Corn for Masa, Tamales and other masa products.

Photo of Corn Varieties by Manu Bastien www.manuphotos.com

It constantly amazes me just how many people are into tamales these days.  My how-to video Tamales 1-2-3 has had over 72,000 viewers,   the recipes with the most hits in my new recipe section are for tamales and there are more questions about corn and how to nixtamalize them (treat it with calcium hydoxide)  to make masa than anything else.  Here are a few of the questions I’ve answered:

Corn for Tamales:

My dear lady where can i get the best corn for tamales ? I used to get from pinewwods community center but they are no more. I do my Tamales with leaf lard and the best of eberything i can find and hope you have a great mail order source! thanks david

Http://www.melissaguerra.com

The only place that has cacahuazintle corn is www.melissaguerra.com .  I’ve bought corn for pozole wholesale but don’t remember where.   They had a 50  lb. minimum.

Melissa Guerra http://www.melissaguerra.com/product.cfm?pid=1002

1 lb $4.95

Gourmetsleuth.com (all sorts of dried corn) http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cItems

Masa Preparada

Q: Having moved to New York city just recently I was introduced to your restaurant by a close friend of mine who eats there all the time. Being impressed with our meal, I have been reading your recipes and am quite excited to try them. I am interested in making tamales and would like your opinion about where I might buy good quality masa preparada (corn dough already beaten with lard or shortening) in this city. I prefer it without lard, so I am hoping to find a place that can accommodate this (and is not too expensive since I am a poor student). I am also wondering where I might find huitlacoche.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions, as well as for the superb food you have brought to the city.

A: I’m terribly sad to report that, unless things have recently changed, there is no fresh masa made from nixtamalized corn available in the tri-state area. All the tortilla factories use Maseca now so you may as well use it too. I like to reconstitute it with homemade chicken stock instead of water to add some flavor.

Are you against lard for dietary or religious reasons? If for religious then I can understand but, unless you’re a vegetarian, lard is the perfect fat for tamales but only if it is home-rendered. When made at home, lard is only 1/3 saturated (butter is 50%,) Lard crystals are large so when beaten until light will result in a fluffy dough and most will seep out in the steaming anyway. Tamales made with oil will be leaden and hard and not nearly half as good.

Corn Tortillas

Q: I am a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan and we do not have lime to make corn tortillas!! We have corn but again, no lime. What can I do? I desperately want to make corn tortillas so that I can make Mexican food!! Please help!!!

A: It should be fairly simple to get lime at about just any pharmacy. Just ask for calcium hydroxide. Lime is also used for pickling and I understand that there are great pickles in Uzbekistan so you could buy it at a pickle store. Please let me know if and where you locate it.

An Article about Corn

A few years ago I had interviewed you for a Chile Pepper magazine
article, and would once again love to include quotes from you in another
article I’m writing for them.

This time the subject is corn — the importance of its role in Latin
cuisine (not limited to Mexican), the versatility of corn, etc.

If you are interested in participating in this article, I would also love
to include your recipe for Masa Cookies from Zarela’s Veracruz, which would
be properly attributed. I’m looking for unexpected corn-based recipes, and
those sound perfect!
.