Oaxaca, Mexico — Central Valleys region, market food tradition
A large, thin, partially dried tortilla (30–40cm) cooked on a comal until crisp and lightly charred. Unlike standard tortillas, tlayudas are not fully dried — they remain leathery and pliable at the centre while charred and crisp at the edges. The base is spread with black bean paste (frijoles negros), asiento (unrefined pork fat), and topped with Oaxacan cheese, meat, or chapulines.
Earthy, smoky, fatty, savoury — the asiento and char dominate with clean bean earthiness underneath
{"Partial drying is critical — the tortilla should flex, not snap","High comal heat to develop char without fully drying the interior","Asiento (unrefined lard with chicharrón sediment) not refried beans for spread","Black beans cooked with avocado leaf and hierba santa for Oaxacan flavour","Fold in half to eat, or serve open-face for plating"}
{"Toast dried black beans before cooking for nuttier flavour","Use fresh-ground masa for the base if making from scratch","Chapulines added after cooking — they lose crunch if heated on the tlayuda","A clay comal gives more even char than cast iron for large tlayudas"}
{"Using regular small tortillas instead of large tlayuda discs","Fully crisping the entire tortilla — should be leathery in centre","Substituting refried pinto beans for black bean paste","Skipping asiento — substituting butter or olive oil misses the flavour base"}
Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico — Bricia Lopez