What is Maiz y Cal?

Maiz y cal means “corn and slaked lime” in English. Maiz is the Spanish word for corn, but it can sometimes refer to the corn plant as a whole. You may have also heard the term elote before, which is the Spanish word for corn on the cob. Cal is a colloquial word used in Mexico to refer to the term “calcium hydroxide.” Calcium hydroxide is also referred to as slaked lime. Slaked lime or cal is an alkaline mineral that’s needed for a process called nixtamalization.

Nixtamalization is a process in which field dried corn is cooked in an alkali solution, usually cal and water. Once it’s cooked, the corn is soaked in the alkali solution typically overnight about 8 to 12 hours depending on the type of corn used. The reason the field dried corn must go through nixtamalization is because without it, the corn would be too tough to eat or grind into corn flour or masa in Spanish. With the masa we can make tortillas, tamales, sopes, tlayudas, atole, tejate, and many other corn based foods and beverages in Mexican cuisine (more on these foods to come). With the softened nixtamalized corn we can make hominy to make pozole, a Mexican soup.

Without nixtamalization the masa would not have the right consistency for making and shaping the corn based foods mentioned before. The corn would be difficult to digest as well. Nixtamalization also improves the nutrition of corn by adding calcium and vitamin B3 niacin. The mesoamerica cultures of what today is Central and Southern Mexico and Central America were the first ones to nixtamalize and they used cal as their alkali. This was definitely an important discovery and one that would change food around the world!

Maiz y Cal are important because without them we would not have many of the amazing foods and drinks Mexico has gifted to the world. Mexico has a rich history and its cuisine is a part of it. We will explore the different types of dishes and see that many of them have maiz y cal as ingredients. I look forward to sharing regional, traditional, and modern Mexican recipes for all home cooks interested in this wonderful cuisine!