The importance of cereals

Title

Creator

Millan, Juliana

Language

English

Subject

Grain

Cereal products

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

[Cereals are grains or seeds of cultivated grasses used for food. They are the staple food of mankind and hold first place in their diet. There are many kinds of cereals like rice, corn, wheat, oats, barley, and rye. ]

Fulltext

266 THE YOUNG CITIZEN October, 193G MOTl-IERS' GUIDE IN CARE OF Cl-llLDREN Cereals are grains or seeds of cultivated grasses used for food. They are the staple food of mankind and hold first place in their diet. They contain all the food groups but not in the right amount and are therefore, eaten along with fish, me·at, and other foods to provide the correct amount needed by the body. They are generally classified as heatand-energy-providing foods because of the large amount of starch they contain. Some, however. like oatmeal. wheat, and corn, contain a considerable amount of protein also and are then classified as tissuebuilding foods, too. . There are many kinds of cereals like rice, corn, wheat, oats, barley, and rye. But of these, the most widely used are rice, wheat, corn. ;md oats. Rice, the staple food of the Filipinos and other Orientals, is generally divided into non-glutinous (ordinary rice like elon-elon, macan, calivo, etc.) and glutinous rice (malagkit). Non-glutinous rice, the daily food of the Filipinos, is generally prepared hard-boiled (sinaing). Other Orientals. however, like the Chinese and Japanese, prefor it soft-boiled (rice gruel). ~Whole grain rice is sometimes popped (po? rice) or prepared into rice pudding artd porridge (champorado). Ground rice is also pre:Pared into "puto seco" by the Tagalog and in· tc "bijon" and "misua" by the Chinese. Palay is sometimes popped also and together with a little syrup is sold in the form of "amp.:w." The tender grains of glutinous rice ( malagkit) is often prepared * Teacher of Home Economics, Emilio Jacinto Elementary Schoo]. Tl-IE !I oung titiltn PANTRY THE IMPORTANCE OF CEREALS Miss Juliana Millan * into "pinipig"-pressed, pounded and winnowed-a preparation similar to rolled oats. The mature grain is generally prepared into "puto maya, suman (ibos, lihia, antab, maruekos), bico, puto sulot, guinatan, bibingka, and champorado" (porridge). All of these preparations, except the ·last, Call for ~h~ help of sugar and coconut for serving. Glutinous and non-glutinous rice are often combined and ground in· to a paste-like consistency (galapong) with the aid of the native grinder (gilingan) and prepared into "bibingka (riCe cake), puto bumbong. bola-bola, buche, puto, cuchinta, palitao, mayablanco, tikoy and okoy.'' Most of these require coconut and sugar either in thf preparation or serving. A third variety of the native rice is the colored one. (pirurutong l which is commonly used in the p;:eparation of "suman," "puto maya," and "puto bumbong." This one hasn't gained the same popularity as the other two, probably because it is only used as a sort of garnish and not as the b~.sis of most native cereal dishes. Cenat Protein Fat Rice 7. 8 0 .4 Corn 8. 9 2.2 Wheat IO .4 .o Macaroni I I. 7 . 6 Oatmeal I 5. 6 . 3 Corn is another cereal that goes hand in hand with rice as the staple food of the Visayans. It is prepared in much the. same way as the hard-boiled rice of th' Tagalogs <:nd eaten with fish, meat and other viands. It is also boiled and broiled on the cob, when it is served between meals. Tender grains of corn sautt?ed with lard, garlic and a little salt is palatable. Mature grains are .generally popped (pop corn) or boiled into "binatog" (hominy). Like rice, it is ground into a paste-like consistency and prepared into "calamay" and other native dishes. Wheat is the staple food of most Occidentals. It is ground into flour and baked into breads, biscuits, cakes and cookies. While this is the daily bread of }he Occidentals, the Orientals resori to it only to break the monotony of their diet. Macar.oni with cheese is the most popular Italian dish. Macaroni is the staple food of the Italians while rye or brown bre~d is the daily food of the Russians and Germans. We can conclude then, that. while "cotton is the fabric that clothes the world," cereal is the food that feeds the people. Below is a table showing the: c·Jmposition of some cereals: Mineral Starch matter Water 79 .4 0.4 I2.4 75. I 0 9 I2. 9 75 6 0. 5 I2 .5 72 . 9 0 IO. 8 68 .0 . 9 7. 2

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266

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