Puffed grain includes ancient puffed grains like
popcornPopcorn or popping corn is a type of corn which explodes from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn popping was originally discovered by Native Americans, but became popular as a snack food during the United States Great Depression, especially in movie theaters.Corn is able to pop because,...
as well as
puffed ricePuffed rice is a type of puffed grain made from rice; usually made by heating rice kernels under high pressure in the presence of steam, though the method of manufacture varies widely....
. Modern puffed grains are often created using
high pressureHigh pressure science and engineering is studying the effects of high pressure on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure...
.
High pressure puffed grain is created by placing whole grains under
high pressureHigh pressure science and engineering is studying the effects of high pressure on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure...
with
steamSteam is vaporized water. It is a transparent gas . At standard temperature and pressure, pure steam occupies about 1,600 times the volume of an equal mass of liquid water...
. When the containment vessel's seal is suddenly broken, the entrained steam then flashes and bloats the
endospermEndosperm is the tissue produced in the seeds of most flowering plants around the time of fertilization. It surrounds the embryo and provides nutrition in the form of starch, though it can also contain oils and protein. This makes endosperm an important source of nutrition in human diet...
of the
kernelA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
, increasing its volume to many times its original size.
Puffed rice or other grains are occasionally found as street food in
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
,
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
(called
"ppeong twigi" 뻥튀기), and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where peddlers implement the puffing process using an integrated pushcart/puffer featuring a rotating steel pressure chamber heated over an open flame.
Puffed grain includes ancient puffed grains like
popcornPopcorn or popping corn is a type of corn which explodes from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn popping was originally discovered by Native Americans, but became popular as a snack food during the United States Great Depression, especially in movie theaters.Corn is able to pop because,...
as well as
puffed ricePuffed rice is a type of puffed grain made from rice; usually made by heating rice kernels under high pressure in the presence of steam, though the method of manufacture varies widely....
. Modern puffed grains are often created using
high pressureHigh pressure science and engineering is studying the effects of high pressure on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure...
.
High pressure puffed grain is created by placing whole grains under
high pressureHigh pressure science and engineering is studying the effects of high pressure on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure...
with
steamSteam is vaporized water. It is a transparent gas . At standard temperature and pressure, pure steam occupies about 1,600 times the volume of an equal mass of liquid water...
. When the containment vessel's seal is suddenly broken, the entrained steam then flashes and bloats the
endospermEndosperm is the tissue produced in the seeds of most flowering plants around the time of fertilization. It surrounds the embryo and provides nutrition in the form of starch, though it can also contain oils and protein. This makes endosperm an important source of nutrition in human diet...
of the
kernelA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
, increasing its volume to many times its original size.
Puffed rice or other grains are occasionally found as street food in
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
,
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
(called
"ppeong twigi" 뻥튀기), and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where peddlers implement the puffing process using an integrated pushcart/puffer featuring a rotating steel pressure chamber heated over an open flame. The great booming sound produced by the release of pressure serves as advertising to attract customers.
One aspect of puffing is its simplicity. For instance, the ingredients for puffed rice can be just rice and perhaps
saltA salt, in chemistry, is an ionic compound, and can result from the neutralization reaction of acids and bases. Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
for taste. Other products like
Rice KrispiesRice Krispies is a breakfast cereal that was created by Eugene McKay for the Kellogg company, and later marketed by Kellogg's in 1927 and released to the public in 1928. Rice Krispies are made of crisped rice...
or
Corn PopsCorn Pops is a breakfast cereal made by Kellogg's, described by the company as "crunchy sweetened popped-up corn cereal." Originally called Sugar Pops in 1951, it was later changed to Sugar Corn Pops, and then to "Corn Pops", during a time when many cereals dropped the word "Sugar" from their titles...
mix many ingredients into a homogeneous batter. The batter is then formed into kernel shapes and toasted. This causes them to rise, but not puff or pop.
