technique over the last decade making some 200 of them a day. They’re so good you would be tempted, as I was, to eat them all by themselves, despite their endless versatility as a roll-up. Anointed by Texas Monthly magazine as the best tortillas in Texas, they’re as big as your head and their taste is just as colossal. Now, that’s a wrap!

Texas Flour Tortillas

It’s easy to find great flour tortillas in the Rio Grande Valley, but here in Missouri, your best recourse is to make your own, which is not hard, especially with this recipe, adapted from “The Border Cookbook” by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison. It uses milk instead of the traditional water to promote a chewier and softer result.

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup warm milk

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and oil. Slowly add the warm milk, stirring until dough forms into a ball. On floured surface, knead for 2 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rest 20 minutes. Cut into eight sections. Using hands, roll each into a ball, cover with damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes. Place each dough ball on a floured surface, pat into a 4-inch circle, then roll with a rolling pin until thin and about 8 inches in diameter. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook. In a dry skillet over high heat, cook each tortilla about 30 seconds on a side until puffed.