A NEW YEAR LETTER, MAIZE AND A MASA MEMORY
Growing up, I was highly allergic to wheat, dairy and even the simple smell of sugar, which lingered in every corner of our kitchen. At that time, food sensitivities felt more like a luxury born of preference, not biology. My parents just didn't know any better — they believed Benadryl cured food allergies and a warm glass of milk would soothe my stomach. From a young age, I developed a fear relationship with food. I became highly aware of how food made me feel, although I didn't learn to listen to and honor that voice until much later in life.
MASA — it smelled sweet, tasted slightly salty and I didn't feel sick after eating tortillas. Corn began to fill in the space for me, of all the food I could not eat. This established my first attachment to Maize. An attachment of necessity later bloomed into one of gratitude and remembrance. Masa — resting in a large clay bowl, had the same accessibility as turning on the sink to wash our hands before dinner. A soft squeak informed us the press was being used, the smell of a hot comal stretched across our kitchen moving towards the open windows and suddenly warm tortillas appeared in a basket on the table. In our home I often felt as if Masa, in someway, belonged to me. A sort of secret trust carried and held between us.
When I make Masa and press tortillas, I think back on these moments from my childhood and am reminded, once again, of the sacredness of Maize - "the seeds of seeds." Mayans believed their ancestors were born from Maize, white and yellow dough. I think of the story of The Three Sisters (excerpt below), of the powerful patchwork colors in a single ear of corn, of the never-ending abundance and creativity Masa brings to a cook in the kitchen. Robin Wall Kimmerer writes, "When corn is called “Wife of the Sun” or “Mother of All Things,” we remember that the kernels are not just “stuff” but a gift from the plant — this is medicine wheel thinking that allows spirit and matter to converse."
Masa Memory honors family food traditions, mine and yours. While we do make grain-free tortillas - Maize is at the heart of our tortillas and Masa Memories. We will always use Organic, NON-GMO, Macrobiotic Corn. We are excited to grow with you this year, as a company and also together as a community + students of nature. We will continue to use packaging that returns to the earth. We are focused on and dedicated to evolving our practices and will continue updating Masa Memory's products to reflect our passion for human, earth and ocean first - conscious packaging. There is much to learn and unlearn, always more to observe, more listening to be done and necessary reflection to take place. In upcoming Newsletters and here on our Journal, we will share what we are learning, including: the history of and the renaming of Maize (Mahiz) to corn, food sovereignty and seed stewardship. We will also share recipes from our Masa Memory Kitchen. As new information is taken in, we will sit with what we learn… take time to reflect - then share. I invite you to do the same with me. Thank you so much for your support and for reading this letter.
Feliz Año Nuevo,
April