Cereals & Flours

Cereals and Flours 

Cereals are named after Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and comprise edible grains such as wheat, rice oat, corns etc. From the cereal grass, we harvest the valuable grains, which are actually the fruits of that plant and the way we use these grains depend upon their individual structure and their behavior as food stuff. All cereal products contain starchy carbohydrate, which is essential in human nutrition.

Rice is a staple food for half the world population, the remaining half cultivate wheat, oats, corn, barley and so on, depending on soil and climate.

The following are the important cereals used in catering industry:

1. Wheat
2. Rice
3. Oats
4. Barley
5. Maize
6. Sago
7. Tapioca
8. Arrowroot

Wheat

It is the most important cereal in the western world, which is grown in most temperate regions. Wheat is made into flour that in turn is the foundation for bread and all other baked goods. Wheat was probably first cultivated in Mesopotamia in about 7000 B.C. Now a days large quantity of wheat are cultivated in Canada and imported in the form of strong flour.

Wheat has a unique character & quality that strengthens the cellular structure due to the high gluten content in the wheat berry. Gluten is the muscular substance of great elasticity that strengthens the cellular structure of bread, cakes, puff etc. Flour is also used in the kitchen as a thickening agent and for dumplings, batter and paste.

White Flour

It contains 72% to 85% of the whole grain, does not contain any bran. It is made from endosperm only.

or

Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content.

Whole Meal Flour

It is used to make whole wheat bread and rolls. It contains 100% of the whole grain including bran.

or

Whole-wheat flour or whole meal flour is a powdery substance, a basic food ingredient, derived by grinding or mashing the whole grain of wheat, also known as the wheat berry.

Self-Rising Flour

It is white flour with the addition of cream of tartar and bio carbonate of soda. 

or 

Self-rising flour is flour with the baking powder and a bit of salt already added. It's a staple in many Southern recipes; it's traditionally made from a softer, lower protein version of all-purpose flour, which is what grows there.

Food Value:

It is one of the best energy food.

Whole grain provides Vitamin B and therefore protective food.

Storage

ü  The store room must be dry and well ventilated

ü  Flour should be removed from sacks and kept in wheeled bins with lids

ü  Flour bins should be of a type that can be easily cleaned

Wheat products

1)    White flour contains 72 to 85% of the whole grain

2)    Whole meal flour contains 100% of the whole grain

3)    Brown flour contains 85 to 95% of the whole grain

4)    Patent flour contains 40% of the whole grain

5)    Self raising flour is white flour with addition of baking powder

What is baking Powder? 

Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent, a mixture of a carbonate or bicarbonate and a weak acid. The base and acid are prevented from reacting prematurely by the inclusion of a buffer such as cornstarch. Baking powder is used to increase the volume and lighten the texture of baked goods.

6)    Semolina is granulated hard flour prepared from the central past of the wheat grain. White or whole meal semolina is available. Semolina is used for couscous

Semolina: Semolina is the coarse, purified wheat middling of durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, pasta, manabhog and sweet puddings. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse middlings from other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains as well.

7)    Bourghul (cracked wheat) is used in Tabbouleh

As nouns the difference between bourghul and bulgur is that bourghul is while bulgur is wheat grains that have been steamed, dried and crushed; a staple of middle eastern cooking.

Rice

Rice is probably the native to India and Indo-China. Rice needs a hot, moist climate and is grown chiefly in India, the Far East and South America. Rice is staple food for a large part of the world’s population. It comes in many forms. There are about 7000 varieties of rice found in this world.

Nutritional content of rice

·         High in Starch

·         Good source of Thiamin (Vitamin B1), especially wild rice

·         When the outer layers of the grain are removed in processing (called polishing), and when cooked much of thiamin and other water soluble vitamin B’s are lost

But it is mainly categorized into three groups.

1.    Long Grain

Long grain rice is 4 to 5 times as long as it is wide. A narrow pointed grain with a firm structure and when cooked the grains are separated and gives a fluffy texture. E.g. Basmati, American Carolina, Patna etc.

2.    Short Grain

A short rounded grain with a soft structure and can be shaped by finger & easily handled with chopsticks. Chinese & Japanese cook prefer this type of rice. It is used mostly for milk and sweet dishes. E.g. Japan’s KOME, Arborio etc.

