The Secret in a Tortilla
Lee el texto en inglés, parte por parte, y responde cada pregunta. Toca una palabra con línea punteada para ver su traducción. Abajo está el vocabulario completo en español.
Corn tortillas look simple, but there is a secret in them. Before the corn becomes dough, cooks boil it in water with cal, a white powder made from limestone. The corn soaks overnight.
1. What do cooks add to the water?
- ASalt
- BCal
- CSugar
Ver la respuesta
B. Cal
Cooks boil the corn in water with cal.
La prueba en el texto: cooks boil it in water with cal
This process is called nixtamalization, from the Nahuatl word nixtamal. People in Mexico and Central America have used it for about 3,000 years. It makes the dough soft, so it holds together.
2. How long have people used nixtamalization?
- AAbout 30 years
- BAbout 300 years
- CAbout 3,000 years
Ver la respuesta
C. About 3,000 years
People have used it for about 3,000 years.
La prueba en el texto: have used it for about 3,000 years
Cal also does something you cannot see. It frees niacin, a vitamin hidden in the corn. Without this step, the body can use very little of it. Cal adds calcium, too.
3. True or false? Without cal, the body can use only a little of the niacin in corn.
- ATrue (Verdadero)
- BFalse (Falso)
Ver la respuesta
A. True (Verdadero)
Without this step, the body can use very little niacin.
La prueba en el texto: Without this step, the body can use very little of it
When corn traveled to Europe, people did not take the secret with it. In places where people ate mostly corn, many got sick. Doctors took about 200 years to understand why.
4. What does this part show?
- AEurope grew better corn
- BCorn without the secret made people sick
- CDoctors did not like corn
Ver la respuesta
B. Corn without the secret made people sick
Where people ate mostly corn without the secret, many got sick.
La prueba en el texto: In places where people ate mostly corn, many got sick
Vocabulario en español
| Inglés | Español | Significado en inglés |
|---|---|---|
| dough | masa | a soft mix of flour or corn and water |
| powder | polvo | very small, dry grains, like dust |
| soaks | se remoja | stays in water for a long time |
| overnight | toda la noche | during the whole night |
| frees | libera | lets something out so it can be used |
Ahora escribe tú
Escribe una frase en inglés: In one sentence: why is cooking corn with cal so important?
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