Corn Tortillas in Europe
There is no doubt about the importance of corn tortillas when it comes to Mexican food. Its history is long in Mesoamerica where it was used as a staple food, something that has not changed in modern times in Mexico. Almost everything is accompanied by it and it is difficult to think of eating without a tortilla that can be filled with your favorite stew, scraping the last puddles of sauce that remained on your plate or simply eating it with a pinch of salt or a salsa, just like they are given to you while you wait for them to be wrapped in paper or your napkin at the tortillería.
In Mexico they can be found everywhere. There is a tortilla shop practically on every block and if not, then you can find them at the supermarket. But arriving in European lands, the panorama changes abruptly. You search and search and the only ones you find are those made of wheat that, although not what you really want, find their way to your table.
If you are in a country that has a considerably large Mexican community, such as that of Spain or Germany, over time, you will find something since your craving has been experienced by other countrymen before you. But if by bad luck you are in a country where Mexicans are still of a rare breed, get used to bread since the corn tortilla is almost completely unknown. Or would there be a way to get your hands on them?
We live in the age of the Internet that has managed to change the borders of countries in terms of commercial exchange. Today, there are many stores with online sale that send their merchandise all over the world. So I thought of making a sort of catalog of the various tortillas that are made in Europe or imported from Mexico and their points of sale.
I am just scratching the surface since the continent is large and at first glance, there seem to be quite a few manufacturers and stores in which they are offered. From the beginning, the need for a second article has been clear with reference to the points of sale of Mexican products, since several brands cannot be obtained from the factories that produce them and are therefore distributed through online and physical stores.
I have tried to put together a list of the various brands of tortillas available in Europe. This is the beginning, in order for the project that I intend to develop takes shape and to establish a reference to the most basic food of our culinary culture and surely, the most important on our table. Hopefully it will be useful to you!
Cool Chile is a London based company that makes blue and white corn tortillas. Its year of foundation is 1993. Among the products they sell are the following types of tortillas that are free of gluten and genetically modified food: ingredients:
• blue cornmeal
• 6cm blue or white tortillas.
• 10cm blue or white tortillas.
• 12cm blue or white tortillas.
• 15cm blue or white tortillas.
• 20cm blue or white tortillas.
“The monster", the company's prodigy machine
They can be found in packs of 1 kilo or 10 pieces. As they do not contain preservatives, they have to be refrigerated or frozen upon arrival. They are delivered to practically all of Europe. The company says that it tries to ship all orders within 2 days of being placed. It is necessary to place the order in advance since the tortillas are not ready for sale.
Among the various products offered in the German store La Tortilla, could not miss the corn tortillas that can be found in the following types:
• 15cm Nixtamal corn tortillas
• 15cm white corn tortillas
• Tortillas for flautas
The tortillas are not vacuum packed but fresh and therefore, they have to be consumed quickly, refrigerated or frozen. Navigating through their payment system and placing an order, it appears that the company offers its products to most of Europe and they can be purchased from their own online store.
Those of Tortillas Guanajuato are manufactured in Celaya, Guanajuato, but the company has a good presence in Europe and it seems that it manages to be competitive in price. Although they can be found in various stores in many European countries, they can be ordered online from Mexgrocer , located in several countries of the continent and the Swiss store El Maíz, which also handles most of the types of tortillas offered by the company.
Maíz Maya, that dates from the end of 2016, has up to the time of writing, sold about twelve tons per month. The corn used to make tortillas is grown and nixtamalised in Spain. Apart from tortilla chips, tamales, dough and eventlayudas! that are also marketed by the company, its corn tortillas are as follows:
• 12cm white corn and chipotle tortillas
• 12cm nixtamalized blue corn tortillas
• 15cm nixtamalized white corn tortillas
• 12cm nixtamalized white corn tortillas
• 10cm nixtamalized white corn tortillas
The countries that are attended to by its online store are limited to Spain and Portugal. The company announces that aside from its online store, its products can be found at various other outlets, such as, 100% México in Spain, which offers them both through its network of stores and also its website.
The online store in Bonn, Germany, Hola México, sells its own brand of tortillas that are made in Mexico, by Mexican hands, as Pilar Almaraz, founder of the company, was so kind to inform me in our telephone communication. He told me that at the moment, they only sell white corn tortillas in two different packages:
• 700gr package. tortilla taquera with a diameter of 10cm
• 500gr package of normal tortilla of 14cm.
