1 00:00:00,090 --> 00:00:00,120 Theme Music: [Music.] 2 00:00:19,980 --> 00:00:23,340 Jane: This is But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids from Vermont 3 00:00:23,340 --> 00:00:27,330 Public. I'm Jane Lindholm. On this show, we take questions 4 00:00:27,330 --> 00:00:30,780 from curious kids all over the world--just like you--and we 5 00:00:30,780 --> 00:00:35,220 find answers. I know I'm supposed to be focused on work 6 00:00:35,220 --> 00:00:39,360 right now, but it's lunch time when I'm making this episode and 7 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:44,580 I'm feeling really hungry. What am I feeling hungry for, you 8 00:00:44,580 --> 00:00:48,840 might wonder. Why thanks for asking. I'm feeling hungry for 9 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,860 tacos! Good thing that in this episode we're headed to a 10 00:00:52,860 --> 00:00:56,580 taqueria. A taqueria is a restaurant or food stand that 11 00:00:56,580 --> 00:01:01,020 makes and sells tacos. Tacos originated in Mexico, but 12 00:01:01,020 --> 00:01:04,170 they're popular all over the world, and a lot of you have 13 00:01:04,170 --> 00:01:08,190 sent us questions about this popular and ever-evolving food. 14 00:01:08,820 --> 00:01:11,670 So to learn more and get some answers to your preguntas 15 00:01:11,670 --> 00:01:16,110 deliciosas, I went to Austin, Texas to talk with two people 16 00:01:16,170 --> 00:01:18,480 who know a lot about tacos. 17 00:01:18,690 --> 00:01:23,400 Edgar Rico: My name is Edgar Rico. I am the chef and co owner 18 00:01:23,610 --> 00:01:27,450 here at Nixta Taqueria in Austin, Texas. 19 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,360 Sara Mardanbigi: Hey, y'all I am Sarah Mardanbigi. I am the other 20 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,990 half of Nixta Taqueria, and I do all of our operations. 21 00:01:34,140 --> 00:01:36,540 Jane: All right, let's talk tacos. We have a lot of taco 22 00:01:36,540 --> 00:01:37,800 questions from kids. 23 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:42,550 Eleni: My name is Eleni, and I am seven years old, and I live 24 00:01:42,550 --> 00:01:45,880 in Lakewood, Ohio. Who first made tacos? 25 00:01:46,300 --> 00:01:52,480 Ben: My name is Ben. I am six years old. I live in Ithaca, New 26 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,480 York. Who invented tacos? 27 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:59,020 Audrey: My name is Audrey. I'm nine years old. I live in 28 00:01:59,020 --> 00:02:02,620 Cambridge, Massachusetts. Who first made tacos? 29 00:02:02,890 --> 00:02:04,510 Jane: Where did tacos come from? 30 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:10,303 Jane: A tortilla is an essential part of a taco. Now we don't 31 00:02:04,140 --> 00:02:06,957 Edgar Rico: This is a very hotly-debated topic, actually. 32 00:02:07,020 --> 00:02:10,651 But from what researchers do say, there's kind of two ways 33 00:02:10,417 --> 00:02:17,867 know exactly when people started eating tacos, but Edgar says the 34 00:02:10,714 --> 00:02:14,095 that tacos kind of were invented. I mean, one of them, 35 00:02:14,158 --> 00:02:17,476 definitely, for sure, was that the native people, the 36 00:02:17,539 --> 00:02:21,483 Mesoamericans that were living in Mexico, so like Aztecs miners 37 00:02:17,982 --> 00:02:24,743 essence of a taco, that corn tortilla filled with some kind 38 00:02:21,546 --> 00:02:24,927 that were living there, they used to eat a lot of they 39 00:02:24,858 --> 00:02:31,734 of meat or vegetable, has long been a staple in Mesoamerica. 40 00:02:24,990 --> 00:02:28,433 weren't necessarily, maybe called a taco, but they were 41 00:02:28,496 --> 00:02:31,940 eating a round disk made of corn tortilla, essentially. 42 00:02:31,849 --> 00:02:39,069 That's a historical region that encompassed parts of Mexico and 43 00:02:39,184 --> 00:02:44,914 Central America. The Aztec people were eating corn 44 00:02:45,029 --> 00:02:52,020 tortillas, ground up corn that's been turned into a dough and 45 00:02:52,134 --> 00:02:58,208 then flattened out, for thousands of years. And Edgar 46 00:02:58,323 --> 00:03:05,200 points out that many people think the word taco comes from-- 47 00:03:05,290 --> 00:03:08,680 Edgar Rico: the native language called Nahuatl, which is spoken 48 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:09,910 by Aztec people. 49 00:03:10,180 --> 00:03:14,110 Jane: But another idea is that tacos as we know them today are 50 00:03:14,110 --> 00:03:16,540 more recently tied to the late 1800s. 51 00:03:16,870 --> 00:03:18,700 Edgar Rico: There was a lot of mining that was happening in 52 00:03:18,700 --> 00:03:24,850 Mexico, and a lot of the miners who would work would get these 53 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:29,260 corn-filled tortillas, and they would fill them with a little 54 00:03:29,260 --> 00:03:32,470 guiso, so to speak, or like a little braised meat, is what we 55 00:03:32,470 --> 00:03:35,950 call it, guiso in Spanish. They would take the couple of these 56 00:03:35,950 --> 00:03:39,520 with them as a little lunch, and they would go work the mines. 