Dishes from corn grits - tasty and healthy food

The people of the older generation still remember the corn epic on the collective farm fields of the USSR and the praises of the "Queen of the Fields": both the yield is high, and the feed value for livestock is invaluable, etc. etc. And all this was true, but ... In addition to the well-known advantages of fodder crops, it is also a beautiful cereal, from which they make cereals and flour, and from them ... As a food product, corn was the main bread of the ancient Maya - documented that 5000 years ago They already grew it and even engaged in the selection of this culture. It is from here that corn has spread all over the planet. Corn cereals are popular in many countries and are considered to be national and have a long tradition. This food contains a "gentlemanly" set of vitamins and among them provitamin A, B1, B2, C, PP, as well as two important amino acids for the body - lysine and tryptophan

Among the gourmets, the "corn" cuisine of Romania, Moldavia, Italy and other countries is well known. Dishes from corn cereals are headed by a hominy, which appeared even in those days when, in the Danube steppes, more than three hundred years ago, in the local conditions, corn has caught on, which yielded good harvests. The production of cereals and flour was a natural application of old rural crafts. At first, mamaliga became a kind of bread. Cooked it accordingly - a steep porridge as an additive to liquid dishes. Undoubted merits of hominy were and remain simplicity of preparation, flavoring qualities and nutritional value at low cost.

Mamaliga from corn groats is prepared in a thick-walled cast iron with constant stirring to prevent burning. For a portion, and these are two small-sized "rolls", 400g of corn groats, salt, water and 30-40 minutes of time are required. Before laying, the croup is washed and filled into a third. When the groats are boiled and the porridge thickens to a very "tight" state, it is laid out in a mold or shaped on a cutting board. After cooling, hominy sliced, like bread, add greens, vegetables, sour cream, cheese. But you can also bring a little charm - cottage cheese, bacon, eggs, mushrooms. The taste will only benefit. For the children's menu, add jam. If this is a dinner dish, the addition can be served by frying from an arsenal of your own imagination - onions, peppers, tomatoes and everything that is in the fridge.

In the Caucasus, in the hominy, sauce and fried meat are added, as the saying goes, whoever has, then adds. In Italy, cook corn porridge is not very thick. In addition, there is a popular soup from corn cereals. And sometimes it is cooked in the form of liquid porridge. For this, 300 g of milk is taken 3-4 tablespoons of cereals. In the milk add sugar, salt to taste and cook with stirring on low heat for 15-20 minutes.

Dishes from corn groats are not only traditional versions of hominy. As from bread it is possible to prepare still many other "yummy", and from hominy it is easy to receive a delicacy - it is enough slices of a product to fry in vegetable oil. Do you want even more delicious? No problem: put cheese slices on top. No cheese? Do not worry, replace it with slices of fat. Oh, you have a diet, but one time you can? Moreover, bacon is also a dietary product and anathema has already been removed from it.

It has long been noted that, where the dishes from corn grits are traditional food, the population has healthier teeth and fewer complaints about cardiovascular diseases. This is due to the fact that corn, among other things, is a supplier of silicon and other microelements, and in itself a low-calorie, albeit satisfying. In addition, the use of corn porridge has a good effect on the improvement of the gastrointestinal tract and peristalsis of the intestine.

When the agriculture of the USSR quietly forgot about the "queen of fields", the agiotage was replaced by a more cool and balanced attitude, corn products became smaller, but, nevertheless, everyone is well known and enjoys a good demand in adults and, especially, in children, corn flakes , Sticks, popcorn.