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The process of making masa from maize

Masa (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmasa]) is Spanish for dough. In the Americas it is often short for masa de maíz, a maize (corn) dough made from freshly prepared hominy. It is used for making corn tortillas, tamales, pupusas, arepas and many other Latin American dishes. The dried and powdered form is called masa harina, masa de harina, and sometimes maseca, the name of a leading commercial brand. It is reconstituted with water before use.^[1] Masa de trigo is Spanish for wheat flour dough. It is also used for making wheat tortillas and other breads and pastries.

To make hominy, field corn (maize) grain is dried and then treated by soaking and cooking the mature (hard) grain in a dilute solution of slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) or wood ash, a process termed nixtamalization. Lime and ash are highly alkaline: the alkalinity helps the dissolution of hemicellulose, the major glue-like component of the maize cell walls, and loosens the hulls from the kernels and softens the corn. Some of the corn oil is broken down into emulsifying agents (monoglycerides and diglycerides), while bonding of the corn proteins to each other is also facilitated. The divalent calcium in lime acts as a cross-linking agent for protein and polysaccharide acidic side-chains. ^[2] As a result, while cornmeal made from untreated ground corn is unable by itself to form a dough on addition of water, the chemical changes in masa allow dough formation, which is essential to the ability to fashion dough into tortillas.

Finally, in addition to providing a source of dietary calcium, the lime reacts with the corn so that the nutrient niacin can be assimilated by the digestive tract. While consumption of untreated corn is a risk factor in predisposition to pellagra, as in African countries, the risk is dramatically reduced or eliminated by nixtamalization. ^[3] The soaked maize is then washed, and then ground into masa. When fresh masa is dried and powdered, it becomes masa seca or masa harina.

The process of making hominy is also called nixtamalization and the ground product can be called masa nixtamalera. In Central American and Mexican cuisine, masa nixtamalera is cooked with water and milk to make a thick, gruel-like beverage called atole. When made with chocolate and sugar, it becomes atole de chocolate. Adding anise and piloncillo to this mix creates champurrado, a popular breakfast drink.

References[link]

Mercedes Sosa
Mercedes Sosa (1973)
Background information
Birth name	Haydée Mercedes Sosa
Born	(1935-07-09)July 9, 1935
Origin	Argentina
Died	October 4, 2009(2009-10-04) (aged 74)
Genres	Folk, Nueva canción
Occupations	Singer, Activist
Years active	1950–2009

Haydée Mercedes Sosa (9 July 1935^[1] – 4 October 2009), known as La Negra (literally: The Black One), was an Argentine singer who was popular throughout South America and many countries outside the continent. With her roots in Argentine folk music, Sosa became one of the preeminent exponents of nueva canción. She gave voice to songs written by both Brazilians and Cubans. She was best known as the "voice of the voiceless ones".^[2]

Sosa performed in venues such as the Lincoln Center in New York City, the Théâtre Mogador in Paris and the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, as well as sell-out shows in New York's Carnegie Hall and the Roman Coliseum during her final decade of life. Her career spanned four decades and she has been the recipient of several Grammy awards and nominations, including three nominations which will be decided posthumously. She served as an ambassador for UNICEF.

Life[link]

Sosa was born on 9 July 1935, in San Miguel de Tucumán, in the northwestern Argentine province of Tucumán, of mestizo, French, and Quechua Amerindian ancestry.^[3] In 1950, at age fifteen, she won a singing competition organized by a local radio station and was given a contract to perform for two months.^[4] She recorded her first album, La Voz de la Zafra, in 1959.^[4] A performance at the 1965 Cosquín National Folklore Festival -where she was introduced and brought to the scene while seating among the public by fellow folk singer Jorge Cafrune-,^[5] brought her to the attention of her native countrypeople.^[4]

Sosa and her first husband, Manuel Óscar Matus, with whom she had one son, were key players in the mid-60s nueva canción movement (which was called nuevo cancionero in Argentina).^[6] Her second record was Canciones con Fundamento, a collection of Argentine folk songs.