57 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:43,810 And, you know, a taco is a nice kind of package in a meal. It's 58 00:03:43,810 --> 00:03:45,640 all wrapped up, and you can take it with you, and it's 59 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:49,000 transportable. And these guys would eat these throughout the 60 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,670 day, you know, they would maybe stop for a little break, have a 61 00:03:51,670 --> 00:03:55,990 little taco, and be on their way. The first published recipe 62 00:03:55,990 --> 00:04:01,480 they do say was in the early 1800s and when there was a 63 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,530 recipe in that it did say the taco, and that original recipe 64 00:04:05,530 --> 00:04:09,850 had corn tortilla filled with like a chile verde filling. 65 00:04:10,260 --> 00:04:14,760 Jane: How did tacos come to the United States if they originated 66 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:15,420 in Mexico? 67 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:19,410 Edgar Rico: Well, I would say tacos originally came in 68 00:04:19,410 --> 00:04:24,150 California through the miners that were mining there. They 69 00:04:24,150 --> 00:04:27,630 took that same idea, we can have tacos here too, as we're working 70 00:04:27,630 --> 00:04:31,590 on these mines. Because at that time, also too, California was 71 00:04:31,770 --> 00:04:32,430 Mexico. 72 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,360 Jane: Large parts of the western United States used to be part of 73 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:40,170 Mexico. This includes California, Texas, New Mexico, 74 00:04:40,170 --> 00:04:44,040 Utah, Nevada and parts of Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas and 75 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,610 Wyoming. They became a part of the United States after the 76 00:04:47,610 --> 00:04:52,140 Mexican American War in 1848. But it wasn't until more than 77 00:04:52,170 --> 00:04:56,940 100 years later, in the 1960s, that tacos became really, really 78 00:04:56,940 --> 00:04:59,040 popular all over the US. 79 00:04:59,570 --> 00:05:02,720 Edgar Rico: Tacos in particularly spread like 80 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:07,670 wildfire, and the idea of tacos became a mainstream revolution 81 00:05:07,670 --> 00:05:11,270 throughout the US was actually in a little town in San 82 00:05:11,270 --> 00:05:15,560 Bernardino, the same town actually where another iconic 83 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:20,510 brand that we all probably know, called McDonald's, started. And 84 00:05:20,630 --> 00:05:24,530 there was a guy there named Glen Bell, aka the founder of Taco 85 00:05:24,530 --> 00:05:30,320 Bell. He originally had a fast food joint, a place called 86 00:05:30,350 --> 00:05:35,120 Bell's Burgers, where he used to sell hamburgers. But as 87 00:05:35,870 --> 00:05:39,500 McDonald's was happening down the road, he quickly realized 88 00:05:39,500 --> 00:05:43,460 that maybe the hamburger was not the route that he should take. 89 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:49,250 And ironically enough, there was a place very close to him, a 90 00:05:49,250 --> 00:05:54,650 world famous now place in taco history called Mitla Cafe. They 91 00:05:54,650 --> 00:05:57,680 were making a little hard shell taco, where they would fry a 92 00:05:58,010 --> 00:06:02,120 corn tortilla. They would put a little bit of ground beef, 93 00:06:02,150 --> 00:06:05,390 shredded lettuce, little tomato, a little bit of shredded cheese 94 00:06:05,390 --> 00:06:09,740 on top. And Glen Bell used to eat these things every night and 95 00:06:09,740 --> 00:06:13,670 would try and take a crack at figuring out how to how to make 96 00:06:13,670 --> 00:06:17,540 this. And eventually, I guess, the owner of Mitla Cafe invited 97 00:06:17,540 --> 00:06:20,330 him into the kitchen one day and was like, "Hey, I'm going to 98 00:06:20,330 --> 00:06:23,570 show you, because you keep coming in here every day and 99 00:06:23,570 --> 00:06:27,290 eating these things." And eventually he learned how to do 100 00:06:27,290 --> 00:06:32,750 it. And then Mr. Glen Bell decided to take this to his own 101 00:06:32,900 --> 00:06:37,490 establishment and make a fast food restaurant called Taco Bell 102 00:06:37,490 --> 00:06:43,160 that we all know. But yeah, tacos, after Glen Bell got his 103 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:44,660 hands on it, it would never be the same. 104 00:06:45,110 --> 00:06:50,690 Connor: Hi. My name's Connor. I'm eight years old. I live in 105 00:06:50,690 --> 00:06:56,060 Winnipeg, Manitoba, and my question is, why are there soft 106 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,590 shells and hard shells, and what are they made of? 107 00:07:01,130 --> 00:07:04,550 Jane: This has to do with the crispiness of the tortilla. The 108 00:07:04,550 --> 00:07:08,420 crispy fried tortillas make for hard shell tacos you find at 109 00:07:08,420 --> 00:07:11,210 fast food chains like Taco Bell and in the grocery store. 