If you're going to use whole dried kernel corn to make your own masa and cornmeal for whole grain corn recipes, you'll need to know how to make lime water. Soaking corn in lime water breaks down the anti-nutrients that can cause pellagra, which is a deficiency of vitamin B3. The soaking (at least 7 hours) makes the niacin in the corn more nutritionally available.
Fortunately, making lime water is easy. The hardest thing that I found about it was locating lime, or “cal”. I eventually went to a local Mexican grocery store to buy a container of “cal” (pickling lime).
Method for making Lime Water
- Put about an inch of pickling lime in the bottom of a half gallon (or 2 quart jars) mason jar.
- Add filtered water, leaving some room to shake. Put a lid on the jar tightly.
- Shake the jar until all of the pickling lime is mixed.
- Leave the jar overnight until most of the lime falls to the bottom. The liquid on top is lime water. There's no need to refrigerate it.
- Carefully pour the amount of needed lime water from the top when needed for a recipe.
- You can keep the water on the shelf indefinitely for your next corn recipe.
- NOTE: be careful where you place the jars, label them well as they look like milk when they're shaken up.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
how many times do you think you can refill the pickled water before you have to start a new jar?
I have used it twice but you may be able to get three uses out of one jar…
When you soak whole corn you rinse off the lime water before using the corn. But I can find no directions about rinsing cornmeal or corn flour after soaking. Is the lime water left in to be a part of the finished food?
I wish someone could answer the question about soaking the cornmeal. I currently have cornmeal soaking in lime water and I’m baffled about how to rinse out the lime. CHEESESLAVE said in her post about making tamales to completely rinse the cornmeal after soaking. Wouldn’t I lose most of my cornmeal down the drain. Also, I came across your instructions after I already had used the entire limewater mixture (including the powder). Is my cornmeal ok to eat?
did you ever receive a response for this blogger or anyone about this? i’m researching how to soak cornmeal and getting nowhere.
I’m no expert…but couldn’t you rinse the cornmeal in a mesh strainer lined with a muslin cloth? Something with tight enough weave to keep the cornmeal from going through?
I have done this both ways (straining through a fine mesh basket strainer), and found that soaking the whole corn results in a much better consistency for making tortillas. The ground corn was hard to strain and I couldn’t get enough moisture out to make my tortillas without adding flour. Both ways can be done though. I used sprouted einkorn flour.
So you don’t have to replace the lime each time you use up a jar of the lime water? Have you soaked corn flour or just corn? How did it work for you in the recipe(s) you were using?
I would also love and answer to the inquiry above me! 🙂
Thanks for this! I am embarking on a Nourishing Traditions lifestyle and your blog is now bookmarked! 🙂
Warmly,
Kate
this is great info if they followed up, so it is useless. look over this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=A2_qovJ3BmQ
apparently you can keep using it as long as it shakes up white and settles out. It is dolomite which is harmless (unless you are overloaded with calcium and have heart issues). It used in cheap calcium supps and on the lawn (yep makes the grass greener). To remove from meal put in soaked meal large pot /bowl, fill with water allow to settle down pour off water do it 2 times. Use a fine strainer to get the “masa” into a ball and use as your reipe says. You can use the water and boil whole kernal corn or cracked corn and strain/rinse then grind for a better cruder, (tastier) product.
Liming corn makes it change taste, but, is better for you by a lot.
give it a whirl! Go to Mother Earth News and look it up there. or google it!
c
from
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/pickling-lime.html
this shows what I originally thought the alkaline processing used then I saw this place. Similar to “Dutched Chocolate” alkaline treatment to release vitamins the other way works much much less efficiently, unless dolomite is Calcium hydroxide, which it is not
Availability: In stock
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Prepare corn according to the Nourishing Traditions (Traditional Food) method by soaking the corn in lime water prior to using. Ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures developed nixtamalization using lime and ash to create alkaline solutions to treat corn.
Nixtamalizing corn by soaking it in lime water, produces corn that is more easily ground (when treating whole corn rather than corn meal), its nutritional value is increased (through the freeing up of Vitamin B3, flavor and aroma are improved and mycotoxins (a type of fungus) are reduced. Unprocessed Maize (corn) is deficient in niacin which is problematic when corn is used as a staple food in a diet. While it is suggested that corn should soak in lime water for 7 hours prior to using it in cooking, traditional cultures would often soak corn for 1-2 weeks.
