Cereals are important foods all over the world. They are relatively cheap to grow and people eat a lot of them. In many countries cereals are a staple food e.g. rice in china and the Far East, wheat in Europe, maize in Mexico.

Buying cereal foods…. Which cereals foods are used in the following

digestive biscuits, oatmeal cookies, custard powder, cornflakes, rice crispies, popcorn, muesli, weetabix, couscous, cornbread, ground rice, tortilla chips, semolina, maize oil, pasta, bread buns polenta, rice paper, porridge

Wheat Oats Rice Maize

NUTRITION Cereals are an important source of starchy carbohydrate for energy in the starch, and whole grain products from cereals contain fibre, for healthy digestion. They also give us LBV protein, vitamin B, and minerals

Flour All cereals - and root crops - can be ground or milled into flour

This flour then makes pasta, noodles, bread, biscuits and cakes

As well as thickening sauces

Wheat flourCan be classified according to:

a. How much and which parts of the grain are used

b. The type of wheat useda.

• White flour is 72% of the grain - the 28% not used is the bran and germ

• Wholemeal flour is 80-90% of the grain - the coarser bran is not used

• Brown flour is a mixture of white and wholemeal flour

b.

• Hard wheat produces strong flour that has a high protein content. The protein is called gluten - this makes ‘stretchy’ dough

• Soft wheat produces soft flour that has less protein in it and makes a ‘crumbly’ dough

Wheat flour Is combined with other ingredients and used for a wide variety of food products:

Yeast to make bread

Water and sometimes egg to make pasta

Fat and water to make pastry

Water and eggs to make noodles

Fat, sugar and eggs to make cakes and biscuits

(some noodles are made from other flours such as rice)

Water and salt to make couscous

Strong and Soft flourStrong flour with its high protein content (gluten) is ideal for mixtures that need elastic stretchy doughs such as:

•Bread

•Pasta

•Flaky or puff pastry

•Choux pastry

Soft flour has a very low protein content and produces a melt-in-the- mouth texture. It is ideal for rich cakes and biscuits

Self-raising flour or SR flour is a medium soft flour with a chemical raising agent added

The amount added is enough for an ordinary sponge cake

But not enough for scones

And too much for very rich egg and fat mixtures

Whole Grains

Maize is eaten whole As a vegetable

Rice and Quinoa are eaten as a starchy food instead of the traditional potatoes

Bulgur wheat (or cracked wheat) is a sort of whole grain

Wheat is boiled, dried and ground into small pieces

Tabbouleh is made from this

Quinoa

• Is a ‘grain’ from the Andes Mountain in South America

• It has more protein in it than any other grain• Its protein is complete like the protein in soya beans

and all animal foods• It is a very good source of iron and other minerals• When cooked - it looks like mini frog spawn!

Short grain rice ‘clump’ together when cooked. Pudding rice

Long grain rice remain firm and separated when cooked

Basmati rice is a very long thin fragrant grain served with curries

and Arborio (risotto) rice are examples

Rice - can be brown or white and long or short grain