nixtamal

Where does the word "nixtamal" come from? It comes from Nahuatl nextamalli, passing through Spanish before entering English (1950s).

Nixtamal’s story begins in Nahuatl: nextamalli meant “lime-treated corn dough.” Combined nextli 'ashes/lime' and tamalli 'dough', describing corn soaked in lime water. By 1500s-1600s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as nixtamal. Nahuatl 'ashes' plus 'dough'; soaking maize in lime frees niacin and prevents pellagra. It reached English by 1950s as nixtamalization. Today, nixtamal means the traditional process of soaking and cooking maize in an alkaline solution to make it more nutritious and easier to grind.

1. Stage 1 · Nahuatl · pre-1500s nextamalli "lime-treated corn dough", combined nextli 'ashes/lime' and tamalli 'dough', describing corn soaked in lime water.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1500s-1600s nixtamal "corn kernels treated with lime and ready for grinding", Nahuatl 'ashes' plus 'dough'; soaking maize in lime frees niacin and prevents pellagra.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1950s nixtamalization "the process of soaking corn in an alkaline solution before grinding", .