On October 20, Mexican chef Laura Cabrera visited the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management to offer the master class “The basis of Mexican Food: Nixtamalization” to Bilkent Students and Members of the Gastronomy Club. This was part of a set of activities that Chef Cabrera realized during her stay in Ankara.
Laura Cabrera is an experienced and passionate chef who was born in the Mexican Caribbean. Her experience includes various restaurant and company settings, and she strives to serve the best food possible using local ingredients. After spending time at Noma, Laura worked in different restaurants and projects in Mérida, Yucatán, before moving to Copenhagen, Denmark. In Copenhagen, she has been the head chef of the Mexican restaurants Sanchez and Hija de Sanchez for the last seven years.
The aim of the master class was to share with the Turkish public the process of nixtamalization, one of the greatest discoveries for Mexican gastronomy. During this process the grain’s coating is eliminated, making it less fibrous and creating a more elastic dough, which allows for the preparation of tortillas. Nixtamalization allowed the Mesoamerican population to depend on corn without experiencing nutritional problems. The master class included a practical demonstration of the process along with the elaboration of tortillas.
This activity was organized with the support of the Embassy of Mexico in Turkey and the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management.