110 00:07:11,270 --> 00:07:13,700 Edgar Rico: I think the idea for what most Americans think of 111 00:07:13,700 --> 00:07:17,240 tacos is actually that hard shell taco. But you know, it's 112 00:07:17,270 --> 00:07:19,220 the evolution of the taco, you know. 113 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:22,460 Jane: Edgar says those hard shell tacos are an American 114 00:07:22,460 --> 00:07:26,420 invention. Traditionally, in Mexico, tortillas tend to be 115 00:07:26,420 --> 00:07:30,440 soft. We'll talk more about that in a little bit. But food is 116 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:34,520 fascinating because it's always changing and reflecting how our 117 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:38,840 cultures are changing. As people move from one place to another, 118 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:42,050 they bring the foods that they grew up with. But sometimes you 119 00:07:42,050 --> 00:07:44,330 have to switch things up a bit and use ingredients that are 120 00:07:44,330 --> 00:07:47,960 more easily available where you are now. Sometimes, especially 121 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:50,990 if you open up a restaurant, you make changes to make the dish 122 00:07:50,990 --> 00:07:54,620 more approachable to local customers. Think about other 123 00:07:54,620 --> 00:07:57,020 foods that are really popular in the United States that 124 00:07:57,020 --> 00:08:00,860 originated elsewhere, like pizza. People coming into the 125 00:08:00,860 --> 00:08:03,650 United States as immigrants brought along their favorite 126 00:08:03,650 --> 00:08:06,140 regional dishes, and then they blended them with the 127 00:08:06,140 --> 00:08:09,380 ingredients, like tomatoes, that were available in their new 128 00:08:09,380 --> 00:08:14,540 home. And so our food is always changing and adapting. Sarah 129 00:08:14,540 --> 00:08:16,910 says tacos followed a similar path. 130 00:08:16,970 --> 00:08:19,910 Sara Mardanbigi: Taco Tuesday, that never used to be a thing. 131 00:08:20,180 --> 00:08:27,170 There's different foods feel very unfamiliar or scary, but 132 00:08:27,170 --> 00:08:31,790 then they become sort of the fabric of that culture over 133 00:08:31,790 --> 00:08:36,920 time. For a while, Japanese food, Korean food, there was a 134 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:40,700 stigma around them, and the same thing with Mexican food, and now 135 00:08:40,700 --> 00:08:43,850 tacos are a part of that culture. It's burgers, pizza and 136 00:08:43,850 --> 00:08:47,180 tacos. It's now in the American lexicon of food, which is kind 137 00:08:47,180 --> 00:08:47,870 of crazy. 138 00:08:48,020 --> 00:08:50,060 Jane: Now that we're up to the present day. Let's talk about 139 00:08:50,060 --> 00:08:54,980 what a taco is and isn't. Turns out, there's a lot of debate. 140 00:08:55,460 --> 00:08:59,750 Kashton: My name is cash, dine, and I'm six years old, and I 141 00:08:59,750 --> 00:09:03,860 live in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and I'm in first grade. And why do 142 00:09:03,860 --> 00:09:05,540 tacos have sauce? 143 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:07,910 Edgar Rico: To make them more delicious, more than anything. 144 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,560 If we're looking at like a basic street taco, in essence, the 145 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:16,220 foundation of it is the tortilla, your filling--and it 146 00:09:16,220 --> 00:09:18,500 doesn't always necessarily have to be meat. It can be 147 00:09:18,500 --> 00:09:21,410 vegetables. One of my favorite tacos in the world is actually 148 00:09:21,410 --> 00:09:26,300 my mom's rajas con crema, which is a simple dish of roasted 149 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:30,470 chilies with a little bit of cheese and like a little bit of 150 00:09:30,470 --> 00:09:34,310 heavy cream, all mixed together. It's delicious. But when you're 151 00:09:34,310 --> 00:09:38,720 adding your salsa to your taco, that, for me, it's the part that 152 00:09:38,750 --> 00:09:41,990 kind of adds that little magic, adds that little bit of jazz to 153 00:09:41,990 --> 00:09:45,080 your taco. And it's nice because, you know, most 154 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:48,560 taquerias that you go to, they will let you kind of choose 155 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:52,190 whether it's how spicy do you want it? Do you like salsas that 156 00:09:52,190 --> 00:09:55,520 are a little more bold and smokiness? Or do you want 157 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:58,550 something that's a lot fresher, like an avocado salsa, or like a 158 00:09:58,550 --> 00:10:02,630 guacamole per se? That's just the personalization, the 159 00:10:02,630 --> 00:10:06,170 customization of the taco for you. That's kind of the fun part 160 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:07,640 for me about the tacos. 