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    Back to Good Food

    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.

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    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.

    The full episode

    5 of 7
    The 'Fuerte Four,’ nixtamalization, and eggplants
    1. 0:00The Fuerte Four
    2. 4:15Tortillas in Los Angeles
    3. 8:47Market Report: Eggplants
    4. 16:39Making masa
    5. 24:07The ancient chemistry inside your tacoYou’re reading this
    6. 40:01Daniel Hernandez: Jonathan Gold on El Parian
    7. 48:02Guerrilla Tacos
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Evan Kleiman

      host 'Good Food'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Nick Liao

      Managing Producer, Good Food

    • KCRW placeholder

      Rosalie Atkinson

      Associate Producer, Left, Right & Center and All The President's Lawyers

    • KCRW placeholder

      Joseph Stone

      Producer, Good Food

      CultureFood & DrinkLos Angeles

    The full episode

    5 of 7
    The 'Fuerte Four,’ nixtamalization, and eggplants
    1. 0:00The Fuerte Four
    2. 4:15Tortillas in Los Angeles
    3. 8:47Market Report: Eggplants
    4. 16:39Making masa
    5. 24:07The ancient chemistry inside your tacoYou’re reading this
    6. 40:01Daniel Hernandez: Jonathan Gold on El Parian
    7. 48:02Guerrilla Tacos
    Back to Good Food