Parched Corn

[tombear]

Hi Folks
does anyone know a source of parched corn in the UK?

Yup, I've been reading "Northwest Passsage" again. I made up a batch, sort of, by chucking some defrosted sweetcorn into the dehydrator for 3 or 4 hours (until it shrivelled up and fell through) and then finished it off on a tray in a cooling down oven.

Anyway, it's not bad snack to nibble on, if a bit gritty, and it's got to be better for me than chocolate or Kendle mint cake but its a lot of faffing about so can I buy it ready made anywhere?

ATB

Tom

 

[h2o]

kellogs sell it in boxes they call it cornflakes!!!

 

[tombear]

Nah, that would be far too easy/ cheap/ logical (and edible) I'm looking for the equivalent of dwarf bread here! ;-{D

ATB

Tom

 

[h2o]

whats dwarf bread?

 

[Mike Ameling]

You forgot the final step in making parched corn.

After you dry your sweetcorn, you need to gently roast it in a skillet with a little oil.

There are several recipes and tips on the Historical Trekking forum. Click on the Trail Foods link.

http://www.historicaltrekking.com

There is also some good info on parched corn on the Canadian Library's Northwest Journal site.

http://www.northwestjournal.ca/

You can eat parched corn whole, but it's a lot like eating the un-popped kernals in your popcorn. It is krunchy and pretty tasty, but hard on teeth. Most of my buddies tend to grind it up into a "meal", and then use it. A traditional Indian trail food, they would carry a sack of the parched corn meal on the trail. Just take a mouthful and wash it down with water. It's filling, but a little bland.

There are a number of companies marketing/selling parched corn - at least on this side of the Pond. But they do tend to be a little greasier, and loaded with salt.

Have fun and enjoy your new "snack food" --- but watch your teeth!

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[Templar]

Hi Tom,

Here is the recipe I use to make parched corn at home... and It is really easy..

Parched corn
Corn was the staple grain on the American frontier for pioneers and Indians alike, as it was (and is) relatively easy to grow, harvest, and process without machinery. There are four basic types: flour, dent, flint, and sweet. All may be dried on the cob, and may then be stored indefinitely. If you want to go modern, then just buy frozen whole kernel corn at the grocery store and dehydrate it.
Parching corn makes these hard kernels softer for your teeth and much more digestible. It’s a lightweight, high energy food that was carried by Indian warriors and hunters. It was also considered a treat by pioneer children. It can be eaten as is, or ground and added to soups and stews. You’ll be surprised at how it revitalizes you.
Heat a small amount of butter or lard or oil in a skillet on low. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel so that only a thin coat remains—just enough to prevent the corn from sticking. Pour in enough dry kernels to almost cover the bottom of the pan. Stir constantly to prevent burning. The kernels are done when they swell and turn light to medium brown and begin to pop. It takes from about one to five minutes. Dump the corn out onto a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any remaining oil or grease, then re-oil your skillet and do some more. Enough for a day will fit in a plastic bag in your pocket.


Hope this helps...

Cheers,

Karl

 

[tombear]

Thanks folks, some excellent info there, I will have a go at making the pukka stuff! I'll scounge up some finer mesh to stop the stuff dropping through the dehydrator.

Dwarf Bread appears apears in fantasy fiction (I think first in Terry Pratchets Disc World series) and is a emengency ration that will not go off, can't be damaged and which encourages the carrier to eat absolutely anything else rather than eat the dwarf bread. Think of a ships biscuit made from grit... ;-{D)

ATB

Tom

 

[Templar]

Tom,

Here is a recipe for the closest thing to "Dwarf" or "Elven" bread that you can get...

Its called Hard tack and was carried along with the Parched corn...
A warning though... this stuff will break teeth...

