Puffed grain
Encyclopedia
Puffed grain includes ancient puffed grains like popcorn
as well as puffed rice
. Modern puffed grains are often created using high temperature, pressure, and/or extrusion.
Ingredients for puffed rice can be as simple as rice and perhaps salt
for taste. Other products like Rice Krispies
, Corn Flakes
, or Corn Pops
mix many ingredients into a homogeneous batter
. The batter is then formed into shapes then toasted and/or extruded. This causes them to rise, but not puff or pop.
Puffed grains are popular as breakfast cereals and in the form of "rice cake
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.
with steam
. When the containment vessel's seal is suddenly broken, the entrained steam then flash
es and bloats the endosperm
of the kernel
, increasing its volume to many times its original size.
Puffed rice or other grains are occasionally found as street food in China
, Korea
(called "ppeong twigi" 뻥튀기), and Japan
(called "pong gashi" ポン菓子), 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.
Popcorn
Popcorn, or popping corn, is corn which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn is able to pop because, like sorghum, quinoa and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive...
as well as puffed rice
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.-Origin:Pori has been mentioned in various Tamil...
. Modern puffed grains are often created using high temperature, pressure, and/or extrusion.
Ingredients for puffed rice can be as simple as rice and perhaps salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
for taste. Other products like Rice Krispies
Rice Krispies
Rice Krispies is a breakfast cereal that was created by Clayton Rindlisbacher for the Kellogg company, and later marketed by Kellogg's in 1927 and released to the public in 1928...
, Corn Flakes
Corn flakes
Corn flakes are a popular breakfast cereal originally manufactured by Kellogg's through the treatment of maize. A patent for the product was filed on May 31, 1895, and issued on April 14, 1896.-History:...
, or Corn Pops
Corn Pops
Corn Pops is a breakfast cereal made by Kellogg's, described by the company as "crunchy sweetened popped-up corn cereal." Originally called Sugar Pops, it was introduced in 1951 as the sponsor for "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" radio show...
mix many ingredients into a homogeneous batter
Batter (cooking)
Batter is a semi-liquid mixture of one or more flours combined with liquids such as water, milk or eggs used to prepare various foods. Often a leavening agent such as baking powder is included to aerate and fluff up the batter as it cooks, or the mixture may be naturally fermented for this purpose...
. The batter is then formed into shapes then toasted and/or extruded. This causes them to rise, but not puff or pop.
Puffed grains are popular as breakfast cereals and in the form of "rice cake
Rice cake
A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten, and are particularly prevalent in Asia. The origin of rice cake seems to be...
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.
Manufacture
High pressure puffed grain is created by placing whole grains under high pressureHigh pressure
High pressure in 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 steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
. When the containment vessel's seal is suddenly broken, the entrained steam then flash
Flash evaporation
Flash evaporation is the partial vapor that occurs when a saturated liquid stream undergoes a reduction in pressure by passing through a throttling valve or other throttling device. This process is one of the simplest unit operations...
es and bloats the endosperm
Endosperm
Endosperm is the tissue produced inside 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 kernel
Seed
A seed 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 China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
(called "ppeong twigi" 뻥튀기), and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, 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...
(called "pong gashi" ポン菓子), 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.
Puffable foods
Grains
- amaranthAmaranth grainAmaranth 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/cornMaizeMaize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
- see popcornPopcornPopcorn, or popping corn, is corn which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn is able to pop because, like sorghum, quinoa and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive... - riceRiceRice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
- wheatWheatWheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
- sorghumCommercial sorghumCommercial sorghum refers to the cultivation and commercial exploitation of species of grasses within the genus Sorghum . These plants are used for grain, fibre and fodder. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide...
- popped sorghum resembles popcorn, although much smaller - milletMilletThe 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...
- barleyBarleyBarley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
- kamut
- speltSpeltSpelt 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 northern Spain and has found a new market as a health food. Spelt is sometimes considered a subspecies of the...
- buckwheatBuckwheatBuckwheat refers to a variety of plants in the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, the North American genus Eriogonum, and the Northern Hemisphere genus Fallopia. Either of the latter two may be referred to as "wild buckwheat"...
- quinoaQuinoaQuinoa , a species of goosefoot , is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family...
Examples of puffed grain foods
Snacks and food products made from puffed grain include:- BhelpuriBhelpuriBhelpuri is a puffed rice dish with various vegetables and a tangy tamarind sauce. It is a type of chaat, or small plates of savoury snacks, particularly identified with the beaches of Mumbai , such as Chowpatty. Bhelpuri is called Jhaal Muri in Kolkata...
(rice) - BambaBamba snackBamba is a peanut butter-flavored 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 puffsCheese puffsCheese puffs, cheese curls, cheese balls, or corn curls are a puffed corn snack, coated with a mixture of cheese or cheese-flavored powders...
(corn) - Golden CrispGolden CrispGolden 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 ricePuffed 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.-Origin:Pori has been mentioned in various Tamil...
- Smacks (wheat)
- Toffee CrispToffee CrispThe Toffee Crisp bar is a well known chocolate bar which is produced by Nestlé in the United Kingdom. It consists of puffed rice embedded in soft toffee and shaped into a rectangular cuboid, the whole bar being covered by milk chocolate.- History :...
(rice) - Pufarine (wheat) - Romania