Handmade Comal Tortillas in Michoacán: Traditional Practices along the Rural-Urban Gradient
Autor: | Esperanza Arnés, Marta Astier |
---|---|
Rok vydání: | 2019 |
Předmět: |
Rural Population
Urban Population Food Handling Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis Flour 0507 social and economic geography Wheat flour lcsh:Medicine maize Zea mays Article Agricultural economics local knowledge 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine agrobiodiversity Personal consumption expenditures price index Sustainable agriculture Humans 030212 general & internal medicine Mexico Triticum cultural practices Food security lcsh:R 05 social sciences Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Gastronomy Bread food security Food Patterns traditional food systems sustainable agriculture Geography Agricultural biodiversity Rural area Edible Grain 050703 geography |
Zdroj: | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 16, Iss 17, p 3211 (2019) International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Volume 16 Issue 17 |
ISSN: | 1660-4601 |
Popis: | Certain components of global food security continue to be threatened. Globalization has impacted food patterns, leading to greater homogenization of diets and the standardization of processes of food transformation, both in the countryside and in the cities. In Mexico, this has led to a drop in the use of native corn landraces and in the value associated with traditional practices around their growing and the processing and consumption of tortillas. The aim of this work was to analyze the main characteristics of the handmade comal tortilla system along the rural-urban gradient taking into account: (1) The type of seed and production, (2) manufacturing processes, (3) marketing channels and purpose of sales, and (4) perceptions regarding the quality of the product. Research was conducted on 41 handmade tortilla workshops located in rural areas in the Lake Pá tzcuaro Basin and in urban and peri-urban areas of a medium-sized city in Michoacá n (Mexico). Results showed that the origin of the grain follows a gradient-like pattern: In rural areas, tortillas are made with local and native corn predominate, while in urban contexts most tortillas come from hybrid corn produced in Sinaloa or Jalisco. There is a generalized preference for white tortillas, but blue tortillas are used for personal consumption in rural areas and as a gourmet product in the city. 100% of the rural workshops make their own nixtamal, while almost 50% of the peri-urban and urban businesses buy pre-made nixtamal dough. Surprisingly, 50% of the rural handmade tortilla workshops admit that they add nixtamalized corn flour and/or wheat flour to their tortilla mix. We conclude that not all handmade comal tortillas are produced equally and, although in rural areas traditions are better preserved, these also have contradictions. We also conclude that it is important to promote the revaluation of agrobiodiversity, traditional gastronomy, and food security without sacrificing quality, nutrition, and flavor. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
Externí odkaz: |