In 1967, Sosa toured the United States and Europe with great success. In later years, she performed and recorded extensively, broadening her repertoire to include material from throughout Latin America.

In the early 1970s, Sosa released two concept albums in collaboration with composer Ariel Ramírez and lyricist Félix Luna: Cantata Sudamericana and Mujeres Argentinas (Argentine Women). She also recorded a tribute to Chilean poet Violeta Parra in 1971, including what was to become one of Sosa's signature songs, Gracias a la Vida.^[3][7] She also improved the popularity of songs written by Milton Nascimento of Brazil and Pablo Milanés and Silvio Rodríguez both from Cuba.^[3]

After the military junta of Jorge Videla came to power in 1976, the atmosphere in Argentina grew increasingly oppressive. At a concert in La Plata in 1979, Sosa was searched and arrested on stage, along with the attending crowd.^[6] Their release came about through international intervention.^[4] Banned in her own country, she moved to Paris and then to Madrid.^[4][6] Her second husband died in 1978.

Sosa returned to Argentina in 1982,^[6] several months before the military regime collapsed as a result of the Malvinas War, and gave a series of concerts at the Opera theatre in Buenos Aires, where she invited many of her younger colleagues to share the stage. A double album of recordings from these performances became an instant best seller. In subsequent years, Sosa continued to tour both in Argentina and abroad, performing in such venues as the Lincoln Center in New York and the Théâtre Mogador in Paris. In a poor condition of health for much of the 1990s, she performed a comeback show in Argentina in 1998.^[4] In 1994, she played the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.^[3] In 2002, she sold out both Carnegie Hall in New York and the Coliseum in Rome in the same year.^[3]

A supporter of Perón in her youth, she favored leftist causes throughout her life. She opposed President Carlos Menem, who was in office from 1989 to 1999, and supported the election of Néstor Kirchner, who became president in 2003.^[8] Sosa was a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean.^[6][9]

In a career consisting of four decades, she worked with performers across several genres and generations, folk, opera, pop, rock, including Lucio Dalla, Nana Mouskouri, Maria Farantouri, Andrea Bocelli, Holly Near, Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso,^[3] Joan Manuel Serrat,^[3] Chico Buarque, Gal Costa, Gian Marco, Konstantin Wecker, Lourdes Pérez, Nilda Fernández, Pata Negra, David Broza, Franco Battiato, Luz Casal, Ismael Serrano, Charly Garcia, Joan Baez, Luciano Pavarotti, Shakira, Lila Downs, Julieta Venegas, Martha Argerich, Francis Cabrel and Sting.^[6]

Sosa participated in a 1999 production of Ariel Ramírez's Misa Criolla.^[10] Her song Balderrama is featured in the 2008 movie Che, starring Benicio del Toro as the Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.^[11]

Awards[link]

She won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2000 ("Misa Criolla"), 2003 ("Acústico") and 2006 ("Corazón Libre"), as well as many international awards.

Her album Cantora 1 won two awards at the Latin Grammy Awards of 2009. She won Best Folk Album and was nominated for Album of the Year. The album was also awarded Best Recording Package.

Death[link]

Mercedes Sosa lying in repose, with her family and President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner viewing.

