nixtamalization means A process for the preparation of maize (corn) in which the grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, and hulled. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “nixtamalization” is a great word
A chemical and culinary process for preparing maize in which dried kernels are soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, traditionally limewater, and then hulled. From Spanish *nixtamal* (from Nahuatl *nextamalli*, "hominy," from *nextli* "ashes" and *tamalli* "cooked corn dough") + the English suffix *-ization* (denoting a process). Unlike "hominy" (which names the plump, hulled kernels that result) or "milling" (which denotes the subsequent mechanical grinding), nixtamalization is the essential alchemy that unlocks the grain. It is the hiss of corn in slaked lime, the satisfying sloughing of translucent skins, and the liberation of bound nutrients that would otherwise pass uselessly through the gut—a quiet, ancient technology that built civilizations from a simple seed.
Etymology
From nixtamal + -ization.
noun
- A process for the preparation of maize (corn) in which the grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, and hulled.“Nixtamalization, a traditional Mexican process for making tortillas, consists of cooking maize grain in excess water and lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)₂), at temperatures near boiling, followed by steeping.”