Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple

by Jorge Gaviria, Graydon Herriott (Photographer)

Overview

A James Beard Award Nominee, 2023 IACP Award Finalist, National Bestseller, and Best Cookbook of 2022 from Los Angeles Times, Food and Wine, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, and Saveur.

MASA is your guide to making authentic, high-quality masa from scratch and cooking with it in your home kitchen.

It's time to learn the way to a perfect taco, and it all starts with the masa. Like sourdough before it, craft masa is on the brink of a global culinary movement. Jorge Gaviria's company, Masienda, has become a proxy message board at the center of the swelling masa conversation and with this cookbook he completes the story of how to create this special building block from scratch.

Brimming with history, replicable techniques, and reflections from masa authorities, including third-generation tortillerxs and acclaimed chefs, MASA reveals the beauty and longstanding traditions behind this elemental staple. In addition to teaching how to make masa from dried corn kernel to fully realized dish, this book also shows cooks how to use masa in 50 base recipes for tortillas, pozole, tamales, and more, empowering chefs of any level to think creatively and adapt recipes confidently for their own use.

In addition, ten well-known chefs offer inventive recipes-such as tamal gnocchi, masa waffles, and shrimp and masa grits-to inspire new ways of relating to this timeless, dynamic food.

TORTILLAS ARE EVERYWHERE: For years now, tortillas, the most common masa application, have outpaced the consumption of hamburger buns in the United States, and their companion condiment, salsa, has outsold ketchup as the nation's leading condiment.

ENDLESS DINNER INSPIRATION: This book features a wide range of recipes from the traditional basics—Tortillas, Pupusas, and Arepas—to the inventive, like Blue Masa Sourdough Bread, Tamal Gnocchi, and Shrimp and Masa Grits.

THE MASTER ON MASA: Jorge Gaviria is the founder of Masienda, a resource and supplier of high-quality masa and masa products. Jorge Gaviria wrote MASA after successfully working through tens of thousands of inquiries from home cooks on everything from the best equipment to ideal cooking temperatures to how to prevent a tortilla from falling apart during reheating.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781797209920
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	09/13/2022
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	43,142
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Jorge Gaviria is the founder of Masienda, a resource and supplier of high-quality masa and masa products. Jorge trained at top restaurants, including Maialino and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, before founding his company in 2014. He has been recognized by top international press outlets for his work and was awarded Forbes "30 Under 30" for food and wine in 2017. He lives in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Introduction 13

