Nixtamalization

Our tortillas are made with certified organic, non-GMO corn using the traditional method of nixtamalization. This process was invented in ancient Mesoamerica over 3500 years ago.

Nixtamalized corn has many advantages, including producing an amazing aroma and flavor, which is why our tortillas don't taste like plain cornmeal.

Furthermore, mature corn, as opposed to green and sweet corn, is deficient in available niacin, but contains plenty of bound niacin. The process of nixtamalization releases this bound Niacin, making it available for your body to use! However, European invaders did not realize this crucial fact when they appropriated corn as a staple grain. Because western milling technology was so advanced, they didn’t see the need for nixtamalization. As a result, Pellagra, a horrific disease brought on by niacin deficiency, plagued and sometimes killed poorer Europeans and Euro-Americans who consumed un-nixtamalized corn.

Alkali processing deactivates nasty aflatoxins, which are danagerous poisons that may be contained in corn if infected by certain fungi.

Finally, nixtamalization improves the protein balance in the corn by washing away some nutritionally low quality proteins, making the remaining protein higher in nutritional quality

The process of Nixtamalization is also very simple, with only two steps!

1) Cooking and steeping of corn in lime water to create what is called nixtamal

Lime water nixtamalization of corn

 

 2) Grinding the nixtamal to produce the dough known as masa, from which we make tortillas