Editing Corn tortilla (section)

==Mexico==
[[File:Barbacoa taco.jpg|thumb|[[Taco]]s de [[barbacoa]] made with yellow corn tortillas at a Mexican restaurant in [[Chicago]] (2006)]]

Maize has been a staple food for thousands of years. It is the most-planted crop in the Mexican region. The country grows more than 42 distinct maize [[cultivars]], each of which has several varieties. These varieties are estimated to number more than 3,000 by the [[International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center|International Center for the Improvement of Maize and Wheat (CIMMYT)]]. The characteristics of each variety depend upon soil conditions, humidity, altitude, and its means of cultivation. Some of the earliest evidence of maize cultivation suggests{{according to whom? |date=February 2024}} that its original domestication was in fact simultaneous in several places.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Maize is the basis of most Mexican cuisine, with some exception in the culinary traditions of northern Mexico, where wheat is taking the place of maize as the cereal base. In Mexico, the primary use of maize is the tortilla, but it is also a principal ingredient in other foods including [[tamale]]s and atole. The maize used for tortillas can be ripe and dry, but it is also consumed fresh and mature (maize), or soft and fresh (''xilote'').<ref>Tacos, Enchiladas and Re-fried Beans: The Invention of Mexican-American Cookery, by Andrew F. Smith, Presented at Oregon State University, 1999.</ref>

Tortillas are consumed daily. Factory-made tortillas are widely sold, although they can easily be made at home. Tortilla production starts in the early morning as lunch is the main meal of the day for most people. In Mexico, lunch is eaten between 1:30&nbsp;p.m. and 3:30&nbsp;p.m. (1330 to 1530). Some supermarkets and grocery stores sell freshly made tortillas throughout the day.

Mexican and, more generally, Latin American dishes made with maize tortillas include:

* [[Chalupa]]s
* [[Chilaquiles]]
* [[Enchilada]]s
* [[Enfrijolada]]s
* [[Entomatada]]s
* [[Gordita]]s
* [[Pan de cazón]]
* [[Pastel azteca]]
* Peneques
* [[Quesadilla]]s
* [[Sincronizada]]s
* [[Sope (food)|Sope]]s
* [[Taco]]s
* [[Taquito|Tacos dorados]]
* [[Tlayuda]]s
* Totopos – [[Tortilla chip]]s
* [[Tortilla soup]]
* [[Tostada (tortilla)|Tostada]]s