3.    Medium Grain

This is called all-purpose rice with short, plump grain, which cook tender & moist with the grain clinging together. E.g. Carolina etc.

Besides these, there are few other types of rice found, those are

1.    Brown Rice

Brown rice is simply the rice with bran that is removed during the secondary stage of milling. The bran in brown rice offers additional protein, plus traces of iron, calcium and vitamin B but takes longer to cook. Not all brown rice verities become white when polished, some Italian rice is amber colored.

2.    Wild Rice

It’s not exactly a grain but it is a water grass, native to North America & related to rice family. This is known to botanists as Zinzania Aquatica. It is long grain and grey brown in color with a nutty flavor. Wild rice is used mainly for stuffing game & poultry.

Other Varieties of Rice (Products of Rice)

1. Whole Grain Rice             -      Whole & Unprocessed rice
2. Ground Rice                     -      Crust Rice
3. Rice Flour                         -      Used in thickening
4. Rice Paper                        -      Thin Edible paper produced from rice
5. Pre-boiled Instant Rice     -      Par boiled, ready cooked and boil in the bag are available.

Storage

ü  Rice should be kept in tight fitting containers in a cool, well ventilated store.

Oat

Native of Central Europe, oats are Scottish staple food. It is very hardy cereal that can grow in cold northern climate, mostly used as breakfast cereal but also in some biscuits, cakes and soups. Either rolled into flakes or ground into powder, have a highest food value than any of other cereals; contain a good proportion of protein & fat.

Oats are one of the hardest cereals specially grown in Scotland and the north of England. Oats are either rolled into flakes or ground into three grades of Oatmeal: coarse, medium and fine.

Food Value:

·         The highest food value

·         They contain good portion of protein and fat

Storage:

ü  Because of the fat content, the keeping quality of oat products needs extra care.

ü  They should be kept in airtight containers and stored in a cool, well-ventilated store rooms

Maize or Corn

Native to Mexico, corn has been cultivated for thousands of years both as a vegetable and a source of meal. It is very versatile cereal that can be used fresh, boiled or roasted as a vegetable. It is made into cornflakes for breakfast, popped as snacks, made into corn flour and yields very good cooking oil.

In scientific and formal usage, “maize” is normally used in a global context but in Culinary terms it is referred as “corn”. It is available to us ‘on the cob’ or as kernels. It is usually boiled and served as a vegetable. It is also ground into corn flour. Cornflakes, popcorns, corn oil, polenta are some corn products.  The Nutritional content of Maize is similar to that of other cereals except for the presence of carotene which is converted into vitamin A in the body.

Barley

Native to Mesopotamia, where it was milled to make bread and ferment to make beer. The whole grains of barley is known as pot or scotch barley and require to soak overnight.     

The grain, which has the bran or outer layer is removed and then polished is known as Pearl barley. Polished barley is used for soups and stews. When barley is roasted, it changes into malt and therefore is very important in the production of beer, vinegar and spirits.

Buckwheat (Fapar}

Buck wheat is the seed of the plant ‘bran buckwheat’. The grain is usually roasted before cooking and is also ground into a strong savory flour for pancakes and baking.

Rey

It is obtained from cereal rye. Rye is the most important cereal after wheat. Apart from wheat rye is the only cereal which contains gluten proteins(but not of same quality or quantity). Rye flour is available from light, mild to dark and strong. It is stored in dry conditions between 10˚ to 16˚ C.

or, 

Usually, it's milled from the entire rye kernel all of the bran, germ, and endosperm — making it a whole grain rye flour. However, some dark rye flours have parts of the bran sifted out or contain little of the endosperm (usually containing starch with protein and other nutrients).

Sago

Sago is a starch extracted from the spongy center, or pith, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of Metroxylon sagu. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas, where it is called saksak, rabia and sagu. 

Arrowroot 

Arrowroot is a substance obtained from a West Indian plant. It is used in cooking, for example for thickening sauces or in making biscuits or cake. Arrowroot powder is a starchy substance that's extracted from the root of a tropical plant known as Maranta arundinacea. When the arrowroot is harvested, it looks similar to other underground tubers such as cassava, yucca or kudzu, which are oblong in shape.

Tapioca 

Tapioca is the starch extracted from the cassava root, a tuber used as a food staple in many parts of the world. Cassava is a native vegetable of South America that grows in tropical and subtropical regions.