Cornmeal

Yellow corn or maize began to be grown by the tribes of Maya and Aztec, which formed their ancient and not fully studied states in South America, in what is now Mexico. European sailors visited the Mexican peninsula and borrowed corn from the natives. So the maize got to the continent along with the traditions of its preparation and processing.

The Maya and Aztec tribes considered corn to be the basis of their diet, so they learned to cook flour from its grains. Corn flour was used to bake bread or tortillas. Wheat was not cultivated on the territory of ancient states, so corn was considered the main cereal.

Benefits of cornmeal

Corn flour, like the yellow corn from which it is prepared, contains a large and diverse amount of nutrients, substances, vitamins and minerals. The benefits of cornmeal include elements such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, starch and iron in group B vitamins and PP vitamins. You can list the beneficial properties of the composition of corn flour for a long time and this is just the tip of the iceberg of benefit from corn flour.

Corn flour helps digestion, normalizes metabolic processes and cleans our body. Cornmeal products are considered dietary foods. The high calorie content of cornmeal can be considered a negative quality. However, it is worth noting that with a relatively high index of fat, acidity and calorie content, corn flour is easily absorbed by the body and significantly reduces cholesterol levels.

Corn flour is produced from various types of corn. It is best to purchase flour, which is made on the basis of hard corn varieties. Flour can be coarse and fine. If you decide to bake homemade pastries, then it is better to use fine corn flour. Corn flour is often mixed with other types of flour, such as wheat or rye flour. This technique allows the baker to achieve more airy baking and individual taste.

Coarse cornmeal is used in the baking of cornbread or tortillas. Such bread is recommended for dietary purposes. You can also make porridge useful for digestion from corn flour. Dishes that are made from corn flour are used not only by nutritionists. Doctors recommend that patients, when recovering from severe operations or diseases, include corn flour in their diet.

We think you have already agreed that corn flour is a valuable product for a person's diet, now there is only one thing left - to choose a dish that you should cook. Let's give you a couple of examples. In Romania, mamalyga has long been prepared. It's coarse-ground cornmeal chowder.

A similar dish is prepared in Moldova and in some Caucasian countries. In the Caucasus, it is customary for corn chowder to serve homemade suluguni or feta cheese. Mamalyga is easy and time-consuming enough to cook. Fry the home-milled corn flour, and then cook in milk, add sugar and salt to taste.