Why Calcium Hydroxide + Corn is Key to Understanding Western Civilization (and Tacos)

[@CorvusLiberatus]

For the life of me, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why this channel does not get more views. This is quality content!

[@highlander723]

I think it's the little hints of political bias they put in there

[@JohnDoe-bt9qp]

Everyone makes videos like these nowadays, it's the mainstream video edit style

[@highlander723]

@@JohnDoe-bt9qp If they were to avoid it they would get more views

[@Ulthar_Cat]

Hi. Mexican cook here. I confirm everything here. One thing: you need a metate to grind the corn. The molcajete is for salsa XD 💜

[@ACSReactions]

The beauty of learning through experience: we knew that before trying it, now we *understand*. So if anyone knows a good physical therapist for shoulder injuries...

[@Ulthar_Cat]

@@ACSReactions oh crap XDDD well, there's the RICE mnemonic: rest, ice, compression, elevation. Maybe some over the counter pain meds or ointment. Also plenty of tacos to stay happy, healthy, and well fed 💜

[@GeckoHiker]

Originally, the metate itself contained the chemical needed to release the niacin in the maize.

[@ginnyjollykidd]

When you rinse the corn, using your hand to assist the rinse is called, in my family, "grooching it."

[@ACSReactions]

That seems like a better term than "fshfshfshfshfsh-ing".

[@MrSaxophonix]

Stellar video! Chemistry, food and history is my jam!

[@JohnDoe-bt9qp]

History never happened⁉😱😱😵 Hint: Jews corrupted it

[@sethapex9670]

So pellagra is basically scurvy but with Vitamin B3

[@ginnyjollykidd]

Excellent organic chemistry lesson! For those taking organic chemistry, especially second semester, here's an important tip: follow the carbonium ion!

[@makoyoverfelt3320]

I was in a nixtamalization rabbit hole, just looking around for content, and this is the first of your videos that I have seen. It was excellent! I am now subscribed and will commence the binging process.

[@alejandrac1446]

Thank you for this video and introducing more people to the importance of nixtamalization. One thing I must add, because I did some of these experiments, is that the difference between tortillas made with maseca and proper masa is more on the mechanical properties. If you compare elasticity of both versions you can see how much more brittle maseca tortillas are. This can lead to a lot of wasted tortillas because they don’t reheat as well as tortillas made with proper masa. Now there is definitely a flavor difference, you just need to eat more good tortillas and you’ll start noticing ☺️

[@napalmholocaust9093]

For flour tortillas go to Frontier, a restaurant in Albq. They sell them by the thousands fresh all day. Their food is excellent no-fuss, meat, eggs, potatoes, sausage. But the tortillas are worth a detour for. Cheap too. Then go to 505 for green chili sauce/salsa. Or buy Hatch chilis.

[@julieblair7472]

If you don't fry the processed kernels, you get hominy and it's delicious.

[@harleygoode348]

But if you dry them and then grind them you get Grits.

[@MarianLuca-rz5kk]

Hi Julie. Nixtamalization interests me. Why would the processed kernels be fried ?

[@julieblair7472]

@@MarianLuca-rz5kk When the whole nix'd kernels are fried it makes a crunchy snack like Corn Nuts. I believe these were mentioned in the video but plain hominy wasn't so I filled in the blank.

[@samsung-vr7yx]

Early Mesoamericans used hot stones to boil the water. The stones released calcium hydroxide into the water.

[@eduardorossi7310]

This channel deserves moooore

[@4K68]

video well done, thanks fascinating, nice tempo, and mix of world, science and personal interest

[@DavidGriffin1]

I think something got lost in the edit around the pellagra. I think the point of that was that (I'm guessing) while corn was consumed in Europe, they didn't prepare it using CaOH ... This seems to be implied, but it just ends up feeling like a tangent with no connection to the narrative.

[@joanhuffman2166]

You are correct. The knowledge of how to process maize did not travel with it. I know that in the South, many cooked corn cakes in ashes, which will do the trick too. Then people decided that was "dirty" and cooked it in a pan with no ashes. Pellegra followed after, at least among the poor who didn't eat much else. In other areas, Southern Europe, Africa, and China people treated maize as they treated other cereals. Pellegra was a consequence for many.

