I'm Eastern Cherokee, grew up doing this at home. I sometimes still do, because nothing tastes quite like freshly made newada (hominy). I use ashes instead of lime though.
@@PinkCheeseCoolArrows Its possible that it was originally done with ashes and it certainly was often done that way but the best guess I have seen on how it might have started was using hot rocks, limestone rocks, to heat the corn in water before Amerinds had containers that be put on the fire. Either way can work.
my childhood best friends grandparents were from mexico city. and since she lived with them, once a week her nana would make homemade corn tortillas from scratch. and then make tacos. and since I was considered family, I was there basically all the time. and I remember her nana doing this and then her great-gma making the best and really spicy salsa for the topping. (we tried making her recipe one time and it didnt turn out lol) so this video brings back some wonderful memories of my childhood. it is really sad that we grew apart since becoming adults and her grandparents passing. but I can almost smell nana's cooking, frying, and making the corn etc....cuz of this video. so thx u for the great memories brought back to me. :)
I love these old style well made educational videos. Full of real life video segments. Not like new ones made with vague photos downloaded from the internet.
Love love this! Grandmother swears by her farming ways and especially making masa for corn tortillas. Every time she comes to visit the States, she dislikes anything packaged. Huge difference of taste too on the corn tortillas. Thank you for this video.
The maize for tortillas is NOT cooked for one hour, in fact the heat is turn off right before the boiling point or just allow it to boil for few minutes. However, the maize to make hominy for pozole and menudo and soups (which is the large corn) is cooked longer to release the skin corn, welcome.
So, can I buy a bag of corn feed and nixtamalize it to a point where I can just add it to soup? I don't want to make tortillas, I just want the whole kernel corn to be edible and beneficial.
I can’t afford one of those fancy mills, and the volcanic rock takes awhile and i don’t have one of those big ones. Can we make the masa in a blendtec blender?
So, all these images of the masa looking quite thin and not too grainy is because Maseca is being used? I've tried that, and it's not the same as 100% from scratch.
Wonderful info. now i know.. or sort of. 1st question: in the video @2:56, it said the lime is fired with hot water before use.. what does that mean ? how to fire lime in hot water ? does she referring to CaO (quicklime) ? but i think she said use Calcium Hydroxide (CaOH2) ? the white powder of lime, is it CaOH2 (slaked lime ) ? it is from lime stone that have being through kiln ? i am wondering E526 (food grade calcium hydroxide) is it the same lime out of lime stone ? or is it from seashell ?? can any one who is really into this share his/her knowledge with us ? thanks andrew
I think she meant boiled or heated in hot water. This is Slaked Lime, not "Quick" lime (Calcium Oxide). This is Ca (OH)2. Slaked lime has many uses, and is sold cheaply in sacks. I thought about it, you could make a hundred tons of Nixtamal from one sack of lime I guess! Burning your own limestone or shells sounds laborious but would make a fascinating video. You can buy a small amount of lime where Mexican groceries are sold, or in Wal-Mart (say) as pickling lime.
Culture isn't passed on locally nowadays, it is created and taught by media. In order to achieve this old people are portrayed as dull, and even young 30 year old adults are called "daddy" or "boomer", which shows a separation process induced between the young and the grown-ups (who could have learned culture from the older people).
@@Apollo440 your statement seemsto convey an absolute, globally framed view, which is laughably over simplified. if it were even slightly true as typed, traditional food preparation would have disappeared, with the initial emergence of the media you're referring to. again, laughable. in reality, there are more factors than could be listed, with which culture is stunted (english dictionary definition, not popular culture definition). consider how some kids are still made fun of, when they bring their "weird" food, that their parents prepared for them, to school. if it isn't hamburgers, pizza, or hotdogs, it's "weird" to the uncultured masses. the children would likely request/demand, a more "normal" meal, for school. corn (along with a lot of other things) was outlawed by the european conquistadors, in order to suppress and control the "savage" population. most "mexican" food in the us, is a heavy distortion, of traditional dishes from central/southern mexico. have you ever seen so much cheese?!? why do most people assume that it needs to be inexpensive, to be excellent or "authentic"? and what about regionality? people in the us debate bbq sauce styles but rarely know the species variants, of things like chicken, corn, or bananas. not all corn is considered appropriate, for making masa. heirloom crops are _common_ in countries that never allowed industrialization, to become the default. why would anyone pay money for seedless oranges or corn fed beef/pork? perhaps some view older people as "dull", in segments of societies driven/imprinted by popular culture (i wonder who exports the most pop culture?) but the majority of young people, still see elders as partial connections, to the foundations of human civilization.
