Corn Puffs
Fun Fact
Who’s up for an airy, puffy, crunchy lip-smacking snack at any point of the day? Absolutely everybody.
Corn puffs are an offer nobody can refuse but any guesses on how they were invented? By a happy accident. These are made with two basic ingredients: cornmeal and water. But….. this delightful modern junk food was invented in an animal feeder.
In 1932 Wisconsin based animal feed manufacturer, Flakall Corporation started grinding and flaking their corn kernels. They wanted to utilize the maximum usable material and prevent animals from chewing on sharp kernels.
The grinder was not perfect and required regular cleaning to prevent clogging. To be more efficient the workers happened to moisten the mixture at one time. And something unusual happened: the moist corn ran into the heat of the machine, and when it exited the grinder, it ended up being a corn curl!
Edward Wilson, an employee, saw these puffs come out of the machine and decided to take them home, season them up, turning them into an edible snack for humans—a snack called Korn Kurls.
The company was selling a food product fit for humans that was originally intended for cows. No matter who it was meant for, we will continue munching on the puffy airy fodder that melts in our mouth and we just can’t get enough!
- Anika Vashisht