You're are right, the average person can substituted one for the other. However, when you mother is from Mexico (like mine) you better know not to serve tacos with flour tortillas... at least not when she is coming over.

@awallnut - Ha! Well said!

I think it's essential to warm corn tortillas before using them, regardless of whether you're cooking what's inside them. It really enhances the tortillas' flavor.

I have gone to exclusively using corn tortillas, but that's because now that I make them by hand, they are far superior to anything store bought.

I noticed that you mentioned flour tortillas can be used for enchiladas. I'm sure it's possible to use flour, but I have always thought corn tortillas do much better in enchiladas. Tie breaking vote, anyone?

Definitely on the the corn tortilla side of the fence when it comes to enchiladas. If you haven't tried it, Elise's enchiladas recipe (Simply Recipes) is fantastic, and her method for heating and softening the tortillas is foolproof.

misplacedtexan, while I think the corn ones may taste better in enchiladas, I always have a hard time rolling them without them cracking.

corn tortillas for enchiladas. Flour tortillas are best when homemade. I prefer corn tortillas for almost everything. Burritos are the only thing I'll give to flour tortillas, they're big enough to fold into the burrito shape.My husband dislikes store bought flour tortillas and will only eat the homemade kind.

jrossi1217, do you try lightly frying them before you roll them? That's the technique I use (and see in most recipes) to make them a bit more pliable so they don't crack or break.

In general I prefer corn, and yes, definitely the "proper" tortillas for enchiladas. But I do enjoy flour tortillas (little ones, not the monsters often available here in the US) paired with beef dishes (e.g. Puntas de Filetas a la Mexicana). I believe this is somewhat true in the beef-eating northern regions of Mexico, which I have not personally explored. Yet.

In my experience flour tortillas tend to have higher calories/fat than corn. I only use corn tortillas at home, though I've not graduated to making them myself (I keep asking for a nice tortilla press but one never seems to show up :) ).

phobos512, it's more work to roll them out by hand but you can totally do it! Homemade flour tortillas are hard to beat! Here's the recipe I use:

http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/03/and-end-to-my-quest-flour-tortillas.html

I have always been under the impression that corn tortillas are healthier than flour ones, because flour ones are made with lard and corn ones aren't. Is this true?

If you're using them in recipes, like enchiladas, how each of the substances reacts with liquid is important. Since you get gluten strands with flour ones, enchiladas can stick together and form a gluey mess if you aren't careful, but corn tortillas won't do that. I am allergic to corn, so my preference for flour should be obvious...

I'm a corn tortilla girl and not just b/c i'm gluten free. Always have been - I just don't like the gluey texture of most flour tortillas - especially to make enchiladas - they just don't hold.

You have to try your burritos with this "Sobaqueras" flour tortillas from Sonora, México:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHw_26I2hJ0

And this is the delicious result

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1htZk32fZk&feature=related

Corn tortillas for enchiladas- definitely.

I disagree with the main post that flour tortillas aren't good for chips/frying. They aren't good FOR YOU perhaps, but they are delicious. Flour tortilla chips are one of my favorite guilty pleasures, and whole fried flour tortillas can be topped with taco-type fillings or with cinnamon and honey for dessert.

On the Mexican side of my family, we always eat corn tortillas unless it's burritos (which are pretty much made only for the kids; adults will just scoop up a plate of beans and rice with corn tortillas). At home, my husband prefers flour tortillas unless we're making crunchy tacos. So, whenever we have corn tortillas in the house, it's pretty much up to me to finish them off. But, I don't mind since they're so versatile!

Also, for the healthy crowd, flour tortillas aren't always made with lard (although traditional ones usually are; just check the label). And, to make your corn tortillas more pliable without frying, try steaming them in the microwave, either in a moist towel or in a tortilla basket if you have one. While I prefer frying them (they hold up a bit better), if you steam them and refrain from drowning your enchiladas in sauce, they'll come out a little bit healthier and just as tasty.

Uhhhh....isn't is enough that they are completely different (other than being round and flat)?

If ONLY flour tortillas were always made with lard! It's actually really difficult to find proper lardy flour tortillas where I live (and that's in the Bay Area of all places) - everywhere seems to proudly announce that they are Lard Free. Lame! The last time I was down in Baja, I got totally addicted to the sweet, very small, delicious, and VERY lardy flour tortillas they use for tacos there. I had to resort to making my own at home in order to have them up here.

Make your own corn tortillas! It is easy and so much better tasting.

All this talk kof how good homemade tortillas are, any one have a good recipe for both corn and flour?

I only use flour tortillas for burritos and quesadillas (to use up the leftovers from burritos). I've never understood the aversion so many people have to corn tortillas!

last time I made enchiladas I ran out of corn part way through the pan so I used a couple flour. they were edible, but so much heavier. The corn tortillas absorbed the flavors better and were much more tender.

Actually you can fry flour tortillas.

soak them in little water, then cover them with sugar and cinnamon and then fry them...

they make a good n' easy buñuelos

:)

The recipe for corn tortillas is easy:
maseca (corn masa mix) and add hot water

For the flour tortilla this recipe it's very close
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/homemade-flour-tortillas/Detail.aspx

I just add a spoon of butter ;)

I think they are completely different and saying it's ok to use flour for enchiladas is like saying it's ok to use a bagel for a hamburger ;)

How about some brown rice tortillas for those of us allergic to flour and corn :) What would I do if I couldn't eat quesidillas???