@@metatalc9198 Traditional cooking has undergone serious statistical losses in favor of a "McExpansion". This rings true for all globalized cities or even countries - the mainstream "cooking scene" is totally westernized. Although not so much in rural areas, which are also massively underpopulated in favor of conglomerations. Starch production and consumption, which was the staple for the last 10 000 years is being aggressively pushed to the edge of the "Bell Curve" by more profitable fat and protein. Which is a serious deviation from tradition in and of itself, even without taking the technique of preparation into regard. I would like to believe, that most young people look up to their elders and picture being like them when they grow up. Unfortunately nowadays the opposite occurrence is common- older people trying to be "hip", dressing like youngsters and adopting cultural trends, targeted on a younger population, in every possible way. Not that this should be disallowed - it's just evident, that they have lost their previous role (even if only in their minds). The mainstream is, that the young know best, and the old should get out of the way of this "progress". My question is - who is the author of this message? Definitely not the handiwork of youngsters, who can't even spell; nor the older people, deserving respect in many ways. My point here is - even if all parties wish and think well of each other - mass media, the educator, which every youngling wears in their pocket from age 3, decides what we eat and who we respect...
My mom taught me how to do this type of thing. Mom is going on 90 years old. So she does things the old school way. Believe it or not, the food tastes better
@@NwoDispatcher Keep the skins in food mix, otherwise it's pap. Some enjoyable fiber and more nutrition,…. makes for more vitality, greater person-body integrity.
Lime: 0.5 - 1.5% based on weight of corn Water: 150 - 300% based on weight of corn Boiling at atmospheric conditions (non-pressurized): 0.5-3.0 hours Steeping: 8-24 hours at 55-65°C Washing of nixtamal: repeated several times until sufficient lime solution and kernel components have been removed.
They can be used to make bio degradable shopping bags & food scrap bags for compost.ive also seen a program yrs ago that showed clear packaging being made like the type you see in cookie packets .
4:04 I had no idea that the average daily consumption of tortilla in mexico is of 10 per Adult! We do learn about something every day 😄 Would've never guessed cliché could be real
Dear Steve i tried your method ,but the corn we have is bad quality and 3rd grade , i put the lime and even added half a teaspoon more and put it to the boil for 30 minutes and when im grinding it , no way i got the texture you have which is DOUGH LIKE. Mine came out with lumps .What can i do with this type of corn that there is no other substitute.
Central America is on the southern tip of the North America Continent, which was not connected to the South America Continent until 12-15 million years ago. Panama is the southern most county of North America (wikipedia).
Extremely important. Did you watch the video? Without the Nixtamalization process you can't make tortillas. The process also makes the maize digestable as well as makes the vitamins and mineral available for our bodies to absorb. Before Lime was used sifted hardwood ashes mixed with water was used to "Lye" the maize.
if you really are speaking geographically, mexico is not in central america for two reasons : central america is not a continent, it's a region. mexico is located in the north american continent. this is just like when people use the term "the middle east" which again, is a region, not a continent. when using this term, people are actually referring to countries in the african continent, the arabian peninsula, and asia.
Oh, don't start! They wash it out at the end. Doing this increased the total amount of food available, I think if they didn't do this there would be more hunger, more outright starvation.
Calcium carbonate is not a harsh chemical. You eat lots of chemicals. You ARE chemicals. Basically its the same as sodium carbonate, only with calcium instead of sodium. You need calcium and the carbonate part is just carbon and oxygen.
@@ethelredhardrede1838 No thats not calcium carbonate lol thats calcium Hydroxide. People take calcium carbonate supplements. Calcium hydroxide is a different story.
I'm Eastern Cherokee, grew up doing this at home. I sometimes still do, because nothing tastes quite like freshly made newada (hominy). I use ashes instead of lime though.
Oh si yo!
How it was originally done !🙌🏽
Do you have good links on making hominy with ashes? I work at a historical farm and we are learning about the ancient traditions surrounding corn.
