EBCI Blue Corn Tortillas
Blue corn masa meets a hot cast-iron skillet in a modern EBCI-published recipe that also teaches why nixtamalization matters.
About this dish
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Foods program publishes this Blue Corn Tortillas recipe by chef and food historian Lois Ellen Frank. It combines white masa harina with finely ground blue cornmeal and explains the role of nixtamalization—the alkaline treatment that transforms corn into hominy or masa and improves flavor, workability and nutrition.
Why this dish matters
This is best understood as a contemporary Indigenous community recipe rather than an attempt to claim that the Mexican-style pressed tortilla is an ancient Cherokee form. EBCI Tribal Foods chose to publish the recipe within its living foodways collection, and Frank uses it to teach a much older Indigenous technology: nixtamalization. That distinction matters because Indigenous foodways continue to adapt while preserving knowledge about corn.
This page follows a modern recipe publicly published by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and credited to Lois Ellen Frank. The hero photograph shows blue corn tortillas photographed in Mexico and is used only as a visual example of the finished tortilla form.
Preparation notes
Nixtamalized masa harina supplies the binding structure; blue cornmeal alone will crumble.
A pressed edge should stay smooth instead of cracking badly; add warm water a teaspoon at a time if dry.
Stacking in a towel lets steam soften them after the skillet.
Ingredients & detailed method
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white corn masa harina
- 1/2 cup finely ground blue corn flour or blue cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/3 cups warm water, approximately
Method
- 1.Whisk masa harina, blue corn flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
- 2.Add most of the warm water and mix with your hands until a soft cohesive dough forms. Rest 5 minutes.
- 3.Checkpoint: squeeze a small ball and flatten it. If the edge splits deeply, knead in water 1 teaspoon at a time; if sticky, add a spoonful of masa harina.
- 4.Divide into 10 balls slightly smaller than golf balls. Heat a seasoned cast-iron skillet or comal over medium-high heat.
- 5.Press each ball between plastic sheets in a tortilla press to about 5 inches across.
- 6.Peel away the plastic carefully and cook on the dry hot skillet about 60–90 seconds on the first side, flip, then cook another 60–90 seconds.
- 7.Checkpoint: the tortilla should show toasted brown spots and may puff in places while remaining flexible rather than crisp.
- 8.Stack finished tortillas inside a clean towel or covered basket and serve warm.
Worth finding before you cook
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These links are included only for ingredients that can be meaningfully harder to find in a standard supermarket.
Read further
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Foods — Blue Corn Tortillas by Lois Ellen Frank
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Foods — Cherokee Foodways
- Fringe Table — Indigenous Americas foodways guide
- Photo: T.Tseng, Wikimedia Commons/Flickr, CC BY 2.0. The image illustrates blue corn tortillas generally and is not presented as an Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians-specific photograph.