Matagalpa, Nicaragua

making tortillas in nicaragua

You can’t escape tortillas when traveling in Nicaragua. The Nicas eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Nicaraguan tortillas are made from corn flour and are quite thick. For breakfast, I’ll use it to scoop up my gallo pinto (beans and rice) and scrambled egg, I’d place a little (ok, maybe more than a little) slice of cuajada (salty cheese), and add a dash of chili sauce and fold it in half quesadilla style.

One common roadside snack in Nicaragua is quesillo: a string of mozzarella-type cheese with pickled onion, doused with watery sour cream all wrapped in a thick tortilla. It’s a little bit of an acquired taste.

Tortilla making in Nicaragua

I stopped for breakfast one morning at this tiny market in Matagalpa and I saw these 2 women chatting while making tortillas. Their hands were a blur as they took a pinch of dough and smack it flat with their palm. “Smack-smack” – flip, “Smack-smack” – flip.

Another woman was grilling them on top of a wood fired stove.

I ask how many tortillas they make every day.

“Mil” – 1000. And this is just a tiny stall in a tiny market.

They sure love their tortillas here in Nicaragua.