Ruben Leal’s Caramelo Tortillas are redefining what a flour tortilla can be: Best of KC 2018

This month, we published The Pitch‘s annual Best of Kansas City issue. You can browse the results of the readers’ poll here. The issue also included a list, compiled and written by our editorial staff, of some our current favorite things about Kansas City in 2018. We’ll be publishing these items online throughout October. 

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If we’re talking flavor, we generally prefer a solid corn tortilla over the thick and chewy white flour (read: gringo) variety. But Caramelo Tortillas’ flour creations challenge our long-held notions of what constitutes a good tortilla. Actually, we’ll go a step further: these tortillas — made by Ruben Leal, native son of Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, Mexico — are the best tortillas you are likely ever to consume.

Leal moved to Lawrence about 15 years ago and now works in the chemistry department at the University of Kansas. After being unable to find a tortilla to his liking in the Midwest, Leal decided to strike out on his own with a business based on a traditional Sonoran recipe. The trick: he uses duck and/or pork fat from Local Pig in his recipes, which gives the tortillas a luscious richness and softness that is, somehow, not even a little bit greasy. (Leal’s creations are currently available at Local Pig, Red Kitchen Tamales at the Lenexa Public Market, and the Merc in Lawrence.) But the tortillas are also resilient enough to hold up against robust fillings, even as they melt in your mouth. The future that Donald Trump’s supporters want is one where Americans are deprived of these delicious-bordering-on-magical tortillas because immigrants like Leal are barred from entering the country. That’s a small reason to say, “Fuck Donald Trump and anybody who supports him.” But it’s a reason nonetheless.

Caramelo Tortillas, caramelotortillas.com.