[@hedgehog3180]

I think even today maize is mostly boiled in Europe, though maize flour and products based on it have become more common. Though pallegra isn't an issue today since people get their vitamins from other cereals like rye or just take supplements.

[@CassieUmali]

Well made and informative. Just the knowledge I was searching for in regards to corn and limewater. I subscribed coz of this. Kept it up! 🎉

[@brandonnelson4164]

Going to point out a few things: 1). Native American’s used ash to form Lye. 2). You can let the corn sit in the lye for a longer time (overnight). It’s softens the corn more so easier to mill 3). Having had the fresh nixamitalized corn directly next to the nixamitizled flour corn and used to make tortillas my wife and eye both agreed the fresh corn one was better, although minute differences as you noted.

[@hedgehog3180]

The English name for Na, Sodium comes from the fact it is found in Soda Ash. Soda->Sodium.

[@arkamal7551]

We in Iraq sometimes put baking powder NaHCO3 with chickpeas with water to cook quickly.

[@ACSReactions]

You can also use baking soda to caramelize onions faster or to make the perfect roasted potatoes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJbLlpeXrM9keq8

[@jimurrata6785]

Also used to 'velvet' meat in Asian stir fry cooking

[@MarianLuca-rz5kk]

Hi Mustafa. I tried boiling chickpeas with NAHCO3, but it gave an unpleasant taste. How do you do that well exactly?

[@arkamal7551]

@@MarianLuca-rz5kk Hi, marian we but for example 1kilo chickpeas with water and one tea spone or half tablespoon NaHCO3 and soak at night or 3,4 hours then we throw this water and but fresh water then but it on fire with salt in it until its cooked.

[@MarianLuca-rz5kk]

@@arkamal7551 Thanks Mustafa.

[@kucami1]

Kudos also to the producers and crew members who did all the behind the scenes work (even those who didn’t get a cameo)!

[@ginnyjollykidd]

I love hominy! Also, the world should live in peas and hominy!

[@albarjas8360]

You forgot to mention there are many types of corn. In México we don't use sweet corn to make tortillas.

[@pequodexpress]

Is it viable to nixtamalize the corn, pat the processed kernels dry, freeze the processed kernels, and then grind, hydrate, press, and heat when the urge for tacos kicks in?

[@savagesarethebest7251]

Nixtamalisation, there's a word that I had forgotten. Really interesting video. I love corn, it is so sweet but it seems like my body can't digest it at all. Seems like a good explanation

[@sunriseshell]

We've got a local "tortilla factory". When I found it I thought "finally" I'll be able to buy fresh masa. Turns out they use masa harina too. 😢

[@Jszar]

Orrrrr you could find yourself putting hominy into a food processor because your local grocery stores don’t cycle their stock and leave their unsold masa harina on the shelf long after it’s gone rancid. If your tortillas taste bitter, that’s why.

[@thechosenone5644]

Would love to see a video on CaO and Ca(OH)_2 production if there isn’t a video on that yet. Another one of those really straightforward processes that’s fundamental and easy to do a pop sci video on.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

watch "King Corn" documentary also

[@rfldss89]

wait, if boiling meat in lye makes free amino acids, which would include glutamate, does this make it a hyperpotent and super delicious umami broth?

[@guidoylosfreaks]

Europeans thought the whole nixtamalization process was stupid since they already had windmills to grind the corn.

[@FernandoJRodriguezFernandoJRM]

Here’s a nitpick: in México (where Maseca comes from) we never call it “masa harina”. That’s a term I’ve heard only for Colombian and Venezuelan corn flour, which they use for “arepas” (which are much thicker than tortillas). Also, we only call it “masa” once the corn flour is mixed with water (and use the same word for dough made with other types of flour). The dried corn flour for tortillas is simply called “harina” (i.e. “flour”), or more commonly, “Maseca”, which is likely a portmanteau of “masa” (dough) and “seca” (dry).