If you can't roll your corn tortillas, heat them up for 1 min with a soaking paper towel or rag over the top of them. They're instantly pliable. Same for flour.

Anyway, taste-wise I ALWAYS prefer flour tortillas though I really won't pass anything served in a tortilla up, flour or corn. Part of being born and raised Texan. We love Tex-mex like a fat kid loves cake.

I use corn tortillas due to my wheat allergies and I like the taste and frequently use them for a bread alternative. I have tried the brown rice and other GF tortillas and they are like chewing on the paper plate.

I think flour tortillas work pretty well for chips! I cut them, oil them, add some salt and paper, and bake. They're ridiculously addictive, and the taste kind of reminds me of a ritz cracker (but far better!). Of course, corn tortillas make for a more classic chip, but once you get over the difference in taste, flour tortilla chips really hold their own!

oh how I miss my Grandmother's handmade flour tortillas. They are so good. Too bad she lives in Mexico.

In general, I think corn tortillas are better, but they're also a bit trickier to prepare (if you buy out of the bag) than flour.

Flour you can simply serve as is (or heat in the microwave). But corn tortillas have to be wrapped in a damp paper towel and microwaved so they come out right. They also have a much higher chance of splitting along the bottom and falling apart. I need to figure out how to make them from scratch.

You can eat flour tortillas the way they are, but they are much better if you warm them up in a dry skillet until they get little toasty brown spots. Much better for soft tacos that way.

Corn tortillas for enchiladas, definitely. Flour gets gummy in sauce. And if you have a problem with cracking corn tortillas, consider making flat enchiladas New Mexico-style. So good.

I have always preferred corn tortillas. I'm Nicaraguan and grew up eating corn tortillas--it's the only kind we eat. (I actually didn't know about the existence of flour tortillas until years after my family and I came to this country.)

And we don't only use them for making fried rolled tacos or chips. We'll enjoy them in the same way that bread is enjoyed: at room temperature or warm, plain with cheese, with cream and salt (as a snack), or just as an accompaniment, etc.

I think of corn tortillas as being raw. I toast them over the open gas burner on the stove, and it makes all the difference.

The flour tortillas as good that way, too, but the corn flavor changes much more radically after toasting.

Bravo, @Charlotte!

"They are almost always used just as they are out of the bag" - to a Northerner from Mexico, this is funny. The original flour tortilla is meant to be eaten hot/warm but never "out of the bag." Substituting one for the other just proves you are not an authentic Mexican cook but who cares as long as you can eat.

ok, you've hit a pet peeve of mine:
Corn flour
vs
WHEAT flour
!!

It's hilarious to me to be asked "corn or flour."

Kid at Black-Eyed Pea turned the tables on me the other day, though. I said to her, "could you bring me just one wheat roll?" She said, puzzled, "we don't have wheat rolls." Stumped, I asked, "You mean you ran out?" OMG. Flour -- they're "flour" rolls to her! LOL talk about a round or "who's on first".

As someone with gluten intolerance the difference means I can eat one (corn) dish but not another (flour). As a Texan these are staples of our diet. Rolling enchiladas are a challenge with the corn, but if you make sure they are warmed and very slightly moistened first, it goes easier. Thank God for corn tortillas. It's been hard enough giving up pita bread.

Yes, we know it should be corn flour vs wheat flour, but don't you have better things to get your panties in a bunch about?

I'd like to add a little historical perspective. Corn tortillas have existed since pre-Columbian times. Flour was not cultivated in the Americas until the European colonization. Therefore, you will not find flour tortillas in parts of Mexico that are primarily inhabited by indigenous people. The corn tortilla is representative of the indigenous culture before the European invasion, and the preparation of the corn (nixtamalization) is a culinary art that is becoming less and less practiced. The historical and cultural aspects, I believe, lend a more interesting and informative perspective to this conversation. It's important to know about what you are eating and where it comes from - not only in the recently popular "local foods" sense but in a global sense as well.

I vote for corn because I can't eat gluten. That said, most store-bought corn tortillas are kinda gross. My Whole Foods has the hand made kind, and they taste good enough to use as flat bread in basically any recipe. If I'm out of those I just pull out the masa, and make a few fast tortillas with my crepe pan. Masa is really awesome stuff.

My old boss (who was Mexican) used to say that flour tortillas were "the white man's tool to destroy Mexicans" because of all the extra fat and stuff. He was joking, of course. Sort of. :)

My mom's family is from New Mexico (they came here in Spanish colonial times), and they ONLY make & eat four tortillas. Traditional New Mexico culture has been watered down with Mexican & American culture, but back in my grandma's day, they didn't even know what "tacos" were. When my grandma came to CA & saw tacos for the first time, then she began to make them herself - but with fried flour tortillas, haha.

To her, corn tortillas were what "Indians" (Native Americans) ate, not Spanish families. My grandma's tortillas are made with flour & they are very thick; they look kind of like pita bread. I'd guess that the flour tortilla is the Spanish-ized version of the Native American corn tortillas. So when people say flour tortillas are what white people eat, well true, but that doesn't make it "inauthentic" in some regions, just an evolution of a Native food after the Spanish arrived.

FYI, authentic New Mexico stacked enchiladas are made with flour tortillas, NOT corn. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably Northern Mexican or has that influence - not from an old New Mexico family.