Hominy

Hominy is field corn that has gone through nixtamalization—soaking in an alkali solution, like water with lye, lime, and pot or wood ash. The solution softens the kernel’s skin, puffs up the corn to almost double the size, and makes the corn more nutritious because the niacin it contains can now be easily absorbed by the body. After this process, the hominy is either dried or canned. Like beans, hominy can be used straight from the can or rehydrated from dried and cooked—simply boil with water and season with salt after the grains are tender. Coarsely ground hominy is often used for grits; finely ground is masa, used to make tortillas, tamales, and such.