Their shipping prices are modest and their shopping cart took me to checkout with no indication of destination limitations (the one I put was Greece).
Komali Tortillas , with several points of sale in Germany, Holland, Switzerland, France, Denmark, United Kingdom, Spain and the Czech Republic, sells the following types of nixtamalized and non-GMO Mexican corn tortillas:
• 15cm white corn tortilla.
• 15cm yellow corn tortilla.
• 12cm yellow corn tortilla.
You can also find Komali Tortillas at the following online stores: Mexgrocer , La Mexicana and Mi Tiendita.
The Spanish company Nagual Also, it makes nixtamalized corn tortillas in the following variations:
• 15cm white corn tortilla.
• 15cm yellow corn tortilla.
• 15cm
whole wheat rosso corn
tortilla.
• 12cm white corn tortilla.
• 12cm yellow corn tortilla.
They have a long shelf life with a minimum of preservatives. The company assures that of all the room temperature tortillas on the market, they are the ones with the least amount of preservatives, with a shelf life of 6 months.
The online store makes deliveries only within Spain but their product can be found in Comercial Mexicana, Cocinamexicana.es, María la Bonita, and Despensa Mexicana who deliver to a wider range of destinations.
The company Pepe Comala does not sell through its own site. In fact, for some strange reason, their tortillas don't appear there. Even so, and although it has cost me some research, they can be obtained in the following places: Abarrotes Doña Cuca, La Comer, and Maria La Bonita,.
Aside from the various Mexican products that they offer, from what I could find out, their tortillas are as follows:
• 15cm corn tortillas.
• 12cm corn tortillas.
• 12cm blue corn tortillas.
You can find all the types mentioned above in Abarrotes Doña Cuca and La Comer, while Maria La Bonita, seems to only handle the 15cm corn ones. If you know of any other type of tortilla that this company may manufacture or of other points of sale, please let me know in the comments section, at the end of this article.
Continuing with the big ones, La Reina de las Tortillas, the legendary achievement of Doña Delfina, who started making tortillas in her small apartment in Madrid, has her mandatory presence in the group.
The company, specializes in fresh tortillas that it offers at its physical network that spans Spain, France, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, according to the points of sale map on its site. Perhaps that is why in its online store, offers its tortillas in two different packages, with and without an airtight seal. The types of corn tortilla are as follows:
• 10cm yellow corn tortillas.
• 12cm yellow corn tortillas.
• 15cm yellow corn tortillas.
• 12cm white corn tortillas.
I went to the checkout here also, since I was not disappointed with the prices and I was able to verify that they deliver to practically all of Europe but also, they can be obtained in Comercial Mexicana, Despensa Mexicana, Los Juanitos, Jalapeños tu Gitana, Maria la Bonita and MexiTheque.
Another brand in the big boys' club of tortillas in Europe is Moctezuma Foods. Founded in Austria and moved to Prague of the Czech Republic, today it offers various products and the following nixtamalized corn tortillas:
• 10cm corn tortillas.
• 12cm corn tortillas.
• 15cm corn tortillas.
• 24cm corn tortillas.
Orders placed through the online store are delivered to most of Europe. However, their tortillas can also be obtained from Mexgrocer and El Maíz in Switzerland.
Tortilla Factory offers products made from organic, nixtamalized corn and ingredients that have not been genetically modified since 2013, when it opened in the Netherlands. The company does not appear to sell from its own facilities, but its tortillas are available in Mexicaanse Winkel and several other stores within the continent.
• 12cm white corn tortillas.
• 15cm white corn tortillas.
• 12cm yellow corn tortillas.
• 15cm yellow corn tortillas.
• 12cm blue corn tortillas.
• 15cm blue corn tortillas.
Another tortillería that does not seem to sell its products from its own website is Mi Adelita in Switzerland, although apart from corn and wheat tortillas, tortilla chips and dürüm, canned products can also be found. Started in 1995, the company went through several storms and lost one of its two partners, but today, its tortillas can be found throughout the alpine nation. The online stores that sell them are La Guadalupana and Casa Maya, also in Switzerland.
• 14cm corn tortillas.
• 25cm corn tortillas.
This tortilla shop has a surprising variety of products. What appears here is a small summary since their tortillas come in a variety of thickness and packaging. Made from non-GMO cornmeal, they are immediately frozen to preserve their aroma. Although Mex-Al has been importing Mexican products for more than 25 years, it has been manufacturing tortillas since 2005, which is quite some time, anyway. They are shipped to practically all of Europe from their online store, which handles an array of Mexican products.