Puffed grains are popular as breakfast cereals and in the form of "
rice cakeRice cakeMade of individually puffed rice.In Chinese cuisine:* Nian gao* Tangyuan* ErkuaiIn Indian cuisine:* Pitha in Cuisine of Assam* Idli in South Indian cuisineIn Japanese cuisine:* Mochi* SenbeiIn Vietnamese cuisine:* Bánh bèo...
s". While it is easy to recognize that the cereals came from whole grains, the expansion factor for rice cakes is even greater, and the final product is somewhat more homogeneous.
GrainCereals, grains or cereal grains, {as a collective} are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their fruit seeds - the endocarp, germ and bran...
s that can be puffed include:
- amaranth
Amaranth has been cultivated as a grain for 8,000 years. The yield of grain amaranth is comparable to rice or maize. It was a staple food of the Aztecs, and was used as an integral part of Aztec religious ceremonies. The cultivation of amaranth was banned by the conquistadores upon their conquest...
- maize/corn
Maize , is a herbaceous plant domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents...
- see popcornPopcorn or popping corn is a type of corn which explodes from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn popping was originally discovered by Native Americans, but became popular as a snack food during the United States Great Depression, especially in movie theaters.Corn is able to pop because,...
- rice
Rice is the seed of a monocot plant Oryza sativa, of the grass family . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East, South, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies...
- wheat
Wheat is a worldwide cultivated grass from the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
- millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
- barley
Barley is a cereal grain derived from the annual grass Hordeum vulgare. It serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food. It is used in soups, stews and barley bread in various countries, such as Scotland and in Africa...
- kamut
- spelt
Spelt is a hexaploid species of wheat. Spelt was an important staple in parts of Europe from the Bronze Age to medieval times; it now survives as a relict crop in Central Europe and has found a new market as a health food. Spelt is sometimes considered a subspecies of the closely related species...
Non-grains that can be puffed include:
- soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather than a pulse. It is an annual plant that has been used in China for 5,000 years to primarily add nitrogen into the soil as part of crop rotation...
s
- makhana (a kind of water fruit
The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants disseminate seeds, and the presence of seeds indicates that a structure is most likely a fruit, though not all seeds come from...
) - see PatnaPaṭnā is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar.The modern city of Patna is situated on the southern bank of the Ganges. The city also straddles the rivers Kosi, Sone and Gandak. Patna is approximately 25 km long and 9 km to 10 km wide...
Snacks and food products made from puffed grain include:
- Bhelpuri
Bhelpuri is a a puffed rice dish with potatoes and a tangy tamarind sauce. It is a type of chaat or small plates of savory snacks, particularly identified with the beaches of Mumbai , such as Chowpatty....
(rice)
- Bamba
Bamba is a snack manufactured by the Osem corporation in Holon, IsraelBamba is one of the leading snack foods produced and sold in Israel. It has been marketed since 1963 with no decline in sales. Bamba makes up 25% of the Israeli snack market...
(corn)
- Cheese puffs
Cheese puffs, cheese curls, or corn curls are a puffed corn snack, coated with a mixture of cheese or cheese-flavored powders. Common brands include Cheetos , Cheezies , and Wotsits ....
(corn)
- Golden Crisp
Golden Crisp is a breakfast cereal made by Post Cereals and introduced in 1949 as Sugar Crisp. It consists of sweetened puffed wheat.In a 2008 comparison of the nutritional value of 27 cereals, U.S...
(wheat)
- Kix (breakfast cereal)
- Puffed rice
Puffed rice is a type of puffed grain made from rice; usually made by heating rice kernels under high pressure in the presence of steam, though the method of manufacture varies widely....
- Smacks (wheat)
- Toffee Crisp
The Toffee Crisp bar is a well known chocolate snack which is produced by Nestlé in the United Kingdom. It consists of puffed rice embedded in soft toffee and shaped into a cylinder, the whole bar being covered by milk chocolate.- History :...
(rice)
- Wotsits
Wotsits is a brand of cheese puffs sold by Walkers. The most common form are cheese flavoured curly shapes. However over the years various other shapes and flavours have also been sold. "Limited edition" Wotsits have also appeared on more than one occasion...
(corn)
Further reading