To print this page, select "Print" from the File menu of your browser salon.com > Travel May 10, 2000 URL: http://www.salon.com/travel/planet/2000/05/10/tortilla Oaxaca grills world's largest tortilla The Mexican bread spans 14-plus feet in honor of the city's 468th birthday. - - - - - - - - - - - - By J.A. Getzlaff Dios mío! On April 29, Oaxaca, Mexico, saw the construction of what is believed to be the world's largest tortilla. According to a Reuters report, the feat was launched during a fiesta to celebrate the 468th anniversary of the city's founding. The prospect of an entry in the Guinness Book of Records helped fan the flames. Tortillas, in case you've been deprived of the experience, have been around since pre-Columbian days and are the staple of the Mexican diet. The pancake-shaped bread is made out of corn and sometimes wheat (and, in California, often spinach and wheat or tomato and wheat). When they're fresh off the grill, they're especially tasty. Oaxaca's celebratory tortilla was of the traditional corn variety, though of course its size was anything but ordinary. When finished, it measured a whopping 14-and-a-half-feet in diameter. The city's notaries carefully recorded its size before it was topped with 70 pounds of cheese, 70 pounds of beef, 45 pounds of beans and 5 gallons of salsa. Delicioso! salon.com | May 10, 2000   - - - - - - - - - - - - About the writer J.A. Getzlaff's Daily Planet appears every weekday. Do you have a tip or tale for J.A.? Send it to DailyPlanet@salon.com.