Masa

Masa (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmasa]) is Spanish for dough. Although the word is mostly used to refer to any kind of dough, in some regions (Mexico, parts of Central America and the American South West) 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, 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. Masa is not to be confused with masarepa, masa de arepa, or masa al instante, a type of unnixtamalized, soaked, and cooked cornmeal used to make arepas.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 diluted 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. 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.

Masa (musician)

Masa is the stage name of a Japanese musician. While he is not very prominent in the Japanese music scene, he was member of GacktJOB, Gackt's band. He has also been in the disbanded Spiky, Dizzy Drive and マァマァサ☆ムゥ.

Biography

Masa was born on the 30th of September in Kyoto, year unknown. After graduating from a vocational school (専門学校), he went to the U.S.A. alone and took the TOEFL after one year. He then studied music at a university for three years. He learned the English language while living in New York for four years. A day after he graduated from the university, he returned home.

Being raised in a rather strict family and never really having watched TV in his childhood except for educational programs, he came a long way from the boy listening to Bon Jovi on borrowed cassette tapes and singing covers of Kurt Cobain songs to being the accomplished international musician he was later. After buying his first CD, Metallica's "...Justice For All", it was basically the song "One" which inspired him to play the guitar. He started to learn it with getting lessons from an older friend in the neighbourhood who had a band. He paid for the lessons with working as a roadie for them. In junior high and high school years he formed various bands, playing in sessions at first and later in live houses around the area. Feeling restricted by the rules and regulations of the Japanese school system he decided to go to America.

Arzawa

Arzawa in the second half of the 2nd millennium BCE (roughly from late 15th century BCE until the beginning of the 12th century BCE) was the name of a region and a political entity (a "kingdom" or a federation of local powers) in Western Anatolia. The core of Arzawa is believed to have been located along the Kestros River (Küçük Menderes), with its capital at Apasa, later known as Ephesus. When the Hittites conquered Arzawa it was divided into three Hittite provinces: a southern province called Mira along the Maeander River, which would later become known as Caria; a northern province called the Seha River Land, along the Gediz River, which would later become known as Lydia; and an eastern province called Hapalla.

It was the successor state of the Assuwa league, which also included parts of western Anatolia, but was conquered by the Hittites in c. 1400. Arzawa was the western neighbour and rival of the Middle and New Hittite Kingdoms. On the other hand it was in close contact with the Ahhiyawa of the Hittite texts, which corresponds to the Achaeans of Mycenaean Greece. Moreover, Achaeans and Arzawa formed a coalition against the Hittites, in various periods.

Masa (restaurant)

Coordinates: 40°46′05″N 73°58′55″W / 40.76806°N 73.98194°W / 40.76806; -73.98194

Masa (雅) is a Japanese and sushi restaurant located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center at 10 Columbus Circle (at West 60th Street and Broadway) in Manhattan in New York City.

The restaurant was opened by Chef Masa Takayama in 2004 and is considered one of the most expensive restaurants in the world, as well as the most expensive restaurant in New York City. Located next door to the restaurant is Bar Masa, a more accessible dining experience offering an à la carte menu. In 2009, a second Bar Masa opened inside Aria in Las Vegas.

Menu

The offerings are Omakase (no menu) only, with five-course chef-selected meals costing US$2,550 per person, not including tip, tax or drinks. The sushi bar itself is a US$260,000 piece of rare hinoki wood from Japan; Masa is one of only two sushi restaurants in North America to have a hinoki wood sushi bar. Reservations for the 26 available seats are taken three weeks in advance. Chef Masa Takayama prepares the menu himself, often including seasonal ingredients. He uses many exotic ingredients, such as truffles and Kobe beef. Most of the fish is flown in from Japan. Chef Masa can be seen working behind the bar and will sometimes serve the food as well. While there is no menu to order from, Chef Masa does keep a record of what he has served to his customers and what their reactions were so he can cater to them on their next visit.

Masa (disambiguation)

Masa or MASA may refer to:

See also

List of minor planets: 19001–20000