Totopo

Totopo
Place of origin	Mexico
Region or state	Oaxaca
Created by	Zapotec peoples
Main ingredients	corn Masa, salt
	Media: Totopo;

Totopo, in Mexican cuisine, is a flat, round, or triangular corn product similar to a tortilla, that has been toasted, fried or baked, but it may be prepared with nixtamalized corn masa. Totopos are best known as originating from Zapotec peoples of the isthmus of Tehuantepec region of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. There, the Zapotec women bake totopos in a clay oven known as a comixcal. Totopos resemble a round, baked tortilla chip or certain types of Scandinavian flat bread, however, unlike tortillas, salt is added to the masa and holes are made in the disk prior to baking.^[1]

Totopo may also refer to triangular fried tortillas (totopos de maiz). When the whole round tortilla is baked or fried it is generally known as a tostada.

An important feature of the baking and salting process is preservation. To prevent the decomposition of the corn and growth of mold, regular tortillas generally need to be eaten the same day as they are made (or stored cold) due to the moisture content, whereas totopos may be stored for future consumption, in the same manner as dry crackers.

In some cases, fried tortilla chips commercially made both in Mexico and the United States are labeled as or referred to as totopos, although they are not made in the manner of the Oaxacan totopo.

Etymology

The name, totopo, comes from the Aztec (or Nahuatl) tlaxcaltotopochtl. This name is a compound of the word for a tortilla, tlaxcalli, plus the word for thunder. The combination means approximately tortillas that are noisy to chew.^[2]

References

^ Nancy Zalavsky (1997). A Cook's Tour of Mexico: Authentic Recipes from the Country's Best Open-Air Markets, City Fondas and Home Kitchens. Macmillan. pp. 12–13. ISBN 9780312166083. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
^ "Tortilla Has Many Origins". Indiana Post-Tribune/Sun-Times Media, LLC via HighBeam Research. May 1999. Retrieved 3 May 2012.(subscription required)

External links

Photos of totopos and explanation in Spanish (link broken as of 2009-05-09, archive copy)
[1] Photos of
Totopo Oven Comixcal

[1] Nancy Zalavsky (1997). A Cook's Tour of Mexico: Authentic Recipes from the Country's Best Open-Air Markets, City Fondas and Home Kitchens. Macmillan. pp. 12–13. ISBN 9780312166083. Retrieved 8 January 2013.

[2] "Tortilla Has Many Origins". Indiana Post-Tribune/Sun-Times Media, LLC via HighBeam Research. May 1999. Retrieved 3 May 2012.(subscription required)

[1]

[2]

v t e Mexican breads
Pan salado	Bolillo Cemita Pambazo Sandwich roll
Pan dulce	Buñuelo Churro Cochinito de piloncillo Cocol Concha Pan de muerto Rosca de Reyes
Category Commons Cookbook Food portal Mexico portal

v t e Bread
Types	Brown bread Bun Flatbread Multigrain Quick Rye bread Salt-rising Sandwich bread Soda bread Sourdough Sprouted Unleavened White bread Whole wheat
Ingredients	Baker's yeast Barm Calcium propanoate Dough conditioner Eggs Fat Flour Leavening agent Milk Salt Sugar Water
Equipment	Oven Bread machine Bread pan Dough scraper Farinograph Lame Peel Stand mixer Warmer Toaster Weighing scales
Processes and techniques	Autolysis Baking Biga Chorleywood bread process Kneading Leavening Maillard reaction No-knead bread Proofing Pre-ferment Pre-slicing Sponge and dough Steaming Straight dough Vienna process
Uses	Breadcrumbs Bread bowl Bread pakora Bread pudding Croutons French toast Rusks Stuffing Sandwiches Toast
Other	Bakery Breadmaking Baker percentage Bread and salt Bread in Europe Bread clip History of bread
List articles	American breads Brand name breads Bread dishes Bread rolls British breads Buns French breads Indian breads Pakistani breads Quick breads Sourdough breads Sweet breads Swiss breads Toast dishes
Category