Masa (Spanish, from Latin massa, "mass") is a dough made by adding water to the harina (flour) of any grain. It is an ancient foodstuff, prepared and used in pre-historic times. For example, an exhibit at the Getty museum includes pottery from the Cycladic cultures (ca. 6500 BC) with decorations showing the entire bread-making process.

Masa nixtamalera is nixtamalized maize dough, made from corn boiled with lime and ground in a molino (a mill dedicated to that purpose) or on a metate (flat grinding stone). Thus, it is made from wet hominy, reduced to a dough by grinding, and not from corn flour. Masa harina is a dry flour made from the lime-processed dough.

Masa de maíz, sometimes also called masa harina, is made from finely ground corn without the benefit of lime treatment. Both are used for making tortillas, tamales, pupusas, and many other dishes from Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Masa trigo (dough from wheat flour) is used for making tortillas as well as other breads and pastries.

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. Add some anise and sweetened with piloncillo and it becomes Champurrado; popular as a breakfast drink for everyone. In some instances it may contain Alcohol.

Masa nixtamalera is nutritionally superior to cornmeal dough because the limewater adds calcium to the dough and also makes the niacin in the cornmeal nutritionally available, thus helping prevent pellagra. Made from nixtamalized hominy rather than plain maize flour, it is tastier and easier to digest. ^[1]

References

See also

• Nixtamalization

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