Cornmeal

From Free net encyclopedia

Cornmeal is flour ground from dried maize (corn) with usage ranging from bread to pesticides. It is a common staple food in many regions of the world.

Contents 1 Types 2 Regional usages 2.1 Africa: synonymous and similar side dishes 2.2 Europe 2.3 Meso- and South America 2.4 USA 2.5 Other uses

Types

Steel ground yellow cornmeal, common in the United States, has the husk and germ of the maize kernel almost completely removed. It is conserved almost indefinitely if stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place.

Stone ground cornmeal retains some of the hull and germ, lending a little more flavour and nutrition to recipes. It is more perishable, but will store longer if refrigerated.

White cornmeal (mealie meal) is more traditional in Africa. It is also popular in the Southern United States for making cornbread. Blue cornmeal is made from the rarer blue corn or by adding blue food coloring to the cheaper yellow cornmeal.

Regional usages

Africa: synonymous and similar side dishes

• Nshima, Zambia
• Sadza, Zimbabwe
• Ugali, East Africa (aka. Sima, and Posho in Uganda)
• Mielie-meal or mealie pap, southern Africa

• • Fufu (aka. foufou), Central and West Africa and Injera, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea (called Lahoh in Eritrea) may sometimes utilize cornmeal as an additional ingredient.

Europe

• Mămăligă, Romania
• Farina di granturco, Italy (not the same as farina which is made from wheat.)
• Polenta, southern Europe - especially Italy

Meso- and South America

• Masa, used for making tortillas and tamales in Central America, and South America'
• Funchi, a cornmeal mush consumed on the island of Curaçao

USA

• Grits
• Cornbread
• Hominy
• Mush

Other uses

• As a releasing agent to prevent breads and pizza from sticking to their pans when baking
• As a natural pesticide as some insects' digestive organs will swell after consuming cornmeal and water, causing them to die.