Maize was first encountered by Europeans in Central America. There are some theories of how the Indians domesticated this cereal but it seems its origin are still involved in mystery. Europeans brought maize back to Europe and since then it has been consumed almost everywhere. In Guatemala, one of the main staple foods are tortillas, a flat bread made of maize. In the countryside, the tortillas are still prepared manually through a process called nixtamalisation. This process includes soaking and cooking the maize grains in limewater, and after, hulling, washing, and grinding the grains into the dough, that will be shaped into flat circles. These become tortillas after being cooked in the "comal". The process of nixtamalisation eliminates the toxins while improving the flavour and nutritional value of the grains. These tortillas were white but they can be different colours depending on the colours of the maize grains they are made of. Tortillas can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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