Masa

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Masa is Spanish for dough, but in Mexico it sometimes refers to cornmeal dough (masa de maíz in Spanish). It is used for making tortillas, tamales, pupusas, arepas and many other Latin American dishes. The dried and powdered form is called masa de harina or maseca (which is actually a commercial brand); it is reconstituted with water.

Masa de trigo is Spanish for wheat flour dough. It is also used for making tortillas and other breads and pastries.

Masa nixtamalera is nixtamalized maize dough. It is nutritionally superior to cornmeal dough because the limewater adds calcium to the dough and makes the niacin in the cornmeal nutritionally available. ^[1] In Central American and Mexican cuisine, masa nixtamalera is cooked with water and milk to make a thick, gruel-like beverage called atole. When made with chocolate and sugar, it becomes atole de chocolate. Adding anise and piloncillo to this mix creates Champurrado, a popular breakfast drink.

To make masa de harina, field corn (or maize) is dried and then treated in a solution of lime or ash and water, also called slaked lime. This loosens the hulls from the kernels and softens the corn. In addition, the lime reacts with the corn so that the nutrient niacin can be assimilated by the digestive tract. The soaked maize is then washed, and the wet corn is ground into a dough, called masa. It is this fresh masa, when dried and powdered, that becomes masa de harina. (Add water once again to make dough for tortillas or tamales.)

Fresh masa is available in Mexican markets, refrigerated and sold by the kilo. But masa de harina is a fine substitute. Availability and your personal taste determine whether you start with fresh or dried masa.

Do not substitute corn meal or regular corn flour, however; they're produced from different types of corn and are processed differently. They will not produce the same results. Regular wheat flour also cannot be substituted.

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[edit] See also

• Nixtamalization