Comal
Pan
A flat round griddle of steel, cast iron, or unglazed clay, 30-50 cm across, the workhorse of the Mexican kitchen. It sits directly over a flame to toast tortillas (the puff happens in 30 seconds when the heat is right), char chiles for moles, blister tomatoes for salsas, and warm reheated leftovers. Clay comales (especially from Oaxaca) season with each use and impart a faint smoky tang that no metal version can fake.
Origin
The pre-Columbian comal predates the Spanish by at least 2,000 years — Aztec and Mayan kitchens used them for tortillas long before maize spread north. Clay comales fired on traditional wood ovens are still made in Oaxaca and Michoacán; the steel version became dominant in urban kitchens after the 1950s.