Masa Basics 26

What Is Masa? 28

Key Ingredients 29

Tools 40

Masa History: A Mostly Modern Account 50

Masa Genesis: A Prehistory 52

Modern Masa in Three Waves 54

First Wave: Masa Flour versus the Traditional Method 55

Second Wave: Masa Diaspora and the Experience of Authenticity 61

Third Wave: From Milpa to Mesa, Modern Mexican Masa as a Movement 66

Masa Time Line 70

From Kernel to Masa: The Process 72

Precooking (It's Really a Step, so Stay with Me) 74

Cooking with Cal 77

Nixtamalization 84

Nixtamal Rinsing 91

Nixtamal Grinding 92

Masa Mixing 98

Masa Recipes 104

Contextualizing Masa 108

Table Tortilla Masa 114

Preparing the Table Tortilla 119

The Table Tortilla Puff 126

Frying Tortilla Masa 132

Preparing the Frying Tortilla 135

50/50 Tortillas 139

Masa for Tamales 142

Pozole (a.k.a. Masa in Development) 145

Masa Harina 147

Traditional Applications (Masa Shapes) 150

Arepa 155

Atole 157

Bollo 159

Cazuelita 161

Chalupa 163

Chochoyote 165

Empanada 167

Flauta 169

Gordita 171

Hard-Shell Taco 173

Huarache 177

Infladita 179

Memela 181

Molote 183

Panucho 185

Puffy Taco 187

Pupusa 189

Quesadilla (Comal) 191

Quesadilla (Fried) 193

Salbut 195

Soft-Shell Taco 197

Sope 199

Tamal 201

Tetela 203

Tlacoyo 205

Tlayuda 209

Tostada 213

Totopo 215

Topping and Stuffing Basics 219

Modern Masa Explorations 220

Resources 254

Appendix 256

Bibliography 258

Glossary 259

Index 264

Acknowledgments 270

Editorial Reviews

06/20/2022

The dough that transforms into tortillas, tacos, and tamales is the star of this fascinating deep dive into the culture and craft of a Mexican cuisine mainstay. The first quarter of the book unpacks masa’s three ingredients—corn (there are some 59 breeds in Mexico), water (making up 47% of a fresh-cooked tortilla), and alkali (used to treat the corn in a steeping process called nixtamalization)—and tracks the history and the forces behind the foodstuff’s popularity and commercialization as it found its way into the U.S. Next, the masa cooking process is laid out step-by-step, from corn kernel considerations to the grinding of flour—be it with a traditional grinding stone or a food processor. Masa has literally hundreds of applications and, here, the recipe section focuses on 50 traditional uses as well as 10 modern twists. There are classic arepa, empanada, and flauta options, each awaiting the cook’s choice of filling, which can be derived from a chart of “topping and stuffing basics.” Torpedo-shaped molote fritters, for instance, can be stuffed with chorizo, while football-shaped tlacoyo are commonly filled with pureed beans and topped with cheese and salsa. Among the contemporary offerings are lamb birria with masa gnocchi from the former New York eatery Lalo, as well as shrimp and masa grits. Masa proves its mass appeal in this comprehensive and terrific guide. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Taco people rejoice"—Architectural Digest

"Taco people rejoice" —Architectural Digest

 

“Masa” is more than the essential history and record of an ingredient, it’s a gateway to exploration that allows Mexican culture’s arguably most important food to live and breathe in a new way for generations of cooks to come." —LA Times

"After reading this book, I have to agree——masa is an underrated miracle." —NPR

 

"A thorough look at one of the world's staple foods while making the cases for several exciting modern applications. The only hard part will be deciding whether to make memelas or flautas for dinner." —Food Wine

"The definitive guide to making high—quality masa from scratch has finally arrived." —Outside Magazine

"A compelling read" —The New York Times

"With captivating storytelling and bold, immersive photography from the Graydon Herriott team, it’s both an informative and transportive book." —Epicurious

 

"A critical deep dive into an ingredient that’s an essential part of the culture of millions of people north and south of the Mexico—U.S. border. It’s also a lesson in how one food can shape generations of people." —The Washington Post

"This delectably designed photographic recipe collection dedicated to all things corn flour emphasizes both tradition and cutting—edge technique" —The Strategist

 

"Masa is the book I have been longing for since I made my first trip across the border and tasted a freshly made tortilla from corn ground by hand. Maíz is the backbone of Mexican cuisine, and Masa tells its story and elevates its status while making it accessible to the home cook." —Rick Martinez, chef and author of Mi Cocina

"Jorge Gaviria has been a pioneer in spreading the delicious gospel of freshly made masa, and Masa is a wonderfully personal and wide—ranging guide to its world. Here are its historical ups and downs, the remarkable process that creates it from dry corn, and recipes from across the Americas that show off its versatility and unique flavor." —Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking and The Curious Cook

"It's hard to believe that masa, the ubiquitous, delicious, and foundational dough had yet to receive its closeup until now. From organic tacos to tamales and pupusas to arepas, Jorge connects diverse cultures and traditions to create this beautiful and definitive guide to a staple we all know and love." —Alice Waters, chef, restaurateur, author, and owner of Chez Panisse

"Masa is the book I’ve been wanting for decades." —Rick Bayless, chef, restaurateur, and bestselling author

"Like all of us, each grain of corn is unique but is also part of its own generational identity. Jorge understands the value of corn and the chain from which it emerges. MASA is an essential tribute to this connection." —Enrique Olvera, chef and owner of Pujol and Cosme, and author of Tu Casa Mi Casa

“Masa proves its mass appeal in this comprehensive and terrific guide.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher