For the best tortillas (and gorditas and tetelas), you need fresh masa

By Rick A. Martínez, The New York Times

A freshly ground masa tortilla, as it cooks on a comal, inflates as the steam inside pushes apart the sides and releases an intoxicating toasted corn aroma. It actually tastes like nutty, earthy corn, with a soft, chewy texture and almost custardy center. And its role is not just to transport a taco filling and salsas from your plate to your mouth, but to complement and ground the bright, acidic and spicy flavors with something rich and soothing, familiar and homey.

Chef Fermín Núñez of Suerte, in Austin, Texas, considers masa “the canvas of what Mexican cooking is all about.”

“Without masa,” he said, “there’s no tortillas, and, without tortillas, there’s no tacos!”

When it opened in 2018, Suerte was one of the few restaurants in the country making masa from heirloom varieties of corn and using it to make tortillas, tlacoyos, tlayudas, tamales and taquitos.

“I wanted to create a rest...