Nixtamalization
![An 1836 lithograph of tortilla production in rural Mexico.](/Images/godic/202501/29/Tortilleras_Nebel2339.jpg")
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![Dried, treated maize sold in Oaxaca, Mexico (US quarter and Mexican peso shown for scale)](/Images/godic/202501/29/Dried_Maize_Mote_from_Oaxaca2339.png")
![Dry untreated maize (left), and treated maize (right) after boiling in lime. In this case, typical of El Salvador, 1 Tablespoon of lime is used for 1 pound of Maize (15 mL per 500 g), the mixture is boiled for 15 minutes and left to stand for a few hours, and the maize washed well with fresh water. Afterwards, the hulls are removed and the kernels ground into dough. However, exact cooking methods vary according to use and region.](/Images/godic/202501/29/Nixtamalized_Corn_maize_El_Salvador_recipe2339.jpg")
Nixtamalization typically refers to a process for the preparation of maize (corn), or other grain, in which the grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, and hulled. The term can also refer to the removal via an alkali process of the pericarp from other grains such as sorghum.