Fresh Masa

Any tips on finding fresh masa for sale on the north side?

Any Hispanic grocery store will have it. Look for the words "Supermercado", "Fruteria", or "Carniceria" on the outside and go look in the refrigerated case. The north side is a big place, give us a major intersection and I bet someone will know a place near to you.

rhinopias wrote:Any tips on finding fresh masa for sale on the north side?

If by fresh, you mean not dry (e.g., Maseca brand), take Octarine's advice and visit a supermercado. Most larger Mexican markets should have a good selection of masa para tamales (masa preparada, with lard and flavoring already mixed in) and masa para tortillas (plain masa, often a choice of white or yellow or even blue). You'll occasionally see other brands but La Guadalupana, a local company, seems to dominate the market.



If you want freshly prepared masa (usually milled the same day), you'll need to go to a tortilleria. The only north side tortilla factory I'm aware of is Del Rey at Grand & Laramie. I'm not sure if they have a retail shop, like most tortillerias on the south side, but I would guess they do.

Del Rey Tortilleria
5201 W Grand Av
Chicago
773-637-8900‎

Many of the brands you see above are available in conventional groceries on the northside, as well - for instance, I know Food for Less in Evanston carries both the tubs and bags of masa dough. If there's a Mexican area in the refrigerated section, it will usually be on either the very top or bottom shelf (look where you find chorizo and chihuahua cheese)