Corn Meal
<p><b >Cornmeal</b> is a meal (coarse <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour" title="Flour" >flour</a>) ground from dried maize or American <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maize" title="Maize" >corn</a>. It is a common <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staple_food" title="Staple food" >staple food</a>, and is ground to fine, medium, and coarse consistencies, but not as fine as wheat flour.<sup id="cite_ref-Herbst_0-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornmeal#cite_note-Herbst-0" >[1]</a></sup> In the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States" >United States</a>, very finely ground cornmeal is also referred to as <b >cornflour</b>.<sup id="cite_ref-Herbst_0-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornmeal#cite_note-Herbst-0" >[1]</a></sup> However, the word cornflour denotes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornstarch" title="Cornstarch" class="mw-redirect" >cornstarch</a> in the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom" >United Kingdom</a>.
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<h2 >History</h2>
<p >The exact origins of cornmeal maize are uncertain. Some assert a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas" title="Indigenous peoples of the Americas" >Native American</a> provenance for corn cultivation, whereas others indicate that it was likely introduced to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe" title="Europe" >Europe</a> during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_people" title="Arab people" >Arab</a> occupation of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain" title="Spain" >Spain</a>. In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy" title="Italy" >Italy</a>, the traditional name for corn (<i>granturco</i>) connotes an Eastern, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey" title="Turkey" >Turkish</a> point of origin.<sup id="cite_ref-Vona_1-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornmeal#cite_note-Vona-1" >[2]</a></sup></p>
<h2 >Types</h2>
<p >There are different types of cornmeal.
<i>Steel ground yellow cornmeal</i>, which is common mostly in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States" >United States</a>, has the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Husk" title="Husk" >husk</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cereal_germ" title="Cereal germ" >germ</a> of the maize <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed" title="Seed" >kernel</a> almost completely removed. It is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_preservation" title="Food preservation" >conserved</a> almost indefinitely if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornmeal#cite_note-2" >[3]</a></sup>
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<i>Stone-ground cornmeal</i> retains some of the hull and germ, lending a little more <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavor" title="Flavor" >flavor</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrition" title="Nutrition" >nutrition</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recipe" title="Recipe" >recipes</a>. It is more perishable, but will store longer if<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigeration" title="Refrigeration" >refrigerated</a>. However, it too can have a shelf life of many months if kept in a reasonably cool place.</p>
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<i>White cornmeal</i> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mielie-meal" title="Mielie-meal" >mielie-meal</a>), made from white corn, is more common in parts of Africa. It is also popular in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_United_States" title="Southern United States" >Southern United States</a> for making <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornbread" title="Cornbread" >cornbread</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-AmEthnic_3-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornmeal#cite_note-AmEthnic-3" >[4]</a></sup>
<i>Blue cornmeal</i> is light blue or violet in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color" title="Color" >color</a>. It is ground from whole <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_corn" title="Blue corn" >blue corn</a> and has a sweet flavor. The cornmeal consists of dried corn kernels that have been ground into a fine or medium texture.</p>