nixtamalization

“Early corn eaters developed a special pretreatment to ease the removal of the hull, which is called nixtamalization from an Aztec word: they cooked the kernels in water made alkaline with a variety of substances.”

Simon & Schuster: On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen

“Wet-milled Corn: Masa, Tortillas, Tamales, Chips Tortillas, tamales, and corn chips are made from corn grains that are milled when wet, after they have undergone the preliminary cooking step called nixtamalization p.”

Simon & Schuster: On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen

“However, beans and rice do give a complete set of dietary protein. wendy devlin, processing (soaking and boiling) grains of corn with lime is called nixtamalization and primarily is used to soften the hull to make it easier to grind and use.”

Frijol---Frijoles

“This soaking process, called nixtamalization, softens the dried corn and makes the nutrients it contains more easily absorbed.”

Corn, beans and squash: the life cycle of the milpa