Funchi

This article is about coarsely ground corn funchi. For finely ground corn flour, see Maize flour. For food of India, see Indian cuisine. It is a common staple food, and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but not as fine as wheat flour can be.

Blue cornmeal is light blue or violet in color. It is ground from whole blue corn and has a sweet flavor. The cornmeal consists of dried corn kernels that have been ground into a fine or medium texture. Steel-ground yellow cornmeal, which is common mostly in the United States, has the husk and germ of the maize kernel almost completely removed. It is conserved for about a year if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Stone-ground cornmeal retains some of the hull and germ, lending a little more flavor and nutrition to recipes. It is more perishable, but will store longer if refrigerated. However, it too can have a shelf life of many months if kept in a reasonably cool place. It is also popular in the Southern United States for making cornbread. Cornmeal porridge – a popular meal served for breakfast in Jamaica. Cou-cou – part of the national dish of Barbados, “cou-cou and flying fish”. Funche – a typical breakfast in Puerto Rico cornmeal cooked with coconut milk, milk, raisins, butter, cloves, vanilla, ginger, sugar or honey and topped with fruit and cinnamon.

There’s also a savory funche made with cornmeal, coconut milk, chicken stock, sofrito and other ingredients. These are usually served with fish. Mayi moulen – a cornmeal dish in Haiti often cooked with fish or spinach. This product can either be fluffy like a mantou or more flatbread-like. It is traditionally stuck around the outer rim of a large wok while meat or fish is being cooked. Generally, an alkalizing agent such as baking soda is added to increase the nutrient value. It is also found in northern China.