Masa

This refried-bean-slathered gordita with all the fixings is a Mazatlán specialty.

A combination of beer and vodka keeps the masa and rice flour batter on these swordfish pieces ultralight and delightfully crisp.

If you can spread peanut butter on bread, you can make these homemade tamales filled with pork slathered in a bright red chile purée. 

These crunchy tenders will give you tortilla chip vibes in the best way (and they just so happen to be gluten-free).

The perfect pick-me-up on a cold day, this atole (a traditional category of hot Mexican drinks thickened with masa) is enriched with chocolate, cinnamon, and a pinch of cayenne.

Nixtamalized corn is getting its due across the U.S., thanks to newly available heirloom maíz from Mexico and a mighty little grinder called a Molinito.

Once you taste this classic Salvadoran dish, you’ll definitely want to experiment with the fillings.

A tamal filled with carrots, habaneros, and garlic is chef Maricela Vega’s celebration of how the harvest from summer and fall floats into wintertime.

Rick Martinez’s shrimp gorditas are inspired by his months of quarantine in Mazatlán, Mexico.

Baking a single large-format tamal may not be traditional, but it produces a similarly tender, moist, barely sweet cake with pudding vibes.

Masa harina is a ground corn flour, commonly used to make corn tortillas, and is not the same thing as cornmeal. Maseca brand is fairly ubiquitous in grocery stores; other types can be found and ordered online.

If we had our way, we'd eat corn every at every meal. Oh, wait a second: With these 22 sweet and savory recipes with cornmeal, polenta, masa, and corn grits, we can—and will.

Your favorite tacos are about to taste even better thanks to this classic recipe for corn tortillas.