Nixtamal - Hominy

Corn for tortillas, tamales, soups and similar uses is nixtamalized to remove the hard outer skin from the kernels. This product is made by soaking dried corn in a strong alkali, lye-water (US) or lime-water (Mexico), until the outer hulls can be rubbed off. This process was first used about 3500 years ago in Guatemala, and has several nutritional advantages. It converts niacin into a form more readily absorbed by the body, improves digestibility of amino acids, and the lime treated version adds calcium to balance corn's excess of phosphorus. This can be made from yellow or white corn.

In the photo, white corn nixtamal, prepared with lime, was canned, thus it has been cooked to some extent. The fresh yellow nixtamal on the right has not been cooked at all and is intended for inclusion in Menudo and similar soups. Both white and yellow are also sold dried and broken (see "Buying" below).

More on Corn.

Products subjected to nixtamalization are whole kernel corn, both fresh and dried, grits (cracked corn), corn meal (masa harina) and corn meal dough (masa). The photo to the left shows giant white cacahuazintle corn that has been nixtalized before drying. In the photo the kernels are dried and about 0.67 inches across. They will expand to a larger size when cooked.

Buying:

Some packages, particularly those in markets serving a Mexican community, will indicate they have been treated with lime or lye. These products are preferred for good nutrition.

Storing:

Preparing from Dried:

1. Soak kernels overnight in water to cover well (it will expand).
2. For soup, pinch off the brown tip to help it burst open while cooking. Yes this is tedious but mindless, so you can do it while watching your soaps (they haven't canceled all of them yet, have they?).
3. Cooking time should be about 3 hours, but it can stand a fair amount longer.

Preparing from whole (skin on) kernels:

1. Put 1 pound of whole corn kernels in a non-reactive pot.with water to cover. Let it soak overnight.
2. Change the water and bring it to a boil.
3. Dilute about 1/2 Tablespoon of unslaked lime with a little cold water and add it, through a strainer, to the pot.
4. Bring back to a boil for about 10 minutes, then cover and let it soak for another 30 minutes.
5. Wash well in several changes of water,rubbing it between your hands to remove the thin outer sheath.
6. For soup, pinch off the brown tip to help it burst open while cooking. Yes this is tedious but midless, so you can do it while watching your soaps (they haven't canceled all of them yet, have they?).
7. Cooking time should be about 3 hours, but it can stand a fair amount longer.

Health & Nutrition:

When corn (maize) became a common crop worldwide, particularly for the poor, it brought with it a deadly disabling disease called Pellagra. This niacin deficiency disease was particularly severe in Spain, northern Italy and the US Southeast, and is still a problem in Africa, Indonesia and China. It is characterized by terrible skin lesions, sensitivity to sunlight, and a whole host of other symptoms, culminating in dementia and death.

This disease had not affected the native populations of the Americas because their corn was almost always nixtamalized before cooking. This process converts the niacin in corn to a form the human body can utilize.