tortilla

[ tawr-tee-uh; Spanish tawr-tee-yah ]

noun

, Mexican Cooking.

, plural tor·til·las [tawr-, tee, -, uh, z, taw, r, -, tee, -yahs].

1. a thin, round, unleavened bread prepared from cornmeal or sometimes wheat flour, baked on a flat plate of iron, earthenware, or the like.

tortilla

/ tɔːˈtiːə /

noun

1. Mexican cookery a kind of thin pancake made from corn meal and cooked on a hot griddle until dry

Word History and Origins

Origin of tortilla¹

1690–1700; < Spanish, equivalent to tort ( a ) cake ( torte ) + -illa diminutive suffix < Latin -ella

Word History and Origins

Origin of tortilla¹

C17: from Spanish: a little cake, from torta a round cake, from Late Latin; see torte

Example Sentences

You could hear it being whispered in the breakfast hall of the Malaga hotel where travelling British fans were tucking into their Spanish tortilla.

From BBC

My great aunt Filomena making empanadas and sweet tortillas with blackberry jam.

From Salon

As an aunt recently said after scolding me for not visiting enough, the tortillas will eventually get made.

From Los Angeles Times

“I saw Mexican customers who wouldn’t eat blue masa tortillas,” remembers Ruelas.

From Salon

“I made loads of jam tortillas but I just didn’t want to eat them.”

From BBC