Hardtack
Essentially a very hard cracker, hardtack was the standard traveling fare for soldiers, sailors, and pioneers up through WWI. Originally made from only salt, flour, and a little water, it was universally despised. It was traditionally either dipped in coffee, or soaked in hot water and then fried in bacon drippings. This updated version is far more healthy and tasty, and just as easy to store and transport.
2 cups fresh whole wheat flour (Best if you grind it yourself—wheat berries lose nutritional value rapidly once ground.)
2 cups fresh corn meal (Again, best if you grind it yourself right before baking.)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
13/4 cups water
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Add water. Knead until moistened but not sticky. Roll 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3-inch squares or rounds. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Score with a knife to facilitate breaking later. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Can be stored indefinitely in an airtight container.

Cheers,

Karl...

 

[tombear]

Thanks Karl
that looks a lot better reciepe than the hard tack one I've used before, which was just salt water and some unbleached Canadian wheat flour, twice baked. I've some I baked about 4 years ago that looks no more inedible now as it did then and somewhere theres a few squares of stuff thats at least 15 years old...

This is a area I'm quite interested in as I enjoy baking. Earlier this year I made up some Roman army bread from a recipie on the net (Rye and spelt done with olive oil and honey if I remember right) and some Napoleonic ration bread (unbleached Canadian wheat with a equal part rye, lots of salt and baked in a ring for carrying on a pole/musket barrel!) I wish I could remember where I found that one as it was a interesting site.

Thanks again

Tom

 

[Jared]

Thanks folks, some excellent info there, I will have a go at making the pukka stuff! I'll scounge up some finer mesh to stop the stuff dropping through the dehydrator.

Dwarf Bread appears apears in fantasy fiction (I think first in Terry Pratchets Disc World series) and is a emengency ration that will not go off, can't be damaged and which encourages the carrier to eat absolutely anything else rather than eat the dwarf bread. Think of a ships biscuit made from grit... ;-{D)

ATB

Tom

I believe this is what your looking for here

 

[Mike Ameling]

Just remember that warning about parched corn being HARD on teeth! It works a lot better if you grind it into meal. You can then eat it as is, mix it up into a form of bread dough or biscuit, or add it into water/stew as a thickener. Great travel food - light in weight, easily stored if you keep it dry, and versatile to use. Try to not use too much butter/lard/grease. That's the part that can turn bad on you in long term storage.

Hardtack or Ship's Biscuit. Another great simple old staple food. If you keep it dry, it will last almost forever. Adding things like sugar to it does make it taste better, but does hurt its storage life.

I have some friends that make up Ship's Biscuit for their British Naval living history reenactments. Eating some boiled beef and ship's biscuit really helps you understand how those sailors lived back then. I even made up a couple stamps or presses to mark those biscuits with for a couple guys. It presses in the little holes/indents and the Broadarrow stamp on top of your biscuit. I based them on an example recovered from the Royal Oak (if I remember correctly).

One guy I know takes one extra step when he makes up his Ship's Biscuits for eating at 18th century Living History events. When mixing up his flour/salt/water, he throws in a handfull of uncooked white rice. Then he bakes them as usual - extra hard/dry. When at an event with public/tourists watching, he will then break up his biscuit to eat it, and "pick out" a couple ... weevils ... (those grains of white rice). And then he obviously leaves a few in and begins to eat them!

Fun is where your find it.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[tombear]

Hi Jared
oddly enough I like Biscuits Brown although I can't get hold of them now. When she was up the duff with our first herself had a fad for the Biscuits, fruit or whatever they are called. Which may explain why Jnr is like he is...

I made up a batch of hardtack last night, had to resort to ground up weetabix for the wheatgerm, and may have overdone it a little bit with the salt but they are still just eadible, which is what I am aiming for. If anything is too nice I'll eat it long before I need to.

Also toasted the dried out sweet corn and its not so hard on the teeth now, cheers for that.

For actually eating bannocks still the thing, need to try out the lid of the outback oven for making it as its good and heavy steel (with plenty of ground almonds, dried fruit, desicated coconut...). Its amazing how the vultures start to circle when I'm making that..

;-{D)

 

[Jared]

Hi Jared
oddly enough I like Biscuits Brown although I can't get hold of them now. When she was up the duff with our first herself had a fad for the Biscuits, fruit or whatever they are called. Which may explain why Jnr is like he is...

Ah, well the pic was from http://www.expeditionfoods.com/ , who sell both brown & fruit.