[@FernandoJRodriguezFernandoJRM]

Other than that nitpick, great video.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

Totally valid nit pick. "arepas" are by themselves a contested subject. 😄👍

[@ACSReactions]

Interesting. At Latin markets in the US they distinguish between "masa harina", for tortillas, tamales, etc., and "masarepa", for arepas.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

@@ACSReactions Hint: check the pH of the different products. As I understand it, the masa-harinas for tortillas retains a high (er) pH. And the one for arepas is closer to neutral/lower. The bridge between masa-harina and masa-arepas is "masa colada" Good luck on your "scientific" eating 👍 (Extra bonus: go ask someone from Italy to cook you "Polenta". Thank me later)

[@ricardokowalski1579]

@@sparkyUSA1976 closer to "gorditas" but 30% larger kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaG9qWhpoNCmotk

[@dnerney]

Out of spite I request you add Haber-Bosch to your list of momentous calorie discoveries at the end

[@skybluskyblueify]

How/when did the Europeans find out how to nix the corn? That would be an interesting history video. Sure, someone [probably in the Americas] told them but what was their reaction?

[@himanbam]

Their reaction is shown at 3:20

[@joanhuffman2166]

​@@himanbam she refers to the story of the human reaction to the knowledge of how to use maize properly.

[@himanbam]

@@joanhuffman2166 yah it's a joke lol

[@paradox_1729]

I have a funny feeling they were actually trying to make glue originally but ran into a way to make corn edible.

[@susanhulselmans-prindle7079]

Kept my attention. Good job!

[@rickirizarry5079]

The release of niacin during CaOH treatment eliminates the risk of getting Pellagra. Is there a similarl mechanism causing Celiac disorder or gluten intolerance when the fermentation of wheat flour to make bread was substituted with chemical fermentation of wheat flour shortly after the Industrial Revolution?

[@palpytine]

At one end of my road I have a correctly oriented (as opposed to occidented) church. At the other end is the site of a "corn" mill, whose owners would have measured their shoe size in "barleycorns", as we still do to this day. Both predate - by a significant margin - the discovery of the "new world" and the introduction of maize to Europe.

[@أبوأسعدخابور]

After nixtamalization, does the corn stay in the same bowl? Because after washing, the corn still has a strong, pungent smell. How do I get rid of it?

[@Yotrek]

IIRC, Poor whites in the southern US copied the natives corn diet. However they didn’t copy the preparation. Eg. not using a lime mortar and pestle. So they ended up being malnourished from their corn diet.

[@DIFaceIck]

This is a cool explanation. What happens if amino groups interact with acids?

[@pequodexpress]

Is calcium hydroxide still good for nixtamalizing corn after sitting on a shelf for 12 years?

[@johnnydoe3603]

I believe Desmond Tutu got Cremated in a Similar Fashion. 🙂

[@HMAOO86]

That makes you to think, what if the corn was the one that domesticated us?

[@MsDiana-xh2lu]

Watch “Nixim” it’s a short doc and it validates your statement. Indigenous peoples share the viewpoint that corn did domesticate us.

[@trashman4557]

where did that flowchart of corn products come from?

[@ACSReactions]

Here's the full flowchart: iowaculture.gov/history/education/educator-resources/primary-source-sets/iowas-corn-and-agriculture-industry/flowchart-corn And here's the source for the one that's focused on nixtamalized (alkaline cooked) corn: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0733521021000461

[@rinisinghi1676]

so if corn is not processed through nixtamalization, how are people consuming it in other forms?

[@hedgehog3180]

You can boil it, grill it or just grind it like other cereals. These methods are just less effective.

[@Becauseimme]

At my cloud restaurant we make Hybrid tortillas. Best of both worlds.

[@arthorim]

A big difference in flavor, texture and results between masa and masa harina

[@faustovrz]

I am very sorry George but you can't cursorily dismmiss non-nixtamalized corn, although lye makes extra changes to corn, cooking corn does make it digestible. South Americans rarely nixtamalize their corn but we use it very much in arepas and tamales.

[@MrSaxophonix]

Interesting! Do you still do the CaOH in the boil? Is it ready to go once done boiling and rinsed?

[@highlander723]

George doesn't know everything He just thinks he does and pretends when he speaks

[@ACSReactions]

You're absolutely right, there are many ways to eat corn without nixtamalization. But nixtamalization is what allowed corn to become a staple crop, due to the niacin/pellagra issue. Without that invention we may have never gotten to all the other uses for corn that we have today.

