Talk:Nixtamalization
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The process dates back nearly 10,000 years in ancient Mesoamerican cultures.
According to the Oxford Companion to Food the process' origins are unknown however, evidence of of this process has been found in southern Guatemala dating 1500-1200 BCE. Can a citation to support the 10,000 evidence be found?
Notes:
Nitamalization is the process whereby the outer hull, pericarp, of maize is removed by cooking the kernels in an alkaline solution then washing and soaking to become ‘’’nixtimal’’’ which is then ground to produce nixtamal dough or ‘’ masa’’. The process increases the nutritive value of the maize, reduces mycotoxins and enables varied consumption in the form of tortillas, atole, sopes, etc.
[edit] The Chemical Process
I think the way the process is described is a little confusing. In one place, it seems it occurs before the maize is dried, in another, both before and after. The diagram does not clear things up as it does not include the drying process at all.
I think the article on hominy could be merged with this article as a sub-topic, since nixtamalization seems to be used almost exclusively with maize.
Lmonteros 21:14, 12 December 2006 (UTC)LMonteros
- Please go ahead and provide modfications with sources so I can make changes to the diagram. --jadepearl 10:33, 27 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] What about sweet corn?
Nixtamalization isn't necessary for modern strains of corn like sweet corn, is it? It seems like we just pick those off the plant, boil them, and eat them. Are we missing out on nutrients or is nixtamalization only necessary for 'maza' corn?
- Any kind of corn can be prepared that way.. The diference is that Sweet Corn has been breed for extra sugar (content), but it will still lack nutrients that would be availabe by nixtamalizacion. By the way. Corn alone did not supply the full quota of aminoacids requiered by the humans. But a mix of Corn and bean would complement each other, so no animal proteins are necesary. Nanahuatzin 16:21, 23 February 2007 (UTC)
- One of the issues that affects nutrition in Africa is the lack of nixtamilzation on corn strains including any sweet varieties. --jadepearl 10:28, 27 February 2007 (UTC)