Suffering from recurrent endocrine and respiratory problems in later years, the 74-year-old Sosa was hospitalized in Buenos Aires on September 18, 2009.^[12] She died from multiple organ failure on October 4, 2009, at 5:15 am.^[7] She is survived by one son, Fabian Matus, born during the first marriage.^[4][13] He said: "She lived her 74 years to the fullest. She had done practically everything she wanted, she didn't have any type of barrier or any type of fear that limited her".^[13] The hospital expressed its sympathies with her relations.^[14] Her website featured the following: "Her undisputed talent, her honesty and her profound convictions leave a great legacy to future generations".^[15]

Her body was placed on display at the National Congress building in Buenos Aires for the public to pay their respects, and President Fernández de Kirchner ordered three days of national mourning.^[13][16] Thousands had queued by the end of the day.^[15] She was cremated on October 5.^[15][17]

Sosa's obituary in The Daily Telegraph said she was "an unrivalled interpreter of works by her compatriot, the Argentinian Atahualpa Yupanqui, and Chile's Violeta Parra".^[4] Helen Popper of Reuters announced her death by saying she "fought South America's dictators with her voice and became a giant of contemporary Latin American music".^[17] Sosa received two Latin Grammy nominations for her album which is nominated for a total of three awards. She went on to win Best Folk Album about a month after her death.^[3][6]

Discography[link]

Mercedes Sosa in 2005, with Argentina's then-First Lady (now president), Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

She recorded forty albums.^[3][6]

• La voz de la zafra (1962)
• Canciones con fundamento (1965)
• Yo no canto por cantar (1966)
• Hermano (1966)
• Para cantarle a mi gente (1967)
• Con sabor a Mercedes Sosa (1968)
• Mujeres argentinas (1969)
• Navidad con Mercedes Sosa (1970)
• El grito de la tierra (1970)
• Homenaje a Violeta Parra (1971)
• Hasta la victoria (1972)
• Cantata sudamericana (1972)
• Traigo un pueblo en mi voz (1973)
• Si se calla el cantor (1973) (with Gloria Martín, life in Venezuela)
• Niño de mañana (1975)
• A que florezca mi pueblo (1975)
• En dirección del viento (1976)
• O cio da terra (1977)
• Mercedes Sosa interpreta a Atahualpa Yupanqui (1977)
• Si se calla el cantor (1977) - Recopilacion
• Serenata para la tierra de uno (1979)
• A quién doy (1980)
• Gravado ao vivo no Brasil (1980)
• Mercedes Sosa en Argentina (1982)
• Mercedes Sosa (1983)
• Como un pájaro libre (1983)
• Recital (1983)
• ¿Será posible el sur? (1984)
• Vengo a ofrecer mi corazón (1985)
• Corazón americano (1985) (with Milton Nascimento and León Gieco)
• Mercedes Sosa ´86 (1986)
• Mercedes Sosa ´87 (1987)
• Amigos míos (1988)
• En vivo en Europa (1999)
• De mí (1991)
• 30 años (1993)
• Sino (1993)
• Gestos de amor (1994)
• Live in Argentina (1994)
• Live in Europe (1994)
• Sera Posible El Sur (1994)
• Vivir (1994)
• Oro (1995)
• Escondido en mi país (1996)
• Gracias a la Vida (1996)
• Alta fidelidad (1997) (with Charly García)
• Coleccion Mi Historia (1997)
• Al despertar (1998)
• Misa criolla (1999)
• Serie Millennium 21 (1999)
• La Negra (2000)
• Acústico (2002)
• Grandes Exitos, Vols. 1 & 2 (2002)
• 40 Obras Fundamentales (2003)
• Argentina quiere cantar (2003) (with Víctor Heredia and León Gieco)
• Voz Y Sentimiento (2003)
• Corazón libre (2005)
• Éxitos Eternos (2005)
• La Historia del Folklore (2007)
• Cantora 1 (2009)
• Cantora 2 (2009)

Filmography[link]

• Güemes, la tierra en armas (1971)
• Argentinísima (1972)
• Esta es mi Argentina (1974)
• Mercedes Sosa, como un pájaro libre (1983)
• Será posible el sur: Mercedes Sosa (1985)
• Historias de Argentina en vivo (2001)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mercedes Sosa

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mercedes Sosa

• Mercedes Sosa's website (in Spanish)
• Mercedes Sosa's News (in Spanish)
• Mercedes Sosa at the Internet Movie Database