Are any corn products in the United States made from nixtamalized corn?
I believe polenta, corn meal, grits, and corn flour are not. But how about tortilla corn chips you buy at the supermarket? This is what I am looking for!
I have a link to a quora question that I believe is wrong in that it says most corn products in the United States are but I read just the opposite on other sources.
Still searching, this is a tough question. Here is the link which gives various opinions. https://www.quora.com/Why-isn-t-nixtamalization-a-standard-process-for-corn-production-outside-of-Central-or-South-America-European-settlers-seem-to-have-just-ignored-and-eliminated-the-process
P.S. After posting this I discovered a corn chip made with mesa flour! It's called Calidad. It's the only one so I assume the quora answer is incorrect. If it does not list as mesa flour probably the corn meal is not nixtamalized.
Best Answer
Masa Harina is nixtamalized corn flour, as is anything made from it. So, most corn tortillas you can buy are, as are premade tamales, sopes, etc. While you may come across varieties made from non-treated corn flour (be suspicious of anything bright yellow), most are treated. Corn/tortilla chips are a little bit more of a mixed bag; some are made from corn flour and some from masa, and it's pretty hard to tell from the labeling which is which.
Hominy is also nixtamalized, as are grits, and any product made from/with grits (no, grits and polenta are not the same thing). There's another kind of masa, called masarepa, which is used to make arepas. This isn't an exhaustive list, but should be sufficient to show that yes, we are eating nixtamalized corn in the United States.
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Is all corn nixtamalized?
Corn and corn products. Corn is typically cooked in alkali (i.e., nixtamalization) prior to being used in products such masa, tortillas and snacks. Masa is a paste-like material produced by grinding nixtamalized corn, which is often dried to make dry corn flour.Are tortilla chips nixtamalized?
To make chips, tortillas are cut into triangles or pieces and then fried in oil. The primary difference between the tortilla chips you find in the stores and those you make at home or often find in a restaurant is the level of nixtamalization that occurs.Is a dough made from ground nixtamalized corn?
Masa harina translates to "dough flour" and is used as a staple ingredient in many Latin American dishes. This specialty flour is the dried form of fresh masa dough, which is made from ground field corn treated through a process called nixtamalization.What Ancient Farmers Had Right About Corn That We Ignore | WIRED
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