Good Food

The ancient chemistry inside your taco

When you bite into a taco, huarache, or a fresh corn tortilla, you’re tasting the results of an ancient chemical process called nixtamalization and dates back to 1500 BCE. The science podcast “ Distillations ” went into this process in 2016.

By Evan Kleiman • Sep 12, 2018 • 1 min read

When you bite into a taco, huarache, or a fresh corn tortilla, you’re tasting the results of an ancient chemical process called nixtamalization and dates back to 1500 BCE. The science podcast “Distillations” went into this process in 2016. Rigoberto Hernandez reported from Philadelphia.

Evan Kleiman
host 'Good Food'
Nick Liao
Managing Producer, Good Food
Rosalie Atkinson
Associate Producer, Left, Right & Center and All The President's Lawyers
Joseph Stone
Producer, Good Food

Culture

Food & Drink

Los Angeles

Good Food

The ancient chemistry inside your taco

When you bite into a taco, huarache, or a fresh corn tortilla, you’re tasting the results of an ancient chemical process called nixtamalization and dates back to 1500 BCE. The science podcast “ Distillations ” went into this process in 2016.

Share

Good Food

The ancient chemistry inside your taco

When you bite into a taco, huarache, or a fresh corn tortilla, you’re tasting the results of an ancient chemical process called nixtamalization and dates back to 1500 BCE. The science podcast “ Distillations ” went into this process in 2016.

Share