• 11cm white corn tortillas.
• 15cm white corn tortillas.
• 20cm white corn tortillas.
• 23cm white corn tortillas.
• 11cm yellow corn tortillas.
• 15cm yellow corn tortillas.
• 20cm yellow corn tortillas.
• 15cm blue corn tortillas.
• 15cm red corn tortillas.
Amanda Hubatsch's tortillería, Mexikanische Tortillas, since 2014, offers its products made from organic yellow corn grown in Germany. The corn is nixtamalized, ground in a stone mill and fresh tortillas and sopes are prepared every day. Its products are shipped to Germany, Holland, France, and Italy. The tortillas produced are the following:
• 13cm yellow corn tortillas.
• 15cm yellow corn tortillas.
• 19cm yellow corn tortillas.
I feel that at least an attempt has been made to organize the various brands of corn tortillas available in Europe. I am well aware that a lot of brands are missing. It is a large continent, there is a lot of information and time, as usual, is always limited. As time has passed and our website has grown, we have formed a true Directory, which makes life easier for all Mexican expatriates and lovers of our cuisine. A directory that helps bring together the flavors we seek, our cravings and the fascination of creating and recreating them.
Which are your favorite tortillas and which ones do you actually buy, if you can't find them? What brands are you aware of that do not appear here? Leave me your comments below. Let me know, thus contributing to the realization of a site of reference that we can all consult and which will be updated by ourselves, since we are the ones who daily look for the flavors we miss. Tell me what you would like to see added and what is wrong, so I can correct it. I appreciate very much and am thankful of your opinion, which to me, is of great help. I hope you guide me to improve this work.
Cover photo by Josué Goge / ¿Tortillas on line? / Https: //www.flickr.com/photos/jgoge123/7600470274
“La Antigua de México” manufactures tortillas in Barcelona with 9 varieties of native corn from the states of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Puebla and Yucatán. Also, tortillas combined with masses with mole, beets, red recado and many more things, send to all of Europe.
Cool! It is very encouraging to see such a variety of omelettes in Europe. Thank you very much for the information, Javier.
Hello I write from Japan,
I am looking for organic corn tortillas to import to Japan.
If it is possible to import wholesale, please contact me, we really want this project to be possible.
We are a company that imports organic products from Mexico, the United States, France, Thailand and more.
https://sanso-boeki.com
I look forward to your reply.
Reyes Yanet
Hi Reyes. Thank you for contacting us and an apology for the delay. Searching in our Directory, I found the following tortillerías that handle organic corn: Masamor, Moctezuma Foods, Tortilla Factory and Taiyari TortilleríaI hope the information will help you. Greetings!
I am a customer of the tortillería in Geneva, Switzerland. "Lostacos.ch" manufactures its own corn and wheat tortillas without additives or preservatives. In addition to preparing excellent tortilla chips and tostadas, she cooks delicious typically Mexican dishes. It also sells preserved and canned products, dried chilies, sauces and in season: fresh green tomato and chili peppers.
Very good your article, I hope the directory is completed well, the price comparison seems unfair to me because producing tortillas in the Czech Republic or in Switzerland does not have the same cost and is reflected in the price. But anyway, I am to support local entrepreneurs! Greetings from Geneva.
Thank you very much for your comment and your contribution Carmen. Unfortunately, the store has no sales on its site and I cannot find a Facebook page or other social media that I could offer to our non-Swiss readers to place their orders. Do you think you can ask if they send orders and how to do one? I would appreciate!
From what the price comparison goes, not only is it not fair but it would be complicated, too. If you are in Switzerland, although you can find the tortillas at a better price in the Czech Republic, it is probably not convenient to get them from that country because of the freight price that has to be taken into account, too. But it would be nice to at least have a presentation of the prices. We will see. Perhaps in the near future some kind of presentation can be made.
I appreciate your help and hope to see you here again. Greetings!
Hello, from Norway we manufacture flour and corn tortillas, you can visit our page or on social networks http://www.comomexico.no
On fb and insta @Como Mexico
Greetings
Thanks for the info. It will be included in the next edition. Good luck with your business!
For those who live in Italy, I recommend La Morenita. They have tortillas of various sizes, as well as huaraches and sopes.
