Cornmeal

Cornmeal

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.

"Indian meal" redirects here. For food of India, see Indian cuisine.

Cornmeal is a meal (coarse flour) ground from dried maize or American corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to fine, medium, and coarse consistencies, but not as fine as wheat flour. In the United States, very finely ground cornmeal is also referred to as cornflour. However, the word cornflour denotes cornstarch in the United Kingdom.

Types

Steel ground yellow cornmeal, common mostly 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 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.

White cornmeal (mielie-meal) from white corn is more traditional in Africa. It is also popular in the Southern United States for making cornbread.

Blue cornmeal with a light blue or violet color, ground from whole blue corn, has a sweet flavor. The cornmeal is dried corn kernels that have been ground into a fine or medium texture.

Blue corn has significant spiritual importance for Native Americans in the southwest. According to the Navajo people, blue cornmeal is a traditional healing food that has strong ties to the Navajo culture.

Regional usages

Africa

• Nshima or bwali - Zambia
• Nsima - Malawi
• Nomadi - Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Sadza - Zimbabwe
• Poudine maïs - Mauritius
• Sorr - Somalia
• Ugali - East Africa (sima and posho in Uganda)
• Mielie-meal or mealie pap - southern Africa
• Recipes that may use cornmeal as an additional ingredient are fufu (foufou) in Central and West Africa, and injera in Ethiopia and Somalia, and lahoh in Eritrea.

Europe

• G'omi, tchvishtari, mchadi (Georgian: ღომი) - Georgia (g'omi is similar to polenta, tshvishtari - cheese cornbread, mtchadi - cornbread)
• Kachamak (качамак) - Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia
• Mălai - Romania
• Farina di granturco - Italy (not the same as farina, which is made from wheat)
• Polenta - southern Europe, especially Italy
• Arapash or harapash - Albania (similar to the Romanian style but often combined with lamb organs, or/and feta cheese

South Asia

• Makki di roti - a traditional Punjabi bread often eaten with saag in India and Pakistan

East Asia

• Wo tou (窩頭 nest head) - Shaped like a hollow cone, this cornbread looks like a bird's nest, for which it is named. It is commonly eaten in northern China, and may contain dried jujubes and other flavoring agents.
• Tie Bing (貼餅 sticking bread) - This product can either be fluffy like a mantou or more flatbread-like. It is traditionally stuck around the outer rim of a large wok while meat or fish is being cooked. Generally, an alkalizing agent such as baking soda is added to increase the nutrient value. It is also found in northern China.
• Corn congee (棒子麵粥) - A porridge made from plain cornmeal, it is normally thinner than grits or polenta and is often eaten with Chinese pickles.

Mesoamerica and South America

• Masa - nixtamalized corn used for making tortillas, arepas and tamales in Mexico, Central America, and South America
• Fubá - Brazil
• Polenta - a typical dish in many South American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Venezuela and Uruguay

Caribbean

• Cou-cou is part of the national dish of Barbados, "cou-cou and flying fish".
• Funchi is a cornmeal mush cooked and cooled into a stiff pudding, sometimes eaten with saltfish and/or pepperpot, consumed on the island of Curaçao and part of the national dish of Antigua and Barbuda.

North America

• Made into bread, as in cornbread, spoonbread, jonnycakes, hushpuppies, or corn fritters
• As a porridge, such as cornmeal mush, which is often then sliced and grilled
• Cheese curl-type snack foods, such as Cheezies and Cheetos
• In corn chips such as Fritos, but not corn tortillas or tortilla chips, which are made from nixtamalized maize flour
• As breading for fried or baked foods, such as fried fish
• As a batter for a fried food, such as corndogs
• As a release agent to prevent breads and pizza from sticking to their pans when baking
• As a breakfast cereal ingredient