[@spidrawebster]

That's cool. Now I want to see the reaction diagram for the extra changes lye makes....

[@belg4mit]

Ca(OH)2 is lime, NaOH is lye. If you're not relying on corn as the majority of your diet, or getting your vitamin elsewhere, not nixtamalizing is fine. You are arguing against things not said. Nixtamalization makes it more digestible (indisputable), this does not mean it is otherwise indigestible.

[@irvy123]

Maybe I missed it in the video, but how did the Native Americans nixtamalyze their corn?

[@joanhuffman2166]

Either they add ashes to the cooking water with the corn or agricultural lime.

[@Sean_neaS]

I had the same question. The scrips seems to have a bunch holes where they lead to an answer, don't answer it, then act like they answered it.

[@yohaijohn]

Great video! Can you use base solutions to tenderize meat?

[@ACSReactions]

Interesting question. Typically meat tenderizers are either acidic or enzymatic, but we might have to do an experiment with some basic tenderizers for comparison.

[@jimurrata6785]

@@ACSReactions look into 'velveting'' meat in Asian cooking.

[@yohaijohn]

@@ACSReactions Love chemistry and love meat so thats a video ill be looking for

[@vitorgeraldes7054]

The Niacin hypothesis is wrong! Instead fundamental aminoacids are liberated which help our body to produce niacin... Anyway, by the Lindy effect with should all of us come back to corn:)

[@ansuajo]

Brain power in this video is serious and would simply not be found in Hollywood. Kudos 😊

[@GeckoHiker]

I make my tortillas with nxtal made frommy homegrown heirloom maize. Whatever "western civilization" is doing with corn they are doing it wrong.

[@unvergebeneid]

So Western Civilization is basically the US then? Because I'm not saying we don't eat maize here in Europe but it's really not the staple it is in the US. And neither is high-fructose corn syrup.

[@joanhuffman2166]

Maize has had an impact around the world. Sadly, the knowledge of how to process it did not travel with the seed. Pellegra, a deficiency of niacin, became a problem in many places, like Italy, Southern France, and Spain. Polenta used to be made with millet, which has its own nutritional problems (vitamin A deficiency). Maize is grown in Africa and in China too.

[@hedgehog3180]

Maize is usually grown in Europe as either feed for animal or for use in industry like the production of biofuels.

[@Phootaba]

Oh I love your videos! Can I get some copies of them sweet sweet flow charts? 😍

[@ACSReactions]

Flowchart is here: iowaculture.gov/history/education/educator-resources/primary-source-sets/iowas-corn-and-agriculture-industry/flowchart-corn

[@Phootaba]

@@ACSReactions thanks! 😁

[@danielcurren2119]

could we use a modified form of calcium hydroxide to break down the polymers that make plastic?

[@hedgehog3180]

The bonds in plastic aren't peptide bonds like the ones in proteins, however there has been a lot of work put into developing enzymes that can break down the bonds in plastics and give us back the original monomer.

[@TysonJensen]

So.... where did the Mayans get calcium hydroxide solutions? It's not like they could just pop over to Dow Chemical and ask for a barrel.

[@joshgiesbrecht7060]

This info please!

[@vaxx-1161]

Calcium hydroxide is readily available in nature when limestone comes into contact with water, or from sea shells for example

[@TysonJensen]

@@joshgiesbrecht7060 So... turns out that if you dissolve calcium carbonate in water (like sea shells &c) then dry out the water, you get limestone. But limestone isn't pure calcium carbonate. It's a blend of calcium carbonate and calcium oxide. Most oxides are super-stable and don't react with much. But calcium oxide is unstable, and can react with water to make calcium hydroxide. If you heat the water first, the reaction is reliable enough to nixtamalize corn. No one is sure how exactly the Mayans figured out that doing this would make field corn edible. Thanks to VAXX-1 for pointing out that limestone is the relevant google search term to unravel the tapestry.

[@joanhuffman2166]

Sometimes, they just use ashes from the cooking fire, or they use quick-lime. Lime is made by heating limestone in a kiln.