To make nixtamal, traditional societies would add whole corn to the alkaline (lime water) solution, cook and steep the mixture then wash the corn. Afterwards, the nixtamal would be ground and become masa which was either used fresh in a dough to make tortillas, arepas and tamales. If the mixture was dried, it became instant masa flour which could later be reconstituted and used.
Pickling Lime is also known as Hydrated Lime which is Food Grade Saturated Calcium Hydroxide Solution. Use caution when handling and be sure to rinse the corn thoroughly after soaking.
Instructions for Using Pickling Lime to Prepare (Soak) Corn: To prepare corn according to the Nourishing Traditions (Traditional Foods) method: Add one inch of lime to a 2 quart jar. Add non-chlorinated water. Shake to combine (some lime will settle in the bottom of the jar). Carefully pour the lime water off without disturbing the settled portion at the bottom of the jar. Soak the whole corn or cornmeal in lime water for at least seven hours before using (the next step according to Nourishing Traditions is to soak the cornmeal in buttermilk, yogurt or kefir). Whole corn and cornmeal can both benefit from soaking in lime water.
Click here for information on making Homemade Corn Tortillas using pickling lime to soak the corn for more nutritionally available tortillas.
Click here for a recipe for making Soft Polenta using pickling lime to soak the corn; a delicious and frugal recipe.
Contains: 16 oz. Pickling Lime (Food Grade Saturated Calcium Hydroxide Solution)
1. There seems to be considerable confusion about the difference between calcium, such as in Dolomite (calcium carbonate) and lye (calcium hydroxide KOH). Calcium is not Lye… And, dissolving calcium in water will NOT cause the release of lye. Recall that native peoples used wood ash which when soaked in water released and activated the lye (KOH). Pickling Lyme would however be ideal. This same principle was used to extract lye for soap making.
2. Should the lye be rinsed off… absolutely YES. Is lye a poison and a corrosive… YES.
Before the industrial age, keep in mind that breaking corn kernels down was performed manually and the grit size was more in line with cracked corn for chicken feed, not so small that it would pass through a small sieve. Today’s corn meal is microscopic compared to what was used in the primitive diet.
(off the record: It seems to me this whole article needs to be re-written beginning with some accurate knowledge. People are really confused by this poorly written article).
Lime IS calcium Hydroxide (CaOH) disolved limestone.
Lye is totall different and is Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) found in drain cleaners, do not use lye in food!!!
KOH is pottasium hydroxide, not sure what you would use that for??
Actually sodium hydroxide(NaOH) and potassium hydroxide(KOH) are both considered lye. Both are used in soap making and in the traditional production of soft pretzels (among other food production) and are generally safe when used properly. Look up uses for Potash for uses of KOH.
hi, i’m glad i found your site. I’m a great believer in the principles of the Nourishing Tradition Cookbook, so it’s great to have someone who has tried the recipes and may be able to offer some answers to those of us who are not familiar with some of the techniques.
I for one, did not know of the use of lime water for soaking corn (I am from the south of France, where corn is not widely used) and was wondering if you could help me with these two questions:
– once I have filtered the water, should I simply discard the remaining lime at the bottom of the jar? or should I add more water and repeat the process?
My second question
– Why is the cornbread I made with corn soaked in lime water as per instructions sooooooooo bitter? I am soooo disappointed, it does not feel right eating it, it is really bitter like that nail varnish they used to put on my nail to stop me biting them when I was young….. huuuuurrrrggghhh grosss….. what has gone wrong?
I’d really appreciate if you could help
thanks
kb
Hi Karen,
Did you figure it out yet, why the cornbread was so bitter? Did you rinse the cornmeal after the “lime water soak”?
Thank you,
victoria
What I would like to know is the steps after soaking it in kefir? How long in the kefir? And then what? I bought some pickling lime from the us of ebay and have my own home grown blue pop corn.. Want to make tortilla’s 🙂
wow great advice Liz, thank you!!