161 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:09,710 Sara Mardanbigi: And some people don't even put salsa on there. 162 00:10:09,740 --> 00:10:12,500 Like it's a choose your own adventure. If you're like, I'm a 163 00:10:12,500 --> 00:10:16,940 meat and potatoes guy and I just want the tortilla, the meat, 164 00:10:16,970 --> 00:10:20,840 maybe some onions on top of it, like, you can do that too. You 165 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:24,350 won't be judged for the way that you build your taco, because it 166 00:10:24,350 --> 00:10:29,150 is a very personal thing. So go for it. We're here to support 167 00:10:29,150 --> 00:10:33,800 it. We're here to support the taco in every shape and form. 168 00:10:33,980 --> 00:10:36,470 Jane: So the key is we listen and we don't judge. 169 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:42,260 Faye: Hi, my name is Leah. I'm five years old, and I live in 170 00:10:42,380 --> 00:10:48,680 Winnipeg, Manitoba. What kind of meat do you put in tacos? 171 00:10:49,070 --> 00:10:52,340 Jane: Now you both said you can have whatever you want in your 172 00:10:52,340 --> 00:10:57,350 taco. But can you list off some of the popular meats and types 173 00:10:57,350 --> 00:11:01,280 of meats and ways that meat is cooked in tacos, just to start 174 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:02,660 getting our mouths watering? 175 00:11:03,500 --> 00:11:07,850 Edgar Rico: Absolutely. So I would say in America, the four 176 00:11:07,850 --> 00:11:13,670 most popular meats ordered on a taco, one of them is probably 177 00:11:13,670 --> 00:11:15,500 going to be the one I feel like that everyone knows, which is 178 00:11:15,500 --> 00:11:19,730 carne asada. Carne asada is traditionally a northern style 179 00:11:19,730 --> 00:11:24,500 of making meat in which people in the north of Mexico will just 180 00:11:24,500 --> 00:11:27,710 get some really great beef, and they'll just literally, simply 181 00:11:27,710 --> 00:11:31,040 marinate it, hit it with a little salt, and grill it over 182 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:35,000 and open fire, chop it up, put it onto a tortilla, and voila, 183 00:11:35,030 --> 00:11:39,590 carne asada taco. And then another taco style that has a 184 00:11:39,590 --> 00:11:44,390 lot of cool history to it is the al pastor taco. The al pastor 185 00:11:44,390 --> 00:11:48,110 taco means the shepherd's taco. And this was actually an 186 00:11:48,110 --> 00:11:52,580 invention that was brought over by the Lebanese people who 187 00:11:52,610 --> 00:11:57,710 immigrated over to Mexico in the late 1800s they actually used to 188 00:11:57,710 --> 00:12:02,150 make a little shawarma. But then, you know, a lot of the 189 00:12:02,150 --> 00:12:05,000 clientele of Mexican people were there wanted something a little 190 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,330 more spicy, and they didn't actually like lamb as much, so 191 00:12:08,330 --> 00:12:11,630 they wanted to maybe use another protein that was more suitable 192 00:12:11,630 --> 00:12:14,120 for their palate. So they transitioned to pork. 193 00:12:14,450 --> 00:12:17,660 Eventually, that evolved to where we've gotten now, to the 194 00:12:17,810 --> 00:12:22,010 modern day al pastor taco, which then somehow, I don't know where 195 00:12:22,010 --> 00:12:25,160 exactly in the history, but pineapple was added to the taco, 196 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:28,850 and it has become an iconic street food all throughout 197 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:30,500 Mexico and the US. 198 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,580 And then I would say the third most popular style is probably 199 00:12:34,580 --> 00:12:40,370 going to be carnitas. Carnitas is also a regional style of taco 200 00:12:40,370 --> 00:12:43,850 making, or meat making, typically found in the state of 201 00:12:43,850 --> 00:12:48,410 Michoacan. And with that, you take just pork, literally tender 202 00:12:48,410 --> 00:12:51,470 and falling off the bone. And the last one, I would say, also, 203 00:12:51,470 --> 00:12:57,050 