And the Winner of the Golden Tortilla Is...

BY TAMARA PALMER

Carlos Salgado of Taco María in Costa Mesa makes the greatest tortilla I’ve ever tried. Made with vibrantly blue maize corn, it’s a hearty, texturally nuanced affair that has no parallel in Southern California.

Gustavo Arellano and KCRW agrees, crowning Taco María the winner of the coveted Golden Tortilla at their recent Great Tortilla Tournament.

“Their Tortilla was all about miraculous contrasts: firm but supple, earthy yet fresh, pliable yet strong,” Gustavo said after the competition a few weeks ago. “Carlos is always great, but this was proof of a master who knew the competition was on, and upped his game, Super Sayian style!”

Before the event, he shared his personal judging criteria for corn tortillas.

“For corn, it has to have a deep, earthy corn flavor with only three ingredients: corn, lime, and water,” he told me. “Once you eat enough corn tortillas, you can taste those that have any sort of preservative, because a sour flavor seeps in. I prefer my corn tortillas gorditas (thicker), and the best ones are a yellow so dark it's almost brown.

The judges offered insight to their process while they tasted the final contenders.

Carlos accepted the award with obvious pride and a little bit of poking fun at himself.

“Don’t come to my restaurant, it’s expensive and overhyped, according to the Internet,” he joked.

Hard disagree; his restaurant is worth a visit for sure!

Carlos Salgado accepts the Golden Tortilla.

HomeState’s flour tortilla won the People’s Choice.

HomeState

This year’s competition featured 64 tortillas sourced from Oxnard to Indio. Gustavo plans on pushing the city limits next year.

“We're teaching listeners and readers about tortilla culture in Southern California, and slowly expanding it to encompass as much of the state as possible,” he revealed. “Next year, I want to go all the way up to Santa Maria and Bakersfield; San Diego will have to wait until after that because it's a whole other universe!”