A History of Mexican Tortillas

By KC Kudra

Tortillas got its name from the Spaniards. The word "tortillas" comes from the Spanish word "torta" with the meaning being round cake. Tortillas are eaten everyday not just in Mexico but also in America. Americans put just about anything they can in the tortilla from meat and beans to apples and brown sugar. Ever try peanut butter and jelly in a tortilla? Many eat it that way; also, the tortillas are used with hot dogs, casseroles, and sandwiches.

Tortillas have been used for thousands of years but without the exotic, imaginative flavors and fillings of today.

More than 10,000 years before Christ, the Aztecs were already making tortillas. The Aztecs used a lot of corn, both eaten straight from the cob and in recipes. They would grind corn into cornmeal and from this they would make a corn dough called masa. Water is added to the cornmeal to make the dough but the temperature of the water is very important. If it is too hot or too cold, the dough will not be the right consistency to roll out. When the masa is ready, it is made into a ball and then rolled out into a thick pancake shape. It is then placed on a hot griddle for a minute or so to cook. It is important to keep an eye on the tortillas because they do not take long to cook.

Today the tortilla is still made with the same ingredients. Majority of them are made in factories with machines because they are in high demand. They come in many flavors. Anyone can still make them from scratch if they prefer. You can find tortillas in a variety of Mexican foods. Tacos use them as the shell. Enchiladas consist of the tortilla being filled and then rolled, afterwards being cooked. Quesadillas use tortillas as turnovers, which are filled and then fried.

Did you know that tortillas are not just for eating? "Tortilla art" is when tortillas are used as a canvas. They are baked before being covered with acrylic. Then they are painted. Tortilla art represents the culture of Latino artists.

Tortilla chips are also made from tortillas. The tortilla is fried after being cut into wedges. The ingredients in corn tortillas are corn, salt, water, and vegetable oil. These tortilla chips first gained popularity in the 1940s in Los Angeles, California. These chips were mass-produced there but are still known as Mexican food.

Americans like to use tortillas in various dishes. They are commonly used in burritos, which originated in northern Mexico many years ago. Many people from the north of Mexico and the Native Mexicans in the southwestern United States eat tortillas as a food staple. Many restaurants use flour tortillas in a variety of non-Mexican and Mexican recipes. Nearly every grocery store has tortillas and you can also make homemade tortillas and experiment with the ingredients and fillings.

There are a lot of different tortilla recipes if you want to try this exciting food in various ways and create your own delicious dishes with flour tortillas! - 17269

About the Author:

Mexican recipes are easier than you might think find out just how easy it is to make your favorite Mexican food recipes at home in your own kitchen.

A Healthy Energy Drink: Can Everybody Take It?

By Julieanne van Zyl

So, do you think it's advisable for just anyone to take a healthy energy drink? Wait - just before you go take another can of Red Bull, you ought to think about the health consequences of drinking too many energy drinks in one day. While energy drinks are superb energy boosters and can give you immediate energy, they are supposed to be taken only as long as you need them.

This approach is not good. Energy drinks contain certain ingredients which when used in the right quantities can give you the desired burst of energy. But it will not last long and in some cases goes away quickly and leaves you with less energy then before.

So when is it better to take energy drinks?

Report and research have both shown that many folks are in the tendency of having energy drinks first thing in the morning -even before their breakfast. Unfortunately , because the side effects are not always immediately noticeable, many think they can easily get away with this or just simply believe that there are no side effects. It is far better to have an energy drink after you have had breakfast and require some form of energy boost to get you by.

It is far better to have an energy drink after you have had breakfast and require some form of energy boost to get you by. Therefore, drinking an energy drink first thing in the morning is certain to get you in the hospital in a very short while as you will more likely experience repeated bouts of dizziness, increased pulse rate -also known as tachycardia- continual headaches, insomnia and restlessness.

Why Are Energy Drinks Capable of Causing Such Side Effects?

The motive for the near instantaneous boost that you get from taking energy drinks is as a product of the high content of both sugar and caffeine. While these are sure components for an increased energy level, they are not exactly the quickest way to increase your energy levels on a consistent basis.

The same applies to those who are suffering from diabetes; the sugar content available in these drinks is a definite no-no. So if you have any of these ailments or related ailments regardless of how minute or mild they might be, then energy drinks are not meant for you. Instead, you can increase your water intake and use some other health remedies.

High Energy drinks are common for body builders and physical fitness buffs that use them to upsurge their stamina and improve their performance while they are training. However, a lot of teenagers take these drinks on a daily basis thus making it responsible for their hyperactivity and restlessness.

It is not prudent to have teenagers who are not into high energy sports activities take a high energy drink, otherwise the dangers involved are that the kids become violent and experience what is known as "toxic jock" syndromes as research has shown. One of the healthy energy drinks which is safe is called the Verve energy drink. - 17269

About the Author:

Julieanne van Zyl runs a website about healthy energy drinks where you can find informative and up to date information about energy drinks. If you would like to to purchase a healthy energy drink, which is a Mangosteen Juice product with an energy blend, go here: Verve Energy Drink

Lose the Weight and Your Worries in 2009!

By Julie Morris and Sarah Morris Cherry

Do you arm yourself with a candy bar when battling your worries? I did, for more years than I'd like to admit. When I turned to food to fix my worries, food fixed me real good! The more I ate, the fatter and more stressed out I got. But for some strange reason, that didn't stop me from heading for the refrigerator or grabbing a few of my favorite candy bars when I was upset. And I was upset A LOT.

I was the RN supervisor of a large medical-surgical floor in a hospital-telling everybody what to do to get healthy, and I felt like a dummy because I couldn't stop overeating even though it made my blood pressure soar. My doctor told me I could have a stroke if I didn't lose weight, so guess what I did: I went home and ate everything I could get my hands on. A doctor I worked with congratulated me for being pregnant--when I wasn't--and I swore I would eat 500 calories until I wore a size 3, but I'll bet you can guess what I did instead: I ate until I was about to pop.

I wanted to be thin more than anything in the world, so why couldn't I quit overeating? I didn't understand it then, but I do now. When we eat, our bodies secrete feel-good brain chemicals--neurotransmitters, such as serotonin. So eating really does relieve stress temporarily.

The problem is that when we turn to food to fix our problems, they only grow, and so do we!

Twenty-five years ago, after a lifetime of overeating and stressing out, I began discovering practical ways to lose the weight and worries that weighed me down. Here are three things that did, and still do:

I started writing in a Prayer Journal about things that were stressing me out. I learned that resentments are fattening, pouting puts pounds on and worries widen hips so I cast those cares on God, and not on the refrigerator. I stopped playing games with my eating. Some of my favorites-- "Broken Cookies Don't Count," "Fudge Is My Fortress," "I've Already Blown It Today So What I Eat Now Won't Hurt Me."

I stopped playing games with my eating. Some of my favorites-- "Broken Cookies Don't Count," "Fudge Is My Fortress," "I've Already Blown It Today So What I Eat Now Won't Hurt Me."

So join me. Make 2009 THE YEAR you lose your weight and the worries that weigh you down!

Julie Morris is the author of 12 books and founder of Guided By Him-a brand new light and easy 12-week Christian weight-loss program. - 17269

About the Author:

Take a look at Julie's Website Guidedbyhim