hybrids

The tortilla is an excellent example of a hybrid food. Originally created in Mexico and South America the tortilla was made of corn. When the Europeans came to the Americas and conquered the native people they integrated some of their own ingredients into those of the native cuisine. While the natives prefered to stick with corn as the base for the majority of their cooking their European conquerers prefered white flour to be substituted into the dishes that were prepared for them. As the Europeans moved north they brought with them the foods that they appreciated the most and were what they would enjoy the most. Whether transferred north as servants or on their own free will, some of the native Latinos travelled as well and brought with them their food. Today in the supermarket we can find tortillas almost as commonly as bread, but the majority of the time the tortillas we find and buy are wheat flour tortillas, not corn. Moving north has been able to allow the Latino culture to spread and expand to previously unimaginable places. The down side of all of this however is that while the culture spread it also had to adapt to the new locations. Adapting is almost always necessary to survive but it also causes the newly placed cultures to have to surrendure some of their most prized ideas. Though it is still possible to buy corn tortillas in the supermarket, as well as specialty store, they are not as common as the wheat flour tortillas, at least in most of North America. It is true that selling even wheat tortillas does remind people of the culture they originated from but so often the memories are focused not on reality but what people think is the truth about the past based on what is on the shelf in front of them.