Boas Comidas

Glossário Culinário

Corn

Ingrediente

Origem
from the Americas
Também chamado de
fresh corn, hominy corn

Corn is one of the most common grains in Brazilian cooking, the base of curau, pamonha, corn cake and the canjica served at Festa Junina. Sweet, tender and golden yellow, it appears in sweet and savory recipes, from breakfast to the June festival table. It is a cheap, versatile ingredient, easy to find all year round, fresh, canned or frozen.

Characteristics

In the kitchen, corn comes in several forms, each with its best use:

  • Fresh corn: the sweet, juicy kernels from the cob, ideal for curau, pamonha and juices.
  • Canned or frozen corn: practical and always on hand, it works for cakes, pies and fillings.
  • Popcorn and hominy corn: specific dried kernels, each meant for its own preparation.

The grain’s natural starch thickens creams and porridges, and its sweet flavor pairs with coconut, cinnamon, cheese and sweetened condensed milk.

Uses in the kitchen

For sweets, it yields curau, sweet pamonha, corn cake, canjica and porridge. For savory dishes, it goes into savory pamonha, empadas, pies, farofas and sauteed vegetables. Corn juice blended with milk becomes a base for ice creams and creams, and cooked kernels finish salads and cuscuz paulista.

Substitutions

Fresh, canned and frozen corn substitute well for one another in most recipes, with a small sugar adjustment, since fresh corn is usually sweeter. In cakes, cornmeal delivers corn flavor with a different, drier and firmer texture. For creams and porridges, cornstarch thickens but does not reproduce the taste of blended kernels.

Fun facts

To choose a good ear, prefer ones with green husks and plump kernels that release a milky liquid when pierced with a fingernail. Cut the kernels close to the cob or grate them on the coarse side of the grater to keep the sweet juice. And one detail that makes a difference: corn cake rises better with room-temperature ingredients and the oven already preheated before baking.

Recipes with corn

Português English Español