Masa
Type | Dough |
---|---|
Associated cuisine | Mexican |
Main ingredients | Hominy |
Masa or masa de maíz (English: /ˈmɑːsə/; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmasa]) is a maize dough that comes from ground nixtamalized corn. It is used for making corn tortillas, gorditas, tamales, pupusas, and many other Latin American dishes. It is dried and powdered into a flour form called masa harina. Masa is reconstituted from masa harina by mixing with water before use in cooking.[1]
In Spanish, masa harina translates to "dough flour", which can refer to many other types of dough.
Preparation
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 corn. Some of the corn oil is broken down into emulsifying agents (monoglycerides and diglycerides), while bonding of the corn 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.[2]
The chemical changes in masa allow dough formation, and also allow the nutrient
Other uses
The ground product can be called masa nixtamalera. In Central American and
See also
References
- ISBN 9780060123475.
- ISBN 978-0-684-80001-1. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ "Maize in human nutrition". United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. 1992. Retrieved 2007-01-12.