Blue corn tortilla
A blue corn tortilla is a tortilla made from masa of dark-kerneled native maize, whose anthocyanin pigments give it a blue, gray or purplish color. It is especially prized in central Mexico for tortillas, quesadillas and tlacoyos.
Description
In Mexican markets, maíz azul is a catch-all name for varieties whose kernels run from navy and black to dark gray or dark green. Larousse records that its dark blue dough is used above all for tortillas and quesadillas in Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Morelos and Puebla, where people value it for both color and flavor.
Color and nutrition
The color comes from anthocyanins in the grain. A 2017 study in the Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agrícolas made tortillas from native blue and purple populations of the Elotes Cónicos, Chalqueño and Bolita races, collected in the State of Mexico, Mexico City and Oaxaca. Tortillas from Elotes Cónicos had the most anthocyanins and were genuinely blue, while those from Chalqueño and Bolita came out greenish-yellow, which the authors attributed to the yellow pericarp dissolving during nixtamalization. A white-grain control had only a small fraction of the pigment. The authors also note that the alkaline, high-temperature cooking of nixtamalization destroys a large share of the anthocyanins in the raw grain.
Use in tacos
Blue tortillas are common in Mexico City street food, where they often wrap quesadillas, tlacoyos and some tacos de guisado. They are made in the same way as other corn tortillas, from nixtamal masa pressed thin and cooked on a comal.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh blue-corn nixtamal masa, or 2 cups blue-corn masa harina with about 1 1/2 cups warm water
- Pinch of salt
- Water as needed
Steps
- Knead the masa until soft and pliable; add water a spoonful at a time if it cracks.
- Heat a comal over medium-high heat.
- Form walnut-sized balls and press each between plastic in a tortilla press.
- Cook about 30 seconds, flip, cook 45 seconds, flip again until puffed.
- Keep warm wrapped in a cloth.
Blue masa is often a little more fragile than white; press slightly thicker if it tears.
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See also
References
- "Maíz". Larousse Cocina (Diccionario enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Composición nutricional y de compuestos bioactivos en tortillas de poblaciones nativas de maíz con grano azul/morado". Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agrícolas 8(7):1483-1496 (2017), via Redalyc. Retrieved 2026-10-10.