Hominy (nixtamalised corn)

Maïs nixtamalisé (hominy)

What it is

Cooking maize in wood ash or slaked lime goes back at least three and a half thousand years in Mesoamerica, and it does far more than loosen the hull: it frees the niacin the grain otherwise locks away. Europeans took the maize and left the lime behind, and pellagra followed the crop into southern Europe and the American South.

In the kitchen

From dry, budget two to three hours at a bare simmer and salt only at the end — salted early, the kernels stay leathery. Tinned hominy is already cooked: rinse it hard in several waters or the lime carries straight into the broth.

Goes with

Pork Chili pepper Lime Oregano Ancho chilli Radish Cilantro / Coriander Guajillo chilli

Same species

Instant modified waxy maize starch Blue corn Corn Cornstarch Dextrose Masa harina

Also used with

Culinary lime (cal) Mexican oregano

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