is barbacoa. That's another very, very popular style of meat 204 00:12:57,050 --> 00:13:00,650 making that's also traditionally found in the North, but 205 00:13:00,650 --> 00:13:05,060 specifically it comes from a place called Texcoco. You build 206 00:13:05,540 --> 00:13:11,000 a big fire pit underneath the earth, at least like five to six 207 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,060 feet, generally, is what you want to give yourself. But after 208 00:13:14,060 --> 00:13:18,530 you build this hole, you then line it with a bunch of bricks, 209 00:13:18,650 --> 00:13:22,760 and then you make a big, big, big fire. And then after that 210 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:25,730 fire burns down, and you just have a bed of embers, you then 211 00:13:25,730 --> 00:13:30,200 add in your pot with your meat in it, and then you bury it, and 212 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:34,070 you let it cook overnight for about 10 to 12 hours, and the 213 00:13:34,070 --> 00:13:38,300 next day, you have a delicious, delicious treat in front of you, 214 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:40,310 which is called barbacoa. 215 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,380 Jane: But if you're not a big lover of meat, there are still 216 00:13:42,380 --> 00:13:45,470 lots of different types of tacos you might really like. In 217 00:13:45,470 --> 00:13:48,530 coastal regions of Mexico, for example, you'll find fish and 218 00:13:48,530 --> 00:13:52,010 seafood tacos. And there are also many types of tacos that 219 00:13:52,010 --> 00:13:52,850 are vegetarian. 220 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:54,440 Sara Mardanbigi: There's something called hoja santa, 221 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:58,940 which is this sort of like anisey, kind of smoky herb that 222 00:13:58,940 --> 00:14:02,270 grows that they use a lot. There's a lot of different 223 00:14:02,300 --> 00:14:07,610 applications, like with squash, with pumpkins, with mushrooms, 224 00:14:07,610 --> 00:14:11,870 and thinking about like the pre-Hispanic side of Mexico, 225 00:14:11,900 --> 00:14:15,860 there were a lot more vegetable forward dishes. So for any 226 00:14:16,010 --> 00:14:20,240 vegetarians or vegans out there, you can make still a really 227 00:14:20,390 --> 00:14:22,250 beautiful and delicious taco. 228 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,900 Jane: Yum. I am salivating just hearing about all of these 229 00:14:25,900 --> 00:14:30,070 delicious taco types. Coming up, we'll talk about why tortillas, 230 00:14:30,070 --> 00:14:34,480 and especially corn, tortillas, are such an important part of 231 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:36,340 Mexican cuisine. Stay tuned. 232 00:14:36,340 --> 00:14:36,460 BREAK: BREAK 233 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,900 Jane: I'm Jane Lindholm. Today on But Why, we're talking all 234 00:14:40,900 --> 00:14:44,320 things tacos. We've learned about some of the most popular 235 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:48,460 meat-based taco fillings: carne asada, al pastor, carnitas and 236 00:14:48,460 --> 00:14:52,780 barbacoa. We've also talked about salsa, the sauce. But if 237 00:14:52,780 --> 00:14:56,380 we're talking about tacos, we have to talk about the tortilla. 238 00:14:57,070 --> 00:15:01,060 After all, the tortilla is what holds everything together. I 239 00:15:01,060 --> 00:15:03,370 mentioned earlier that traditionally in Mexico, 240 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:07,570 tortillas are soft and round and made with flour or corn, but 241 00:15:07,570 --> 00:15:10,210 people have been making tortillas with corn for much 242 00:15:10,210 --> 00:15:14,650 longer than with flour, and that's because corn is a native 243 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,520 vegetable to Mexico, whereas wheat, which is what flour is 244 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:22,630 made of, isn't. At Nixta Taqueria, where our guests Edgar 245 00:15:22,630 --> 00:15:26,710 Rico and Sarah Mardanbigi work, they are sticking with corn. 246 00:15:26,890 --> 00:15:28,750 Sara Mardanbigi: There's a phrase called "sin mais no hay 247 00:15:28,750 --> 00:15:32,260 pais," which means without corn, there's, you know, there's not a 248 00:15:32,260 --> 00:15:34,960 country, there's not a culture. It's a huge part of the culture 249 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:38,410 in Mexico. It's part of the DNA. They said that was part of the 250 00:15:38,410 --> 00:15:41,050 first civilizations there. It's how it sustained them. 251 00:15:41,110 --> 00:15:44,380 Jane: Sin mais no hay pais. Without corn, there's no 252 00:15:44,380 --> 00:15:48,310 country. Wow. That gives you a sense of how important corn is 253 