440 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



large proportion of this constituent. The proportion of protein is 

 also fairly high. Carbohydrates, particularly starch, make up the 

 greater part of the nutritive material of corn, as of other cereals. 

 Until about fifty years ago corn was simply ground and then bolted 

 or sifted at the mill or at home in making meal for cookery, but 

 now it is usually kiln-dried and deprived of the outer skin and germ 

 before grinding. The modern granulated corn meal is bolted to 

 free it from offal products and is finer and keeps better than the 

 old-fashioned sort, though it does not differ from it very materially 

 in composition except that it contains a little less fat and crude 

 fiber. The removal of the corn oil modifies the flavor, though it 

 undoubtedly improves the keeping qualities. In general, corn meal 

 contains a little more fat and starch and a little less protein than 

 wheat flour, but after all it resembles this staple foodstuff quite 

 closely in chemical composition. 



The changes brought about in corn by the heat of cooking are 

 much the same as those observed in other cereal grains. Thus, the 

 cell walls made up of indigestible crude fiber are softened and broken 

 down and so the starch inside may be more readily reached by the 

 digestive juices. Heat, with or without the presence of water, changes 

 some of the insoluble starch into forms which are easily dissolved, a 

 condition favorable for digestion. Cooking has further advantages 

 in that it improves the flavor of corn and thoroughly sterilizes it, a 

 matter which may be very important under some conditions. 



Corn protein does not contain the elastic, tenacious gluten 

 which is characteristic of wheat protein and so corn meal does not 

 give a light porous loaf with yeast. For this reason corn meal 

 alone is seldom used for raised bread, but is usually baked in thin 

 cakes which are granular rather than porous, although such leaven- 

 ing material as eggs, sour milk with soda, etc., may be used in mak- 

 ing the batter. When corn meal is mixed with wheat flour or rye 

 flour the dough may be raised with yeast. Such bread, of which 

 "rye and Indian" bread is a typical example, is most palatable 

 when slowly cooked in rather large loaves. Corn meal is often used 

 for making mush or porridge. Under the name "hasty pudding," 

 this dish used to be a favorite in New England and is still fre- 

 quently served as a supper dish. 



Samp and hominy, which are much less finely ground than 

 corn meal, are cooked like other grits and are commonly used as a 

 breakfast cereal or as a vegetable to accompany meat. Hominy is 

 now frequently made without the skin and germ. Like other similar 

 cereal goods hominy and samp require long-continued and thorough 

 cooking, especially when coarse. 



Hulled corn is an old-fashioned dish in which the kernels, in- 

 stead of being ground or degerminated, are steeped in lye until the 

 hulls are loosened, soaked in clear water until free from alkali, and 

 then boiled until soft and tender. 



There are various proprietary breakfast foods made from corn. 

 In most of these the grain has been cooked until tender and then 



