Corn nut

Last updated
Corn nut
Cancha corn snack.jpg
Cancha in Peru
CourseSnack
Place of origin Peru, Ecuador
Region or state South America
Associated cuisine Peru, Ecuador
Ingredients generally used Roasted or deep-fried corn kernels
Corn nuts in a bowl Original flavor Corn Nuts.jpg
Corn nuts in a bowl

Corn nuts, [1] also known as toasted corn, [2] are a snack food made of roasted or deep-fried corn kernels. It is referred to as cancha in Peru, chulpi in Ecuador, kikones in Spain, and cornick in the Philippines.

Contents

Preparation

Corn nuts are prepared by soaking whole corn kernels in water for three days, then deep-frying them in oil until they are hard and brittle. The kernels are soaked because they shrink during the harvesting and cleaning process, and rehydration returns them to their original size.

History

Originated in Peru and are called cancha, where they have been prepared for over 1,000 years and still are to this day. You can find them in Ecuador and Brazil as well.

Varieties and brands

Cornick from the Philippines 09679jfFilipino cuisine foods desserts breads Landmarks Bulacanfvf 02.jpg
Cornick from the Philippines

CornNuts

Holloway later renamed his product CornNuts. After Holloway and his sons Maurice and Rich learned of a breed of corn grown in Cusco, Peru (often referred to as Cuzco corn [3] ) that grew large kernels (some said to have been bigger than a quarter), the company researched developing a hybrid of the Cusco corn that could be grown effectively in California. After a decade of research, the company introduced CornNuts made with the hybrid variety in 1964. [4] CornNuts sold on the market today are no longer of the large Cusco corn size.

The most popular brand, CornNuts was owned by Holloway's original family company until the company was purchased by Nabisco [5] in 1998. [6] [7] Cornnuts was a registered trademark of Kraft Foods. [8] On February 11, 2021, Kraft sold the Planters and Corn Nuts brands to Hormel Foods. [9] Corn Nuts are available in seven flavors: Original, Ranch, BBQ (barbecue-flavored), Chile Picante con Limon, Mexican Style Street Corn, Jalapeño Cheddar and Loaded Taco. [10]

Cornick

A Filipino variant of corn nuts is cornick (Filipino : kornik). Compared to the American variety, cornick pieces are typically smaller and crispier. They are also traditionally made from glutinous corn. Garlic is the most common flavor of cornick, with other common flavors including: chili cheese, adobo, barbecue, lechón manok (also known as roasted chicken), and sweet. Major brands include Boy Bawang (literally "Garlic Boy" in Tagalog, commonly sold in small packets), Corn Bits, and Safari.

A popular variety of cornick is the lighter, chicharrón-like chichacorn, [11] a semi-popped style of cornick using glutinous corn from the Ilocos Region [12] which is treated with lime before frying. [13]

Diana

Diana, a snack company in El Salvador, makes a variety of corn-nut-like snacks. These are called elotitos in Spanish, or cornbits. [14] These come in a variety of seasonings, such as Lemon, Cheese and Chili, and Barbecue. These are sold throughout Central America.

Portugal and Spain

In both Portugal and Spain, corn nuts are often eaten as a popular snack. In Spain, they are known as kikones, or maíz tostado ("toasted corn"), maíz frito ("fried corn"), quicos ("Frankies") and pepes ("Joes"), and in Portugal, they are sold under the name milho frito (fried corn).

The base flavor tends to be very salty. Some brands have barbecue versions available.

Recently, crushed corn nuts have been introduced in Spain as a cover for battering. [15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jason R Karl (2000-01-01). "The Cuzco Gigante of Cornnuts | Request PDF" . Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  2. ↑ Jenkins, Matt (November 2010). "Quest for Corn". Saveur (133). Bonnier: 26, 28. ISSN   1075-7864. Albert Holloway of Oakland, California, first sold the fried, salted whole kernels in the 1930s under the name Olin's Brown Jug Toasted Corn [...] which Holloway later rebranded CornNuts
  3. ↑ Jason R Karl (2015-12-01). "Giant maize: Cuzco, Jala, and Tehua | Request PDF" . Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  4. ↑ Foley, Michelle (2007-09-12). "What Are CornNuts?". Chow. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  5. ↑ Pacciorini, Albert C. (1997-11-06). "Nabisco to Buy California-Based Cornnuts for Undisclosed Amount". The Monterey County Herald .
  6. ↑ "Nabisco Agrees to Buy Cornnuts, Snack Food Producer". The New York Times. 6 November 1997. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "Former Cornnuts President Appointed as National Sales Director" (Press release). Baywood International. 2000-03-21.
  8. ↑ "Trademark 'CORNNUTS' owned by 'Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC'". inovia. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Amelia Lucas (February 11, 2021). "Kraft Heinz sells nuts business, including Planters, to Hormel for $3.35 billion". CNBC. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Products". cornnuts.com. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Company History". Ilocos Food Products. Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  12. ↑ Palma, Ireneo B. (2004). "Experts Identify Promising Glutinous Corn Varieties for Green Corn and "Cornick" Production". Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development. Archived from the original on February 24, 2005. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  13. ↑ See also: nixtamalization
  14. ↑ "Diana snacks, El Salvador, Elotitos" . Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  15. ↑ Escudero, Mónica (22 September 2015). "El abecé del rebozado". El Comidista (in Spanish). Ediciones El País. Retrieved 24 April 2020. Celentano se atreve con 'copos de maíz (tipo Cornflakes), maiz tostado molido, copos de avena u otros cereales –el pollo con copos de avena y coco rallado es una cosa seria– o semillas (sésamo natural y negro, amapola para pescado)'.
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