Tortilla chip



A tortilla chip is a snack food made from corn tortillas, which are cut into wedges and then fried (alternately they may be discs pressed out of corn masa then fried or baked). Corn tortillas are made of corn, vegetable oil, salt and water. Although invented in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, tortilla chips are considered to be a form of Mexican food. Though usually made of yellow corn (as pictured), they can also be made of white, blue, or red corn.

The tortilla chip was invented by Rebecca Webb Carranza as a way to make use of misshapen tortillas rejected from the automated tortilla manufacturing machine that she and her husband used at their Mexican delicatessen and tortilla factory in southwest Los Angeles. Carranza found that the discarded tortillas, cut into triangles and fried, were a popular snack, and she sold them for a dime a bag at the El Zarape Tortilla Factory. In 1994 Carranza received the Golden Tortilla award for her contribution to the Mexican food industry. She died in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 19, 2006, at the age of 98.

Tortilla chips are the quintessential and often complimentary appetizer in Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants in the U.S. and elsewhere. Their popularity outside of California saw a steady rise in the late 1970s when they began to compete with corn chips, the dipping chip of choice during the first three quarters of the 20th century. They are typically served with a dip, such as salsa, chili con queso, or guacamole. When not served with a dip, the chips are often seasoned with herbs and spices. Although now available worldwide, the United States is one of the main markets for tortilla chips. Commercial brand names for tortilla chips include Tostitos and Doritos.

A more elaborate dish utilizing tortilla chips is nachos, which is tortilla chips served with melted cheese to dip in, although often other toppings are added or substituted, such as meat, salsa (such as pico de gallo), refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, diced onions, olives, and pickled jalapeños. Shredded cheese can be substituted for the cheese dip. More elaborate nachos are often baked for a short period of time to warm the tortillas and melt shredded cheese.

A similar fried corn snack is the corn chip, which is not made from a tortilla, but from corn meal which has been processed into a particular shape, typically a small scoop. Fritos are an example of this. The principal difference between the corn in tortilla and corn chips is that the corn in a tortilla chip has undergone a process known as nixtamalization, which involves processing the raw corn with quicklime. Note that both tortilla and corn chips are referred to as "corn chips" in Australia and Oceania. The main snack food competing with tortilla and corn chips is fried chips made from potatoes, known as potato chips or crisps.

Other fried or baked tortilla or masa products

 * Chalupas
 * Flautas
 * Gorditas
 * Quesadillas
 * Sopes
 * Tlacoyos
 * Tlayudas
 * Tostadas
 * Totopos