What is Fresh Masa?

My family has made tamales for many generations from fresh ground masa. Fresh masa is a moist dough that is made from dried corn that has been soaked, boiled and ground into fresh corn masa, nixtamal. Fresh masa has a distinct corn flavor and steams into a delicate texture in the finished tamale. It is a moist dough with the texture of Play Doh, and not to be confused with dough made with dry masa harina flour. My great-grandmother nixtamalized her own corn, and hand ground it into fresh masa by kneeling on the ground and using a metate, which is a grinding stone. Today, fresh masa is sold in bulk at tortilla factories, international super markets throughout Texas and the southwest and online retailers. These retailers handle the nixtamalization process of soaking and boiling dried corn in slaked lime water and grinding it into fresh masa. After purchasing fresh masa, you’ll season it according to the recipe on the following page, and then your tamale masa (dough) will be ready for you to spread onto your corn husks and assembled into tamales. When working with fresh masa take extra care not to let it get overheated which will cause it to sour and spoil. Below are my Tía Odilia’s tips for working with fresh masa.