@@PinkCheeseCoolArrows
Its possible that it was originally done with ashes and it certainly was often done that way but the best guess I have seen on how it might have started was using hot rocks, limestone rocks, to heat the corn in water before Amerinds had containers that be put on the fire.
Either way can work.
Please could you explain to me how it is done with ash? What is the rates of water and ash? It is extremely important for me, please let me know!
my childhood best friends grandparents were from mexico city. and since she lived with them, once a week her nana would make homemade corn tortillas from scratch. and then make tacos. and since I was considered family, I was there basically all the time. and I remember her nana doing this and then her great-gma making the best and really spicy salsa for the topping. (we tried making her recipe one time and it didnt turn out lol) so this video brings back some wonderful memories of my childhood. it is really sad that we grew apart since becoming adults and her grandparents passing. but I can almost smell nana's cooking, frying, and making the corn etc....cuz of this video. so thx u for the great memories brought back to me. :)
The best description of the ancient nixtamal process in english language.
I love these old style well made educational videos.
Full of real life video segments.
Not like new ones made with vague photos downloaded from the internet.
Hi there, Anyone knows what is the additive name that used to soak dry corn?
Water
@@Jswater cal or quicklime the construction material
Love love this! Grandmother swears by her farming ways and especially making masa for corn tortillas. Every time she comes to visit the States, she dislikes anything packaged. Huge difference of taste too on the corn tortillas. Thank you for this video.
One time my Abuelita forgot to add the lime and when I bit into the tortilla I broke out my front tooth. Muchas Gracias, Grandma!
o lord. lol.
😂😂😂😂😂😂❤️
Maybe it was going to fall out anyways since you were a kid?
@@excellasmimix3168 lol
@@2degucitas Maybe my Abuelita didn't like me. lol
I came here from Wired video. Learned something new everyday.
The maize for tortillas is NOT cooked for one hour, in fact
the heat is turn off right before the boiling point or just allow it to boil
for few minutes. However, the maize to make hominy for pozole and menudo and
soups (which is the large corn) is cooked longer to release the skin corn, welcome.
So, can I buy a bag of corn feed and nixtamalize it to a point where I can just add it to soup? I don't want to make tortillas, I just want the whole kernel corn to be edible and beneficial.
Yes
Hominy
I can’t afford one of those fancy mills, and the volcanic rock takes awhile and i don’t have one of those big ones. Can we make the masa in a blendtec blender?
i bet it smells so good in those factories
I'm working on a batch of masa. What ratio should I use for salt: 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0% by weight of the masa?
Since I've learned about nixtamalization I've wondered if there are other grains that would benefit from similar processing 🤔
So, all these images of the masa looking quite thin and not too grainy is because Maseca is being used? I've tried that, and it's not the same as 100% from scratch.
Wonderful info. now i know.. or sort of.
1st question: in the video @2:56, it said the lime is fired with hot water before use..
what does that mean ? how to fire lime in hot water ? does she referring to CaO (quicklime) ? but i think she said use Calcium Hydroxide (CaOH2) ?
the white powder of lime, is it CaOH2 (slaked lime ) ? it is from lime stone that have being through kiln ?
i am wondering E526 (food grade calcium hydroxide) is it the same lime out of lime stone ? or is it from seashell ??
can any one who is really into this share his/her knowledge with us ?
thanks
andrew
¡Cal viva!
I think she meant boiled or heated in hot water. This is Slaked Lime, not "Quick" lime (Calcium Oxide). This is Ca (OH)2. Slaked lime has many uses, and is sold cheaply in sacks. I thought about it, you could make a hundred tons of Nixtamal from one sack of lime I guess! Burning your own limestone or shells sounds laborious but would make a fascinating video. You can buy a small amount of lime where Mexican groceries are sold, or in Wal-Mart (say) as pickling lime.
@@leonardpearlman4017 Quick Lime (CaO) Calcium oxide in the presence of water produces calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2
I never knew how healthy tortillas are being Hispanic myself.
Culture isn't passed on locally nowadays, it is created and taught by media.
In order to achieve this old people are portrayed as dull, and even young 30 year old adults are called "daddy" or "boomer", which shows a separation process induced between the young and the grown-ups (who could have learned culture from the older people).
