• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

CooksInfo

  • Home
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Recipes
  • Food Calendar
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar
×
Home » Kitchenware » Griddles » Comal

Comal

Comal

Cast iron comal. Glane23 / wikimedia / 2008 / CC BY-SA 3.0

A comal is a round, thin griddle pan for making tortillas (the Mexican flatbreads, not the Spanish omelette ones.)

They have low-rimmed edges that allow you to slide flat breads out of the pan with just the tip of your finger.

The pans can be used to make or heat tortillas, blister chiles, or heat quesadillas. In parts of Mexico such as Oaxaca, they are also used for toasting cocoa beans on.

Comals are used in Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America.

Contents hide
  • 1 Clay versus metal
  • 2 Gas versus wood heat sources
  • 3 Stove top comals
  • 4 Substitutes
  • 5 Literature & Lore
  • 6 Language Notes

Clay versus metal

There are many different types now, but broadly speaking, there are traditional (clay) and modern (metal.)

A traditional comal is made of unglazed clay and straw that is formed then baked.

Modern versions are mostly made from metal instead of clay. They are lighter, less fragile, heat up faster, and give a more even heat.

You can still buy clay comals. New clay ones are seasoned with limewater first (the chemical.) They are up to 35 cm (14 inches) wide, and tend to slope down a bit towards the middle. Never let water come into contact with hot clay ones: let them cool completely first before washing.

Clay Comal

Toasting amaranth on a clay comal.Juan Scott / wikimedia / 2016 / CC BY-SA 4.0

Gas versus wood heat sources

A large comal was traditionally meant to be used over a wood fire and is known as a “comal de leña”. To use it, the comal is put on risers, usually three stones called “tenamascles.” You build your cooking fire, usually from charcoal or wood, under the griddle in the centre of the stones.

Some large metal ones are now heated by gas; these are “comal de gas.”

Gas comal

Comal heated by gas, Guatemala. Surizar / flickr / 2006 / CC BY-SA 2.0

Stove top comals

There are also small comals for stove top use.

Cast iron stove top comals look like cast iron frying pans with no sides on them except for a slight lip all around. They tend to have a 23 cm (9 inch) cooking surface, with a long cast iron handle on them. Some instead have two small handles, one on each side. The cast iron surface is deliberately rough, to help prevent sticking. They need a while to heat up first before you start using them.

Some metal ones are now made out of aluminum. They heat up faster and can cook things faster, but can warp. Some metal models now are reversible, with one side flat, another ridged.

Cast iron comal

Cast iron comal. Glane23 / wikimedia / 2008 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Substitutes

Electric or stove-top griddle.

Literature & Lore

The three stones reputedly represented the three dogs of the fire god Huehueteotl — their names were Mizcoatl, Tozpan and Iiutl. Some people still toss a small piece of tortilla into the flame to feed the dogs.

Language Notes

From the Aztec word “comalli”. Plural: comales.

Restaurant comal

Tacos and other food being heated on a restaurant comal. Jose Calleja / Pexels / CC0 1.0

This page first published: May 28, 2005 · Updated: May 21, 2022.

This web site generates income from affiliated links and ads at no cost to you to fund continued research · Information on this site is Copyright © 2025· Feel free to cite correctly, but copying whole pages for your website is content theft and will be DCMA'd.

Tagged With: Mexican Food

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Skylar! This is a fake profile talking about how I switched to a paleo diet and it helped my eczema and I grew 4". Trust me, I'm an online doctor.

More about me →

Popular

  • E.D. Smith Pumpkin Purée
    E.D. Smith recipe for pumpkin pie

  • Libby's Pumpkin Pie
    Libby’s recipe for pumpkin pie

  • Pie crust
    Pie Crust Recipe

  • Smokey Maple Pepper Glaze for Ham
    Smokey Maple Pepper Glaze for Ham

You can duplicate your homepage's trending recipes section in the sidebar to reinforce the internal linking.

We no longer recommend using a search bar, newsletter form or category drop-down menu in the sidebar. See the Modern Sidebar post for details.

If the block editor is not narrower than usual, simply save the page and refresh it.

Search

    Today is

  • Weights and Measures Day
    Weigh scale
  • World Bee Day
    Bees

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About this site
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright enforced!
  • Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Site

  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar

This web site generates income from affiliated links and ads at no cost to you to fund continued research · The text on this site is © Copyright.