00:15:48,310 --> 00:15:52,570 to Mexican culture and cuisine. But for corn to become a 254 00:15:52,570 --> 00:15:56,260 tortilla, it first needs to go through an ancient process 255 00:15:56,260 --> 00:16:00,040 called nixtamalization. That's a really big word. 256 00:16:00,460 --> 00:16:05,290 Edgar Rico: Nixtamalization is a word that sounds very daunting, 257 00:16:05,290 --> 00:16:10,210 but it's just a word for essentially the science and the 258 00:16:10,210 --> 00:16:14,470 magic of what happens to corn for you to create a corn 259 00:16:14,470 --> 00:16:17,590 tortilla. You can't have corn tortilla without nixtamalizing 260 00:16:17,620 --> 00:16:22,540 corn and the process in which you break down this corn to get 261 00:16:22,540 --> 00:16:25,300 you a corn tortilla starts with you getting some really 262 00:16:25,300 --> 00:16:28,690 beautiful dried corn, preferably heirloom. 263 00:16:28,870 --> 00:16:33,250 Jane: And heirloom basically means an older species or genus 264 00:16:33,250 --> 00:16:36,370 or type of a vegetable or an animal or a plant. 265 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,720 Edgar Rico: Absolutely. Yeah. So in Mexico, specifically, there 266 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:44,730 are over 30 varieties of corn that are native to Mexico, and 267 00:16:44,730 --> 00:16:48,240 they can come in all sorts of different vast colors, from 268 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:53,250 green, purple, red. You then add this corn to some water that's 269 00:16:53,250 --> 00:16:56,790 boiling, and inside of this water, you're going to add the 270 00:16:56,790 --> 00:17:02,100 secret magical ingredient called cal. Cal, essentially, is a 271 00:17:02,100 --> 00:17:04,860 derivative of limestone, and you're gonna actually let it 272 00:17:04,860 --> 00:17:09,810 cook for about 30 to 45 minutes, and then after cooking the corn 273 00:17:09,810 --> 00:17:12,600 in this boiling water, you actually let it sit, and you let 274 00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:16,200 it sit overnight and soak in this solution for about 10 to 12 275 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,920 hours. And that's, as it's soaking, the magic of 276 00:17:19,950 --> 00:17:22,770 nixtamalization is happening. And essentially, with 277 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:26,100 nixtamilization, it's gonna help break down this corn for you to 278 00:17:26,100 --> 00:17:27,900 actually be able to digest it better. 279 00:17:28,110 --> 00:17:31,200 Jane: The human body isn't very good at digesting the outer 280 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,800 layer of a corn kernel, which is why, if you have corn on the cob 281 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,800 for dinner, it'll mostly pass right through your digestive 282 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:41,190 system untouched (which you already know if you listen to 283 00:17:41,190 --> 00:17:46,320 our recent poop episode). But nixtamilization changes the 284 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:49,500 chemical structure of the corn and makes it easier for our 285 00:17:49,500 --> 00:17:50,790 bodies to digest. 286 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,580 Edgar Rico: So the magic of nixtamalization helps unlock 287 00:17:53,580 --> 00:17:57,060 corn's fullest potential. So it unlocks all the natural 288 00:17:57,060 --> 00:18:00,300 nutrients that are in within corn. It also activates the 289 00:18:00,300 --> 00:18:03,840 natural glutens and starches that are within the corn for you 290 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:07,890 to be able to help make a corn tortilla. In essence, that is 291 00:18:07,890 --> 00:18:11,910 kind of the magic of how nixtamalization works and why 292 00:18:11,910 --> 00:18:16,500 it's a really special thing to do. But this thing also is 293 00:18:16,530 --> 00:18:19,260 thousands and thousands of years old, and it's something that we 294 00:18:19,260 --> 00:18:23,190 still get to carry on today and doing this tradition of making 295 00:18:23,190 --> 00:18:26,820 tortillas. And it's a cool way to kind of almost, kind of look 296 00:18:26,820 --> 00:18:27,720 back into the past. 297 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:32,160 Sara Mardanbigi: And it's it's a slow food. It's about 14 to 15 298 00:18:32,190 --> 00:18:36,210 hours from start to finish, from the time you take the corn, the 299 00:18:36,210 --> 00:18:39,210 time you're cooking it, to the time it sits overnight for about 300 00:18:39,210 --> 00:18:43,020 10 hours, til the following morning, when we actually grind 301 00:18:43,020 --> 00:18:46,770 the corn into masa. So we have something inside our restaurant 302 00:18:46,770 --> 00:18:51,900 called a molino, which is a wet mill. So it is where