Nixtamalization

Nixtamalization is a traditional Mesoamerican process of cooking and soaking dried corn in an alkaline solution (usually food-grade lime/calcium hydroxide). This process improves the corn’s nutritional value, makes its proteins more digestible, and gives masa its distinctive flavor and dough-forming properties. The word comes from the Nahuatl words ‘tenextli’ (lime) and ‘tamalli’ (tamal).