#Nixtamalization

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Nixtamalization (/ˌnɪʃtəməlɪˈzeɪʃən, ˌnɪks-/ nish-tə-mə-lih-ZAY-shən) is a process for the preparation of maize (corn), or other grain, in which the grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater (but sometimes aqueous alkali metal carbonates),washed, and then hulled. The term can also refer to the removal via an alkali process of the pericarp from other grains such as sorghum.

"#NixtamalizedCorn has several benefits over unprocessed grain: It is more easily ground, its nutritional value is increased, flavor and aroma are improved, and mycotoxins are reduced by up to 97–100% (for aflatoxins).

"Lime and #ash are highly alkaline: the alkalinity helps the dissolution of hemicellulose, the major glue-like component of the maize cell walls, and loosens the hulls from the kernels and softens the #maize. The tryptophan in corn proteins is made more available for human absorption, thus helping to prevent niacin deficiency (pellagra).  Tryptophan is the metabolic precursor of endogenous niacin (Vitamin B3).

"Some of the corn oil is broken down into emulsifying agents (monoglycerides and diglycerides), while bonding of the maize proteins to each other is also facilitated. The divalent calcium in lime acts as a cross-linking agent for protein and polysaccharide acidic side chains.

"While cornmeal made from untreated ground maize is unable by itself to form a dough on addition of water, nixtamalized cornmeal will form a dough, called #masa. These benefits make nixtamalization a crucial preliminary step for further processing of maize into food products, and the process is employed using both traditional and industrial methods in the production of #tortillas and #TortillaChips (but not corn chips), #tamales, #hominy, and many other foodstuffs.

Etymology

"In the #Aztec language Nahuatl, the word for the product of this procedure is #nixtamalli or #nextamalli (pronounced [niʃtaˈmalːi] or [neʃtaˈmalːi]), which in turn has yielded Mexican Spanish #nixtamal ([nistaˈmal]). The Nahuatl word is a compound of nextli "lime ashes" and tamalli "unformed/cooked corn dough, tamal". The term #nixtamalization can also be used to describe the removal of the pericarp from any grain by an #alkali process, including maize, #sorghum, and others. When the unaltered Spanish spelling nixtamalización is used in written English, however, it almost exclusively refers to maize.

"The labels on packages of commercially sold tortillas prepared with nixtamalized maize usually list corn treated with #lime as an ingredient in English, while the Spanish versions list maíz nixtamalizado.

Impact on health

"The primary nutritional benefits of nixtamalization arise from the alkaline processing involved. The processing renders the protein more digestible, allowing tryptophan to be absorbed by humans. Humans can convert tryptophan into niacin, thus helping to prevent pellagra. Other measures of protein quality are also improved.  It was originally thought that the anti-pellagra action stems from increased availability of niacin (compared to a hemicellulose-bound form called "niacytin"), but multiple experiments have disproven this theory.

"Secondary benefits can arise from the grain's absorption of minerals from the alkali used or from the vessels used in preparation. These effects can increase #calcium (by 750%, with 85% available for absorption), iron, copper, and zinc.[4]

"Nixtamalization significantly deactivates #mycotoxins which are putative carcinogens. #Aflatoxins are reduced by 90–94%. Fumonisins are reduced by 82%."

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixtamalization

#SolarPunkSunday #NativeAmericanFoods #NativeAmericanHistory #Corn #BlueCorn #MesoAmerica #TraditionalFoods #CulinaryAsh #CalciumCarbonate #History #FoodHistory #Corn #PlantAshes

(🧵1 /13) The fascinating history of pellagra.

Pellagra symptoms include a skin rash, mouth sores, diarrhea, dementia, and ultimately death. It spread throughout Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, typically in poor regions where corn was the staple, and in institutions (prisons, orphanages, and asylums). 

This thread compares the relative ease of eliminating pellagra in France in the 19th century, versus the uphill battle faced by epidemiologists in the US in the 20th century.

#Pellagra #Epidemiology #Histodon #Corn #Nixtamalization #Hominy #Colonialism #Slavery #SettlerColonialism #USHistory

Flour made from brown rice cooked in an alkaline environment is odd... Tastes and smells mildly like pretzels, forms a much more chewy kind of dough than rice flour normally would. Couldn't really find a way to make it pleasant, but if one needs a gluten substitute texture-wise, maybe it's useful?

Also pretty labor and time intensive without specialized gear - an hour or so of my time and 10 hours in the dehydrator for about a cup of flour.

#cooking #nixtamalization

Since seeing a cooking show where one of the chefs nixtamalized rye berries, now I'm obsessed with the question - what other stuff can you nixtamalize, and what sorts of tastes or textures would it produce?

I know that one trick for preparing chickpeas for hummus involves cooking in an alkali environment, so I guess you can 'nixtamalize' any beans, sort of?

Can you nixtamalize rice? Potato starch? Where does it end? Are pretzels just nixtamalized bread?!

#cooking #nixtamalization

Fascinating history of Corn Tortillas 🌽

"Corn is naturally abundant in niacin (aka vitamin B3), which is an essential part of the human diet. However, the niacin in corn is chemically bound to other molecules, so we humans cannot properly absorb it. If you try to subsist on a diet based around nothing but corn prepared without alkaline treatment, you will develop niacin deficiency"

#Nixtamalization #Vampire #MontezumasRevenge #CooksIllustrated #Tortillas

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/science/789-articles/feature/transforming-corn

Where did the time go? Where did I go?

1. I spent some time hanging out with my friend Major. My hands are in my pockets in every picture. Major can be a bit rough when nibbling on my hands... which I want to keep.

2. I made #Homemade #Tortillas from scratch. I get my #Organic whole #Corn from Great River Organic Milling... #Nixtamalization... make dough... press and cook... yummm!