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doi:10.1094/CFW-52-5-0284 |
VIEW ARTICLE Baking Overview: Adios, Corn! R. Broz. Culinary Wizard, Inc., Mundelein, IL. Cereal Foods World 52(5):284-285. The image of the United States is suffering south of the border due to an increase in the prices of staples like tortillas, which have nearly doubled as a result of hoarding and speculation, rising costs of fuel and electricity, and increased ethanol production. In 1998, NAFTA deregulated the corn market, resulting in it becoming controlled by large corporate entities, which now buy as much corn as they are able and resell it at a higher price than they paid. In some cases, these corporations receive subsidies for importing, exporting, and shipping corn between Mexico and the United States. The deregulation and subsequent privatization of the corn and grain market has contributed to severe economic pressure on the people who can afford it the least. Nearly half of Mexico’s population relies upon corn (in the form of tortillas) as a major source of calories and protein. Any rise in the price of corn has widespread effects upon this population, with the poorest being hardest hit, spending up to one quarter of their wages on tortillas alone. In the United States, corn that would otherwise be available as foodstuffs for Mexico (and for production of food products derived from corn, such as corn syrup, and feed for livestock) has been diverted to meet the growing demand for ethanol. In response to this growing market change, we explored the potential for substituting alternative grains in the preparation of tortillas and identified the recipes and preparation instructions that would be required for utilizing these replacement grains. We looked at several grains including brown rice, sorghum, millet, kasha, whole wheat, barley, and traditional preparation methods. We investigated traditional preparation techniques both on a web search and by talking to acquaintances who migrated to the United States from Mexico.
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