View source for Totopo

{{Short description|Oaxacan nixtamalized corn flatbread}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name             = Totopo
| image            = Totopodemaiz.jpg
| image_size       = 250px
| caption          =
| alternate_name   =
| country          = [[Mexico]]
| region           = [[Oaxaca]]
| creator          = [[Zapotec peoples]]
| course           =
| type             =
| served           =
| main_ingredient  = corn [[Masa]], salt
| variations       =
| calories         =
| other            =
}}
[[File:Totopos.JPG|thumb|right|upright|Totopo chips on refried beans]]
'''''Totopo''''', in [[Mexican cuisine]], is a flat, round, or triangular [[Maize|corn]] item similar to a [[tortilla]], that has been toasted, fried or baked, but it may be prepared with [[nixtamalization|nixtamalized]] corn [[masa]]. Totopos are best known as originating from [[Zapotec peoples|Zapotec]] peoples of the [[isthmus]] of [[Tehuantepec]] region of the [[States of Mexico|Mexican state]] of [[Oaxaca]]. There, the Zapotec women bake totopos in a clay oven known as a {{Lang|nah|[[Horno|comixcal]]}}. Totopos resemble a round, baked [[tortilla chip]] or certain types of Scandinavian [[flat bread]]; however, unlike tortillas, salt is added to the masa and holes are made in the disk prior to baking.<ref>{{cite book | title = A Cook's Tour of Mexico: Authentic Recipes from the Country's Best Open-Air Markets, City Fondas and Home Kitchens | author= Nancy Zalavsky |publisher = Macmillan |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=btvEihMtFPMC&q=totopos&pg=PA12 | date = 1997 | pages = 12–13 | isbn = 9780312166083 | access-date = 8 January 2013 }}</ref>
''Totopo'' may also refer to triangular fried tortillas ({{Lang|es|totopos de maíz}}), which are essentially tortilla chips. When the whole round tortilla is baked or fried it is generally known as a ''[[tostada (tortilla)|tostada]]''.
An important feature of the [[baking]] and salting process is [[Food preservation|preservation]]. To prevent the decomposition of the corn and growth of [[Mold (fungus)|mold]], regular tortillas generally need to be eaten the same day as they are made (or stored cold) due to the moisture content, whereas totopos may be stored for future consumption, in the same manner as dry [[Cracker (food)|crackers]].
In some cases, [[frying|fried]] tortilla chips commercially made both in [[Mexico]] and the [[United States]] are labeled as or referred to as ''totopos'', although they are not made in the manner of the Oaxacan totopo and are more akin to tortilla chips.
==Etymology==
The name ''totopo'' comes from the [[Aztec]] (or [[Nahuatl]]) {{Lang|nah|totopochtli}}'','' meaning 'toasted thing or thing that crunches when eaten', from the verb {{Lang|nah|totopotza}} 'to crunch or to toast'. To differentiate the word from other toasted things, sometimes the compound {{Lang|nah|tlaxcaltotopochtli}} was used, meaning 'toasted tortilla'. The combined word means, approximately, 'tortillas that are noisy to chew'.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tortilla Has Many Origins|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1N1-10848639ADFF1F39.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518174147/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1N1-10848639ADFF1F39.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-05-18|publisher=Indiana Post-Tribune/Sun-Times Media, LLC  |access-date= 3 May 2012|date=May 1999}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category|Totopo}}
* [http://www.tonataati.org/totopo/totopo1.html Photos of totopos and explanation in Spanish] (link broken as of 2009-05-09, [https://web.archive.org/web/20080214130433/http://www.tonataati.org/totopo/totopo1.html archive copy])
* [https://archive.today/20131008025229/http://soloistmo.com/totopos-del-istmo/] Photos of
{{Mexican bread}}
{{Bread}}
{{Mexican cuisine}}
{{Corn}}
[[Category:Oaxacan cuisine]]
[[Category:Maize dishes]]
[[Category:Mexican breads]]
[[Category:Tortilla]]