Question about Masa

PanchoHambre said:

Hominy is treated with Lye... so maybe that's a good thought

How does Masa differ from Conrnmeal from Grits anyway... I always get confused on this

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PanchoHambre said:

Thanks BAM...

For the record I have never eaten a single grit... nothing against them just never id don't see them up here much

I have eaten plenty of Polenta though.

are Masa and Masa Harina the same thing?

I always thought Masa was just cornmeal

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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; it is reconstituted with water.
Masa 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.

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To make masa 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 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 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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