Its products are of the highest quality and with a very good taste and texture.
They mail everywhere, I hope they put them on your list.
https://www.facebook.com/lamorenitatortillas/
Thank you for the information. I will add them in the next issue. Many greetings and I hope you keep visiting us!
Hello
I am in France and I sell fresh white and blue corn tortillas nixmalisado, flour tortillas, sopes, huaraches and soon gorditas de chicharrón
My delivery points are mainly in Paris
FB Laura Comalli
FB @ comalli.fr @tortillasartisanalesfraichementlivrees
INSTAGRAM @ comalli_78
http://www.comalli.fr
Thank you very much for communicating with us Laura. We have already heard about your tortilla business and will add it in the next edition of the article that I hope to finish as soon as possible. I really appreciate your contribution and I send you a big greeting!
Thank you very much for taking the time to investigate the possibilities we have to get tortillas in Europe.
The only thing I needed in the investigation is a comparison of prices of each store, although I know that they are changing, but is it something that we could all help you update?
Thank you very much for your comment Paloma. Within our plans, there is a comparison of prices of several Mexican products that are offered by stores in Europe and of course there would be no shortage of tortillas. We are arming a directory and we are just beginning. It is hard work that requires a lot of dedication and hours. For this reason, we have preferred to grow the list of businesses covered by this article and that of online stores in Europe, before presenting prices and comparing them. The task gets more complicated since you have to take into account that the products that you buy have to be shipped. Apart from increasing freight prices, you have to keep in mind the location of each person to be able to calculate it. I think that for the moment and in order not to wear ourselves out with too much information, we will leave it for the near future but I do like the idea of being able to review prices before placing an order. I hope you visit the site often as we have many plans and we hope to become an important point of reference within the old continent. Thanks for your help!
Hello Berenice and Yannis,
Good article but our presence is missing. Since January 2014. We have an online shop for handmade tortillas, here in Germany.
We produce in smaller quantities as we are producing tortillas and sopes in the traditional way. We use organic yellow corn that is grown in Germany. We nixtamalize it, grind it using a stone mill, and prepare fresh orders daily. We ship our products all over Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Italy.
I would be happy if you would add us to your list.
Greetings from Mexikanische Tortillas,
Amanda hubatsch
$
I am from Michigan in the United States. I lived in Oaxaca for 6 years where I studied the art of making nixtamalized corn tortillas and cooking them over a traditional coma. If I have errors in my Spanish please excuse them and correct them before posting. Thanks in advance. 🙂
Hi Amanda and thank you very much for your comment! You're right. Sure enough, your store is missing from the list. I already have it signed up for its next edition, which I hope to have ready as soon as possible. Your Spanish is very, very good and you don't have to apologize. I too, share your fears with the language since I am Greek, a nationalized Mexican and I have lived in Mexico for about 16 years. Personally, I prefer to open my mouth and say what I want, even with mistakes. Also, I choose to let the ink dry with the mistake so I can practice writing. To err is the only way to learn. I hope we can stay in communication and I ask you to please notify me of new products and changes that may be implemented in your business to always have the information updated. I send you many greetings!
Moctezuma Foods is missing from this list.
They have the best tortillas I have bought in Europe and sometimes even better than in Mexico.
Tortillerias on every corner? In the State of Mexico, where I come from, this is no longer the case. There is the one from Walmart, Superama, but no more. So sad.
Thank you for your comment Imelda. Those of Moctezuma Foods yes, they are in the article. I don't think you saw them. They are very popular and could not be missing. It's true that supermarkets are shutting down small businesses in general. What a pity! They are ending the traditional little shops like tortillerías and groceries that historically have been of great importance to the country's homes. Hopefully there will be a change in the framework of the law that eliminates or at least retards the trend that, unfortunately, is worldwide. I hope you will visit us again soon. Greetings!
Missing
Taiyari
The Traditional
I Tortillas
There are some called Mexico of my loves or something like that, all of these that I mention are from Holland.
You also have those of Amanda Husbatch in Germany and as Mexico in Norway
Thank you very much for your contribution Laura! Had those of I-Tortillas and of Amanda husbatch ready for the next edition since their owners had contacted us. I will add those of Taiyari and of The Traditional to the list, too. Unfortunately, I can't find the ones from Mexico de Mis Amores but I think you mean Tortillería & Art Mis Amores that were also communicated and will be included in the update. Is that so or do you mean others? I send you a big greeting!