@@Apollo440 good observation
@@Apollo440 your statement seemsto convey an absolute, globally framed view, which is laughably over simplified. if it were even slightly true as typed, traditional food preparation would have disappeared, with the initial emergence of the media you're referring to. again, laughable.
in reality, there are more factors than could be listed, with which culture is stunted (english dictionary definition, not popular culture definition). consider how some kids are still made fun of, when they bring their "weird" food, that their parents prepared for them, to school. if it isn't hamburgers, pizza, or hotdogs, it's "weird" to the uncultured masses. the children would likely request/demand, a more "normal" meal, for school.
corn (along with a lot of other things) was outlawed by the european conquistadors, in order to suppress and control the "savage" population.
most "mexican" food in the us, is a heavy distortion, of traditional dishes from central/southern mexico. have you ever seen so much cheese?!? why do most people assume that it needs to be inexpensive, to be excellent or "authentic"? and what about regionality? people in the us debate bbq sauce styles but rarely know the species variants, of things like chicken, corn, or bananas. not all corn is considered appropriate, for making masa. heirloom crops are _common_ in countries that never allowed industrialization, to become the default. why would anyone pay money for seedless oranges or corn fed beef/pork?
perhaps some view older people as "dull", in segments of societies driven/imprinted by popular culture (i wonder who exports the most pop culture?) but the majority of young people, still see elders as partial connections, to the foundations of human civilization.
@@metatalc9198 Traditional cooking has undergone serious statistical losses in favor of a "McExpansion". This rings true for all globalized cities or even countries - the mainstream "cooking scene" is totally westernized. Although not so much in rural areas, which are also massively underpopulated in favor of conglomerations.
Starch production and consumption, which was the staple for the last 10 000 years is being aggressively pushed to the edge of the "Bell Curve" by more profitable fat and protein. Which is a serious deviation from tradition in and of itself, even without taking the technique of preparation into regard.
I would like to believe, that most young people look up to their elders and picture being like them when they grow up. Unfortunately nowadays the opposite occurrence is common- older people trying to be "hip", dressing like youngsters and adopting cultural trends, targeted on a younger population, in every possible way. Not that this should be disallowed - it's just evident, that they have lost their previous role (even if only in their minds). The mainstream is, that the young know best, and the old should get out of the way of this "progress".
My question is - who is the author of this message? Definitely not the handiwork of youngsters, who can't even spell; nor the older people, deserving respect in many ways. My point here is - even if all parties wish and think well of each other - mass media, the educator, which every youngling wears in their pocket from age 3, decides what we eat and who we respect...
I don't find tortillas (including nixtamalized corn) healthy for me. It's gunky within my body. Just survival, not vitality food.
Helpful...
Thank you... 😇🙏
Is calcium hydroxide still good for nixtamalizing corn after sitting on a shelf for 12 years?
My mom taught me how to do this type of thing. Mom is going on 90 years old. So she does things the old school way. Believe it or not, the food tastes better
But how do they remove the skins from the water with the kernals? Do they use a colander with big holes?
Skins i think float, could decant them
@@NwoDispatcher Keep the skins in food mix, otherwise it's pap. Some enjoyable fiber and more nutrition,…. makes for more vitality, greater person-body integrity.
How much lime do i need and how much water?
Just enough
eaglerising88 look at us. We’re just too good with recipes.
Lime: 0.5 - 1.5% based on weight of corn
Water: 150 - 300% based on weight of corn
Boiling at atmospheric conditions (non-pressurized): 0.5-3.0 hours
Steeping: 8-24 hours at 55-65°C
Washing of nixtamal: repeated several times until sufficient lime solution and kernel components have been removed.
Can someone explain why the closed caption is in Russian?
I AM BEYOND THANKFUL FOR THIS PACHAMAMA'S GIFT! MAIZE IS MY MAIN SOURCE OF CALCIUM... I EAT A DAILY AREPA FROM NIXTAMALIZED CORN. I AM SO LUCKY!
Are they using lime powder? What kind of ash can be used instead?
Can you nixtamilize polenta?
Just keep Monsanto away from the maize.
too late... most is GMO now. GMO fields contaminate non-GMO :-(
I think sweet corn is still safe
@@SaraVV get a pocket zapper. bring it with you to the market and aim it at your produce. it will tell you (mostly) if the food is frankenfood.
@@peekpen I'd never heard of such a thing. I'll look into it right now.
