Meal (coarse flour) ground from dried corn From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cornmeal is a meal (coarse flour) ground from dried corn (maize). It is a common staple food and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but it is not as fine as wheat flour can be.[1][2][3] In Mexico and Louisiana, very finely ground cornmeal is referred to as corn flour.[1][4] When fine cornmeal is made from maize that has been soaked in an alkaline solution, e.g., limewater (a process known as nixtamalization), it is called masa harina (or masa flour), which is used for making arepas, tamales, and tortillas.[5][6] Boiled cornmeal is called polenta in Italy and is also a traditional dish and bread substitute in Romania.[7]
This article is about coarsely ground corn flour. For finely ground corn flour, see Maize flour.
"Indian meal" redirects here. For food of India, see Indian cuisine.
There are various types of cornmeal:
Blue cornmeal is light blue or violet in color. It is ground from whole blue corn and has a sweet flavor. The cornmeal consists of dried corn kernels that have been ground into a fine or medium texture.[8][9]
Steel-ground yellow cornmeal, which is common mostly in the United States, has the husk and germ of the maize kernel almost completely removed. It will remain fresh for about a year if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.[10][11]
Stone-ground cornmeal retains some of the hull and germ, lending a little more flavor and nutrition to recipes. It is more perishable, but will store longer if refrigerated. However, it too can have a shelf life of many months if kept in a reasonably cool place.[8][12]
Cornmeal porridge - a popular meal served for breakfast in Jamaica and Southern Africa.[14]
Cou-cou - part of the national dish of Barbados, "cou-cou and flying fish".[15]
Funche - a typical breakfast in Puerto Rico cornmeal cooked with coconut milk, milk, raisins, butter, cloves, vanilla, ginger, sugar or honey and topped with fruit and cinnamon. There is also a savory funche made with cornmeal, coconut milk, chicken stock, sofrito and other ingredients. These are usually served with fish.[16][17]
Mayi moulen - a cornmeal dish in Haiti often cooked with fish or spinach. Can be eaten with avocado.[20]
East Asia
Rolled corn porridge known as 糝糝飯 (Jin Chinese: [ʂaʔʂaʔfã] or [səŋsəŋfã]) is far more common than millet porridge in Shanxi and Shaanxi due to their disparity of local production.[21][22][23] Even if foxtail millet porridge is made, it is usually topped with rolled corn.[21] In Ji-lu Mandarin, rolled corn porridge is known as 棒子面粥 bangzimianzhou.[24]
Wo tou (窩頭) - Shaped like a hollow cone, this cornbread looks like a bird's nest, after which it is named. It is commonly eaten in northern China, and may contain dried jujubes and other flavoring agents.[25][26][27]
Africa
Southern Africa's Nshima cornmeal (top right corner), served with three relishes.
Arapash or harapash - Albania (similar to the Romanian style but often combined with lamb organs, or/and goat cheese)[49]
Farina di granturco - Italy (not the same as farina, which is made from wheat)[50]
G'omi (Georgian:ღომი, romanized:ghomi), mchadi (Georgian: მჭადი), tchvishtari - Georgia (g'omi is similar to polenta, mchadi - cornbread, tshvishtari - cheese cornbread). Known by different names in local languages (Abkhaz: абысҭаabysta, Adyghe: мамрысmamrys, Ingush: журан-хударjuran-hudar, Nogai:мамырза mamyrza, Ossetian: дзыккаdzykka or сера sera), it is also widespread in other Caucasian cuisines.[51][52]
Banush - Ukraine (the dish prepared from cornmeal with added śmietana, topped with pork rind or mushrooms and bryndza etc. The dish is popular in the Carpathian region of western Ukraine)[60][61][62]
Kuymak - Turkey, especially in the northern parts around the Black Sea.
South America
Grindstones inside Mingus Mill, in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Corn is placed in a hopper (top right) which slowly feeds it into the grindstone (center). The grindstone grinds the corn into cornmeal, and empties it into a bucket (lower left). The grindstones are turned by the mill's water-powered turbine.
Karoe papa (cornmeal porridge, mais pap) - a staple meal served in Suriname as breakfast or dessert with vanilla and/or almond essence, cinnamon and nutmeg.[66]
In parts of northern India and Pakistan ground corn flour is used to make thick slabs of bread which can be eaten with a wide variety of curry dishes or it can be coated in clarified butter or ghee and eaten with yogurt or lassi, a yogurt-based drink.
"Mauritian Polenta Pudding aka "Poudine Maïs"". à table with Aulson. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2022-05-06.This is a local dessert dish made from maize flour in which milk, sugar, dried sultanas and cardamon powder are cooked together. The cooked paste is poured on a tray and coconut powder is sprinkled thereon and left to cool. This dessert is often cut into triangular shapes and can be bought from food vendors in the streets of Port Louis and also in market fairs around the island.
"La storia della polenta"[The history of polenta]. I primi d'Italia (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2016.