Nixtamalized: Our Ancient Secret to Awesome Tortillas

If you’ve ever eaten a tortilla that felt alive, soft, aromatic, deeply corn forward, and satisfying in a way that’s hard to explain; chances are it was nixtamalized.

This isn’t a trend. It isn’t a shortcut.
It’s an ancient process, thousands of years old, and it’s at the heart of everything we do.

What Is Nixtamalization?

Nixtamalization is the traditional method of preparing corn for food, developed by Indigenous cultures in Mesoamerica over 3,000 years ago. The process is simple, but powerful:

Whole dried corn is cooked and soaked in water with a small amount of food-grade calcium hydroxide (commonly called lime). After soaking, the corn is washed and ground into fresh masa.

That’s it.

No additives. No industrial enzymes. No bleaching or shortcuts.

Just corn, water, time, and knowledge passed down through generations.

Why Ancient Cultures Got It Right

Nixtamalization wasn’t just about making corn easier to grind. It fundamentally transforms the grain:

• Unlocks niacin (vitamin B3), making corn nutritionally complete

• Improves digestibility

• Enhances flavor and aroma

• Creates the structure needed for real tortillas — flexible, strong, and tender

Without nixtamalization, corn can’t fully nourish the people who rely on it. With it, corn becomes one of the most sustaining foods on Earth.

This is why civilizations thrived on tortillas, tamales, and masa based foods for millennia.

What This Means for Flavor

Nixtamalized corn doesn’t taste flat or starchy.

It tastes like corn — deeply, honestly, and proudly.

You’ll notice:

• A subtle earthiness

• A gentle aroma when warmed

• A tortilla that bends without cracking

• A clean finish, not gummy or chalky

These aren’t accidents. They’re the result of doing things the right way, even when it takes longer.

The Hard Way (Because It’s the Better Way)

Modern industrial tortillas often skip nixtamalization entirely, relying on pre-processed corn flour and additives to imitate what tradition already perfected.

We don’t do that.

We start with whole organic corn.
We nixtamalize it ourselves.
We grind fresh masa.
We cook tortillas the way they’re meant to be cooked.

It’s slower. It’s more hands-on. It’s harder.

And it’s absolutely worth it.

Made in Vermont, Rooted in History

While nixtamalization has ancient roots, it fits perfectly with our values here in Vermont: respect for ingredients, patience in process, and pride in craftsmanship.

We believe good food doesn’t need to be reinvented — it needs to be remembered.

Taste the Difference

You don’t need to be a food historian to appreciate nixtamalization.

You just need to take a bite.

Whether you’re building tacos, wrapping breakfast, or simply warming a tortilla and eating it plain, you’ll taste what generations before us already knew:

The secret to awesome tortillas isn’t modern.

It’s ancient.

And it still works.