[@TysonJensen]

@@joanhuffman2166 regular cooking fire ash wouldn't work, you need calcium hydroxide, which is a fairly specific ask of an ancient culture. They certainly could have made lime and then used that, but you don't need to. Just throw some limestone in a pot of boiling water and you won't get a lot of calcium hydroxide, but. you'll get enough to make the corn edible. (you need to be burning bone or something with calcium, which is possible but seems a stretch when compared to "boil this rock with the corn and it works better")

[@oldspiced]

wait when did they figure out they need to treat the corn to avoid the disease, that was kind of a cliffhanger...

[@DH-bf9xb]

Great video! But doing chemistry in the basement is always creepy.

[@monabo1]

Food processor works good for grinding

[@Thebeekeeper568]

Where did indigenous people get their calcium hydroxide from ?

[@pequodexpress]

Those who really know can get the tortillas to puff up every single time.

[@AediumOffical]

Just so you know, my Hispanic wife died laughing when she saw you mixing the masa with a spoon

[@foxylovelace2679]

I would like to thank mesoamericans for corn and corn products

[@sunriseshell]

The ones who have had tortillas from fresh masa know "the way". I've been chasing that flavor again for decades. I can't find any fresh masa in my city so I've decided to do It myself or never get that taste again.

[@VannevarB2]

A flow chart 😍

[@lhorschler]

It's corn! And he told me all about it!

[@markcruise]

Thankfully high fructose corn syrup is not a product that made its way to Europe.

[@eritain]

"X" in "nixtamalization" is pronounced "sh" (more or less).

[@GreeceUranusPutin]

But.... Corn on the cob? Popped corn? Canned corn? Those aren't 'prepared' properly. I don't eat corn, among a lot of other things. It makes me sick. Same for beef and corn syrup. There's no telling what horrors are committed to beef these days.

[@memewalisarkar1088]

First I thought it is his Black sleeves

[@picardy7488]

It's still not clear to me if the majority of corn products sold (like Doritos, cornbread, cornstarch) has been nixtalized when processed. Also, what about eating corn on the cob - are few nutrients absorbed? Is popcorn basically undigestible?

[@hedgehog3180]

It's not undigestible, you just get less energy and nutrients from it.

[@alexrogers777]

dont be afraid to go deeper into the chemistry pls

[@manudehanoi]

corn is just central to the american food industry because it is heavily subsidized. Rest of the world doesnt use nearly as much.

[@michelguevara151]

I don't eat any corn derived products. in france it's all GM. I'll stick to grass fed charolais beef too.

[@christinebaker3293]

So much great info, but you decided NOT to mention GMOs, the flavor of glyphosate and the DISEASES caused by high fructose corn syrup and all that sugar.

[@eritain]

I'm gonna be Captain Obvious here for a second and point out that every bit of corn starch that gets turned into masa *doesn't* get turned into high fructose syrup. So, like, that is not any more relevant here than under a video about popcorn or silage.

[@hedgehog3180]

High fructose corn syrup isn't itself a villain, the problem is sugar rich diets.

[@StevenSchoolAlchemy]

Cool beans

[@user-03-gsa3]

Oh wow

[@jkasak7633]

Why are you so harsh with Columbus? You don’t have to use the word “steal”. What about using the term “Colombian exchange”, where there was a two way trade in plants that had been previously isolated. Instead of stealing, Columbus spread corn to the rest of the world, thereby allowing what we have today.

[@farticlesofconflatulation]

Tortillas are not *pan fried*

[@grat7323]

man in child's tshirt eats corn

[@Micuentadelfidel-zo7iz]

YOU COULD USE YOUR BLENDER!!

[@gijsv8419]

Corn can cause gout

[@albecky123]

Very interesting! I actually want my body to be disposed of by composting or squamation upon my death. Exposure to nature would be my first choice...unfortunately, that is not easily accomplished in this country.

[@memewalisarkar1088]

Corn nutzzz🤣🤣🤣

[@gijsv8419]

You have more hair on your underarms as I have. That's rare

[@pequodexpress]

Interesting, all the non-nixtamalized corn products are unhealthy to consume.

[@danbammy]

tell me you're detached to the Nth degree from your subject without telling me you're detached to the Nth degree of your subject. Hearing you pronounce masa harina hurt my ears every time. The "h" is silent in Spanish.

[@millerk20]

Interesting but since the majority of "Western Civilization" is pre-Columbian, corn doesn't really tell you much about it.

