Congress declares September National Tortilla Month

LatinaLista — Since the early 90s, salsa has been reported as the #1 condiment in the USA. So it’s only fitting that another Latino food item, that goes hand-in-hand with salsa is now being recognized as gaining the #1 spot across the country when it comes to bread products.
If you guessed tortillas, you’re right. It seems tortillas are outpacing the sale of sandwich bread for the first time in the country. Sales are crossing the $6 billion dollar mark.

Margarita Blanco (cq) lifts warm flour tortillas from the conveyor belt of the tortilla machine at De Leon Foods Deli and Grocery Store in Spokane, Wash., Apr. 27, 2007. The store has a tortilla factory capable of producing 700 dozen tortillas per hour, in addition to flour tortillas and corn chips.
(Photo Source: HOLLY PICKETT The Spokesman-Review)
Well, the Tortilla Industry Association (TIA) and its members couldn’t let such a milestone go unheralded and so the group petitioned Congress to declare September as National Tortilla Month.

Tortilla sales in the U.S., split about equally between corn and flour, are growing at double digit rates according to research being conducted by TIA “Two factors are driving this growth,” says Jim Kabbani, TIA’s Executive Director. “One factor is demographic – increased immigration and birth rates of Hispanic Americans – but just as significant is the adoption of healthier eating habits by other Americans. People are eating wraps instead of sandwiches which is contributing to the positive trend in sales and consumption.”

In case you didn’t know it:

• Flour tortillas are a low-fat food and contain iron along with other B vitamins. They have about 115 calories with 2-3 grams of fat per serving.
• Corn tortillas are a low-fat, low-sodium food and contain calcium, potassium and fiber. An average serving contains about 60 calories with 1 gram of fat.
• Corn tortillas do not contain gluten, making them a great alternative to bread for those who are gluten intolerant.

(Source: Tortilla Industry Association)
As it so happens, at the end of Sept., in Las Vegas, Nevada, is the annual TIA convention where this year members will compete to create the world’s largest tortilla.
Now, if they just fill that tortilla with cheese and onlons, roll it up and top it off with queso and chile, they could make the world’s biggest enchilada.
It would give a whole new meaning to the saying — “the whole enchilada!”