Hominy or nixtamal is dried maize (corn) kernels which have been treated with an alkali of some kind. Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica In Chemistry, an alkali (from Arabic: Al-Qaly القلي القالي) is a basic, ionic salt of an Alkali metal
The traditional U.S. version involves soaking dried corn in lye-water (sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide solution), traditionally derived from wood ash, until the hulls are removed. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Lye is a Corrosive alkaline substance commonly Sodium hydroxide (NaOH Sodium hydroxide ( Na[[hydroxide OH]]) also known as Lye, caustic soda and (incorrectly according to IUPAC nomenclature Potassium hydroxide is the Inorganic compound with the formula K[[hydroxide OH]] Mexican recipes describe a preparation process consisting primarily of cooking in lime-water (calcium hydroxide). Calcium hydroxide, traditionally called slaked lime, hydrated lime, or pickling lime, is a Chemical compound with the chemical formula In either case, the process is called nixtamalization, and removes the germ and the hard outer hull from the kernels, making them more palatable, easier to digest, and easier to process. Nixtamalization typically refers to a process for the preparation of maize (corn in which the Grain is soaked and cooked in an Alkaline solution The germ is the "heart" of the Cereal kernel the Embryo of the Seed. Husk (or hull) in botany is the outer shell or coating of a seed A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored Digestion is the breaking down of chemicals in the body into a form that can be absorbed Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw Ingredients into Food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by
Commercially available canned hominy may have a slightly stronger scent when compared to the traditional preparation. Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food is processed and sealed in an airtight container
The earliest known usage of nixtamalization was in what is present-day Guatemala around 1500–1200 BC. Nixtamalization typically refers to a process for the preparation of maize (corn in which the Grain is soaked and cooked in an Alkaline solution Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest It affords several significant nutritional advantages over untreated maize products. It converts some of the niacin (and possibly other B vitamins) into a form more absorbable by the body, improves the availability of the amino acids, and (at least in the lime-treated variant) supplements the calcium content, balancing maize's comparative excess of phosphorus. Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, is a water-soluble vitamin which prevents the deficiency disease Pellagra. The B vitamins are eight water-soluble Vitamins that play important roles in cell Metabolism. In Chemistry, an amino acid is a Molecule containing both Amine and Carboxyl Functional groups In Biochemistry, this Agricultural lime, also called garden lime, is a Soil additive made from pulverized Limestone or Chalk. Phosphorus, (ˈfɒsfərəs is the Chemical element that has the symbol P and Atomic number 15
Many Native American cultures made hominy and integrated it into their diet. Cherokees, for example, made hominy grits by soaking corn in lye and beating it with a kanona (corn beater). The grits were used to make a traditional hominy soup (called Gv-No-He-Nv A-Ma-Gi-i), a hominy soup that was allowed to ferment (Gv-Wi Si-Da A-Ma-Gi-i), cornbread, dumplings (Di-Gu-Nv-i) or fried with bacon and green onions.
Some recipes using hominy include menudo (a spicy tripe and hominy soup), pozole (a stew of hominy and pork, chicken, prawns, or other meat), hominy bread, hominy chili, casseroles and fried dishes. The soup menudo is a traditional Mexican dish; a frequently spicy Soup made with Tripe. Tripe is a type of edible Offal from the Stomachs of various Domestic animals. Pozole (from Spanish pozole, from Nahuatl potzolli; variant spellings posole, pozolé, pozolli) is a traditional Hominy can be ground coarsely to make hominy grits, or into a fine mash (dough) to make masa, the dough used to make tamales. GRITS is a Christian hip hop group from Nashville, Tennessee. Masa is Spanish for Dough, but in Mexico it sometimes refers to Cornmeal dough ( masa de maíz in Spanish A tamale ( Spanish tamal, from Nahuatl tamalli) is a traditional indigenous American food consisting of steam-cooked corn
Rockihominy, a popular trail food in the 19th & early 20th centuries, is dried corn roasted to a golden brown, then ground to a very coarse meal, almost like hominy grits.
Hominy can also be used as animal feed.
External links
- The Mountain Laurel (2005). Homemade Hominy. Retrieved June 18, 2005. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
- Ha-pah-shu-tse (2005). Hominy Products. Retrieved June 18, 2005. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
- Native Way Cookbook Gv-No-He-Nv A-Ma-Gi-i, Gv-Wi Si-Da A-Ma-Gi-i and Di-Gu-Nv-i.
- The Cherokee Nation Cookbook: Fried Hominy.
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