[@Lord_earth]

finally i know hot to get rid of the body

[@TheDajamster]

11:58 I am eating corn chips at this very moment.

[@chrishultgren777]

Corn chips are untreated with lye. Tortilla chips are.

[@ikhbjhbkm5]

Shirt too small

[@Elix10]

Se le perdió el metate

[@joanhuffman2166]

Qué lastima

[@NyznTvfk]

but the fatty acid composition of corn is like : toxic....

[@joanhuffman2166]

It kept the indigenous Americans healthy for ages. They did include many other foods in their diet. Peanuts and avocados would have good sources of vegetable fats. Many outside of the Americas have heard about the alleged deficiencies of maize. It is low in lysine, an essential amino acid. It is low in niacin, vitamin B3, and now the claim that the fatty acids are toxic. All of these claims are based on what happens with maize when it is removed from its cultural context. Indigenous Americans eat many foods with their maize, many of which are rich in lysine. Prominent among these foods is huitlacoche or corn smuts, corn truffles, or corn mushrooms. Corn smuts are considered a plant disease and treated as a cause for grief outside of Mexico. Huitlacoche is a blessing in disguise, a tasty fungus rich in the missing amino acid. The missing niacin is due to the fact that maize needs the nixtamalization process described in the video to chemically unlock the niacin, which it does have. The claim that the fatty acids are toxic is based on the fact that we silly modern people extract the tiny amounts found in corn and consume quantities that no ancestors could have hoped to obtain. The Indians of Mexico had avocados, peanuts, and other things as better sources of fats.

[@LC-rl6hb]

😞 freeeek show is growing like fungus!

[@olgas9970]

Corn is evil

[@olgas9970]

Non nixtamalized corn is evil

[@Marcos-eg9lt]

Why?

[@chrishultgren777]

6:50 where he as upper middle class play pretends he is unskilled in manual labor because his brain and knowledge of magical chemistry is just so immense.

[@joanhuffman2166]

I've tried to make corn tortillas, and they really are hard to make for newbies. Corn masa is not like dough from wheat. It falls apart easily. It's difficult to form into a circle of even thickness. The people you see making them rapidly and competently have a lot more experience than you realize.

[@highlander723]

How did Columbus steal corn? probably in the same way that native American stole horses.

[@mrradcliff]

Spanish conquistadors abandoned horses as they traveled across the continent and returned to Europe, at least thats what I remember from reading Cabeza de Vaca's description of his travels in America

[@vaxx-1161]

Same way he stole gold probably. By enslaving the natives and shipping their crops to Spain . Do you really think the colonizers grew their own fair trade crops?

[@highlander723]

@@mrradcliff abandoned or were there owners killed?

[@joanhuffman2166]

When the Spanish reduced the native population to serfdom, they had all the corn they wanted and serfs (peones) to prepare it.

[@guidoylosfreaks]

At least Native Americans understood how to use horses.

[@WormBurger]

"when Chris Columbus claimed all of America..." Me: Oh no.... Don't say it "one of the things he stole...." Me: -Breaths a sigh of relief-

[@LaceNWhisky]

Your arm hair has a tree line.

[@Losttoanyreason]

Enjoyed the video except for your liberal, politcally correct, virture signaling by bashing Columbus to make points with the left.

[@johnnydoe3603]

Are you Cancelling him Snowflake ? 😂

[@highlander723]

Yeah I agree. The way he kept bashing Columbus like if he was a thief or something. It's not like he got off the ship and said ooh this strange vegetable I'm going to steal it and take it back. It was probably more akin to This is strange I bet his majesty would get a real kick out of this. I mean seriously how many of us have gone someplace saw fruit tree picked a piece of fruit and said You know what I think I'll try to grow this at home. OH MY GOD I'M A THIEF

[@joshgiesbrecht7060]

@@highlander723 guys, lol, "steal" is like the absolute tamest of the horrible things Columbus did, it's hardly even bashing him. get over your white selves

[@hedgehog3180]

Oh no he criticized a man that was so evil that even his contemporaries thought he was evil and the Spanish crown revoked his govenorship because he was so tyrannical and sadistic. Surely we must never criticize this man who even the Spanish Inquisition thought was too much.