you take 303 00:18:51,930 --> 00:18:55,500 two wheels, and they're made out of volcanic stones with 304 00:18:55,500 --> 00:18:58,500 different etchings in there. So as the corn is going through 305 00:18:58,500 --> 00:19:03,120 there, it's slowly grinding against each other and making 306 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:03,840 that masa. 307 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,200 Jane: Masa, by the way, is dough that's made from corn. 308 00:19:07,630 --> 00:19:11,440 Sara Mardanbigi: So it takes a lot of time, a lot of skill. The 309 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:15,610 amount of love that goes into it is it's not a like one-hour 310 00:19:15,610 --> 00:19:18,940 thing. You have to really take the time and put some care into 311 00:19:18,940 --> 00:19:19,180 it. 312 00:19:19,270 --> 00:19:22,780 Jane: And Sara says this love and care begins on the farm. A 313 00:19:22,780 --> 00:19:26,290 lot of farmers who choose to grow heirloom varieties of corn 314 00:19:26,530 --> 00:19:29,650 do it because they care deeply about the land they cultivate. 315 00:19:29,830 --> 00:19:35,530 Faye: My name is Faye. I'm six years old, and I live in 316 00:19:35,530 --> 00:19:40,660 Alameda, California. Why is corn different colors? 317 00:19:40,900 --> 00:19:46,480 Eve: My name is Eve. I am seven years old. I live in New York. 318 00:19:46,510 --> 00:19:51,460 Why are some corn kernels yellow and some white? 319 00:19:52,090 --> 00:19:54,850 Jane: You mentioned corn can come in many different colors. 320 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:57,310 Why does it come in different colors? 321 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:01,000 Edgar Rico: There's different climates and different factors 322 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,960 that play into why corn ends up becoming different colors. So 323 00:20:05,380 --> 00:20:08,680 one of them is, you know, just the natural genetics of some of 324 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:12,010 these corns, like those 30 varieties are naturally just 325 00:20:12,010 --> 00:20:15,850 have these colors that they've been growing in that fashion for 326 00:20:15,850 --> 00:20:20,770 many years. But the climate will take a big part in that too. So, 327 00:20:21,010 --> 00:20:23,920 you know, maybe some climates are a little wetter, and you're 328 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:27,310 going to have just a different hue in terms of the color of the 329 00:20:27,310 --> 00:20:31,120 corn, but also where it's grown even. I mean, we happen to grow 330 00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:33,760 corn right in our backyard, actually, because we have a big 331 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:37,870 farm in our backyard. And last year, we noticed that some of 332 00:20:37,870 --> 00:20:41,650 the corn, because we grew two different varieties, but on this 333 00:20:41,770 --> 00:20:45,400 border of where we were growing some of this purple corn and 334 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:48,130 some of this red corn, some of that corn started fusing 335 00:20:48,130 --> 00:20:51,790 together. Because the way corn releases its seeds is through 336 00:20:51,790 --> 00:20:56,920 the top. When you see like these little kind of like hairs of 337 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:00,250 corn, you'll see that that's where some of the seeds get 338 00:21:00,250 --> 00:21:03,760 released into the air. Sometimes, as it's landing on 339 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:07,270 these silks of corn, they'll just kind of latch onto it, and 340 00:21:07,270 --> 00:21:11,860 then it'll start taking fold into the corn, and you'll get 341 00:21:11,860 --> 00:21:16,810 these really beautiful kind of cross color of corn that'll be 342 00:21:17,110 --> 00:21:20,530 purple and yellow, or it might be like the one that we had that 343 00:21:20,530 --> 00:21:21,490 was purple and pink. 344 00:21:30,730 --> 00:21:34,420 Jane: Learning about how tortillas are made was making me 345 00:21:34,420 --> 00:21:37,630 hungry, so I asked Edgar to show me how they do it at Nixta. 