Grain
Hominy
maíz pozolero
Also called pozole corn, nixtamal corn, cacahuazintle
Dried maize cooked in alkaline lime until the skins slip — nixtamal. The swollen chewy kernels are the body of pozole. Canned hominy is the weeknight form; dried needs a long simmer.
Origin
Mesoamerica, where nixtamalisation made maize more nutritious and grindable. Pozole is the celebratory pot; tortillas are the everyday use of the same chemistry.
Flavour
Corn, mineral, a little nixtamal tang. It should taste of masa and field, not of tin.
How it is made
Dried kernels are simmered with cal (calcium hydroxide), rinsed, and rubbed of their skins, then cooked again until they bloom. Canneries do that work and pack the kernels in brine.
How to use it
Rinse canned hominy of its brine, then simmer it in the pozole broth long enough to take on chilli and pork — it will not collapse like a bean. Dried nixtamalised maize needs hours. Do not swap sweetcorn: the texture and alkaline taste are the dish. Un-nixtamalised field corn is a different, less digestible pot. Leftover kernels fry well the next day in a little lard.
Storage
Canned in the pantry; leftover kernels in their broth in the fridge for a few days, or frozen. Do not store opened cans in the tin.
Recipes using it
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