@@peekpen I see, you're just joking :-D
I would love to know how to do this to make healthier corn tortillas
Isn't calcium hydroxide toxic though?
@@krayziejerry by itself? Yeah, as an ingredient here? Nah
Good video! What happens to the kernel’s skin? Is it eventually grounded into the masa? Thanks Guillermo
DISSOLVES INTO THE WATER
@@oraach o, it does not dissolve but is rinsed away.
They can be used to make bio degradable shopping bags & food scrap bags for compost.ive also seen a program yrs ago that showed clear packaging being made like the type you see in cookie packets .
Excellent!
Can industrial hydrated lime be used.?
NO ! You have to use Food Grade Lime.
@@richstone2627 exactly
Onl one point though, this started in Mexico which happens to be North America-not Central America.
Thanks for sharing, this video makes me wanna go to Mexico
Interesting.
4:04 I had no idea that the average daily consumption of tortilla in mexico is of 10 per Adult! We do learn about something every day 😄 Would've never guessed cliché could be real
Very clear vjdeo +++
There's more to taco bending than meets the eye.
Dear Steve i tried your method ,but the corn we have is bad quality and 3rd grade , i put the lime and even added half a teaspoon more and put it to the boil for 30 minutes and when im grinding it , no way i got the texture you have which is DOUGH LIKE. Mine came out with lumps .What can i do with this type of corn that there is no other substitute.
Hi Al, on another video it recommends to wet the masa after the first grind , enough to form a dough, then grind it a second time. See if that helps.
Mexico is in North America.
Central America is on the southern tip of the North America Continent, which was not connected to the South America Continent until 12-15 million years ago. Panama is the southern most county of North America (wikipedia).
Yeah, get it right gringos! Always trying to exclude Mexico from being on the continent
True, but technically so are all the central american countries because "Central America" isn't an official continent...
@@cosmicquetzal220 Central America isn’t an unofficial continent either. It’s a region. But more officially it’s an isthmus.
I called 911 to report the deformed tortilla at 07:20. Hopefully the person responsible is arrested.
How important is the lime?
Extremely important. Did you watch the video? Without the Nixtamalization process you can't make tortillas. The process also makes the maize digestable as well as makes the vitamins and mineral available for our bodies to absorb. Before Lime was used sifted hardwood ashes mixed with water was used to "Lye" the maize.
You'd think in a video dedicated to nixtamalization that they'd actually pronounce it right
Central America and North America, which is where Mexico is geographically speaking.
if you really are speaking geographically, mexico is not in central america for two reasons : central america is not a continent, it's a region. mexico is located in the north american continent.
this is just like when people use the term "the middle east" which again, is a region, not a continent. when using this term, people are actually referring to countries in the african continent, the arabian peninsula, and asia.
@@metatalc9198 True...Part of Mexico is in Central America, but Mexico itself isn’t considered part of Central America.
Im mexican i can smell this video
very cool
just fyi steeped = soaked
Thanks, anarky4321, my previous (wrong) understanding was a slow boil, but all that matters is that the item be immersed in liquid.
@@rongarza9488 Hi, do you mean that boiling and/or adding lime are not important, but solely letting it steep in water?
I thought tamalli meant tamale
fermentation? more like pre-digestion amiright???
Here for school
Nixtamal is NOT a spanish word, nixtamal is a Native American word form the Nahuatl people from Mexico.
wowowie....
Central America??United States of Mexico is a North American country
Can someone explain to me how this is safe? It seems bad for your health to have your corn marinate in harsh chemicals.
We have been doing this for thousands of years and are still alive.
Oh, don't start! They wash it out at the end. Doing this increased the total amount of food available, I think if they didn't do this there would be more hunger, more outright starvation.
Calcium carbonate is not a harsh chemical. You eat lots of chemicals. You ARE chemicals. Basically its the same as sodium carbonate, only with calcium instead of sodium. You need calcium and the carbonate part is just carbon and oxygen.
@@leonardpearlman4017 you say “oh don’t start” as if I’m talking trash. Im asking a question because I’m genuinely curious.
@@ethelredhardrede1838 No thats not calcium carbonate lol thats calcium Hydroxide. People take calcium carbonate supplements. Calcium hydroxide is a different story.
How its made: foo edition
"MEGICO" no, MECSICOU.
Sushi
Make a tortillas Afrikaans. 😂