346 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:43,180 Edgar Rico: We are here in the Nixta Taqueria kitchen about to 347 00:21:43,180 --> 00:21:49,120 make some tortillas. And what we're hearing right now is our 348 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:53,830 corn being mixed up. It's been ground up. We're adding a little 349 00:21:53,830 --> 00:21:58,000 bit of salt to it, just to give it a little bit of flavor. I'll 350 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:03,280 let you first feel. So it's gonna feel... 351 00:22:03,610 --> 00:22:04,870 Jane: Kind of like Play Doh! 352 00:22:05,110 --> 00:22:06,970 Edgar Rico: Exactly. That's exactly what I always tell 353 00:22:06,970 --> 00:22:11,830 people. You're gonna feel like a light moisture in your hand as 354 00:22:11,830 --> 00:22:14,980 you're kind of moving it around your hands. And yeah, the 355 00:22:14,980 --> 00:22:19,060 texture is very much so like Play Doh. And then this one in 356 00:22:19,060 --> 00:22:22,300 particular, we're adding a little bit of guajillo chili so 357 00:22:22,300 --> 00:22:26,260 we can get a really nice bright red hue and also a little bit of 358 00:22:26,260 --> 00:22:29,500 flavor. And at this point, we are ready to make a corn 359 00:22:29,500 --> 00:22:36,760 tortilla. And with this machine, it's gonna help roll your corn. 360 00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:42,430 It's gonna roll it onto this roller. And what we're looking 361 00:22:42,430 --> 00:22:47,020 for is for it to catch fully, like so, kind of see how that's 362 00:22:47,020 --> 00:22:51,040 catching right now? That's exactly what we're looking for. 363 00:22:51,490 --> 00:22:58,540 And now we're going to start bringing them out like so. And 364 00:22:58,540 --> 00:23:03,160 then it has three different layers where we're going to cook 365 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:07,180 our corn tortilla. So this one on the top is going to be your 366 00:23:07,180 --> 00:23:11,050 lowest temperature. The middle is going to have the medium 367 00:23:11,050 --> 00:23:16,090 heat, and the bottom is going to have the highest heat ratio. 368 00:23:19,060 --> 00:23:21,220 Boom. It's going to go on through the bottom, and then 369 00:23:21,220 --> 00:23:23,890 it's gonna come out through here on the bottom. 370 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:28,640 Jane: That's now a cooked tortilla. 371 00:23:28,670 --> 00:23:29,120 Edgar Rico: Yeah. 372 00:23:29,660 --> 00:23:30,140 Jane: Cool. 373 00:23:30,860 --> 00:23:31,370 Edgar Rico: Eat it. 374 00:23:32,150 --> 00:23:33,080 Jane: Really delicious. 375 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:37,340 Edgar Rico: You definitely taste that flavor. It's so much 376 00:23:37,340 --> 00:23:39,050 different than a store-bought corn tortilla. 377 00:23:39,050 --> 00:23:39,830 Jane: Oh yeah, for sure. 378 00:23:39,890 --> 00:23:43,160 Edgar Rico: You get, like, all those really nice, earthy notes 379 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:45,500 and they're nice and soft and pillowy. 380 00:23:46,100 --> 00:23:47,120 Jane: They're really lovely. 381 00:23:48,710 --> 00:23:52,340 Edgar told me they make over a thousand tortillas every day at 382 00:23:52,340 --> 00:23:55,610 Nixta Taqueria. We're going to post some videos from Nixta's 383 00:23:55,610 --> 00:24:00,380 kitchen on our Instagram page at butwhy_kids so you can watch 384 00:24:00,380 --> 00:24:04,520 Edgar make a fresh tortilla, too. Has your idea of a perfect 385 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:08,660 taco changed at all listening to this episode? What type of taco 386 00:24:08,660 --> 00:24:13,130 are you most excited to try next? We'd love to know! But 387 00:24:13,130 --> 00:24:17,600 here's a really controversial question we have for you: is a 388 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:23,450 taco a sandwich? What do you think? Have your adult record a 389 00:24:23,450 --> 00:24:26,330 video of you telling us whether you think a taco counts as a 390 00:24:26,330 --> 00:24:30,080 sandwich and why or why not. We'll share videos on our 391 00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:34,010 Instagram and YouTube pages. You can get an adult to help you see 392 00:24:34,010 --> 00:24:34,340 them. 393 00:24:36,220 --> 00:24:39,970 Thanks to Edgar Rico and Sarah Mardanbigi of Nixta Taqueria in 394 00:24:39,970 --> 00:24:44,680 Austin, Texas. It was so cool to visit their restaurant. That's 395 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:48,280 it for this episode. If you have a question about anything, have 396 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:51,910 an adult record you asking it. It's easy to do on a smartphone 397 00:24:51,910 --> 00:24:55,750 using an app like voice memos. Then have your adult email it to 398 00:24:56,920 --> 00:25:00,670 questions@butwhykids.org. But Why is produced by Melody 399 00:25:00,730 --> 00:25:04,540 Bodette, Sarah Baik and me, Jane Lindholm, at Vermont Public and 400 00:25:04,540 --> 00:25:09,340 distributed by PRX. Our video producer is Joey Palumbo. Check 401 00:25:09,340 --> 00:25:12,940 out our YouTube series, But Why bites. We put out a short, 402 00:25:13,030 --> 00:25:17,590 bite-sized video episode every other Friday. Our theme music is 403 00:25:17,590 --> 00:25:21,220 by Luke Reynolds. We'll be back in two weeks with an all new 404 00:25:21,220 --> 00:25:26,170 episode, until then, stay curious--and hungry!