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September 7, 2026

What a proper lard tortilla looks like next to a shop-bought one

Side-by-side photo because I think the visual argument is more convincing than anything I can write. Left: supermarket flour tortilla, the most popular brand locally. Right: fresh flour tortilla made with good lard. The differences visible in the photo: the lard tortilla has slight layering at the edge, a visible variation in surface texture from the fat distribution, and a warmer colour from the fat content. The shop one is uniformly pale and smooth. In the fold test (which I also photographed): the lard tortilla folded without cracking; the shop one developed a small crack at the fold point. Bake a lard tortilla. Once.

1 reply

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September 7, 2026
The crack in the fold test is the most convincing evidence. Shop tortillas have a gluten structure that becomes brittle under stress because the fat content is lower. The lard tortilla's fat lubricates the gluten strands and they can flex rather than crack. This is the structural argument.