Corn nuts are prepared by soaking whole corn kernels in water for three days, then deep-frying them in oil until they are hard and brittle. The kernels are soaked because they shrink during the harvesting and cleaning process, and rehydration returns them to their original size.
History
Albert Holloway of Oakland, California introduced corn nuts to the United States in 1936. He originally sold them to tavern owners to be given away free to their patrons as a snack that would be great with beer, calling them Olin's Brown Jug Toasted Corn.
Varieties and brands
CornNuts
Holloway later renamed his product CornNuts. After Holloway and his sons Maurice and Rich learned of a breed of corn grown in Cusco, Peru that grew large kernels, the company researched developing a hybrid of the Cusco corn that could be grown effectively in California. After a decade of research, the company introduced CornNuts made with the hybrid variety in 1964. CornNuts sold on the market today are no longer of the large Cusco corn size. The most popular brand, CornNuts was owned by Holloway's original family company until the company was purchased by Nabisco in 1998. Cornnuts is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods. It is available in six flavors: Original, BBQ, Chile Picante con Limon, Ranch, Jalapeño Cheddar, and Nacho.
Cornick
A Filipino variant of corn nuts is cornick. Compared to the American variety, cornick pieces are typically smaller and crispier. Garlic is the most common flavor of cornick, with other common flavors including: chili cheese, adobo, barbecue, lechón manok, and sweet. Major brands include Boy Bawang, Corn Bits, and Safari. A popular variety of cornick is the lighter, chicharrón-like chichacorn, a semi-popped style of cornick using glutinous corn from the Ilocos Region which is treated with lime before frying.
Diana, a snack company in El Salvador, makes a variety of corn-nut-like snacks. These are called elotitos in Spanish, or cornbits. These come in a variety of seasonings, such as Lemon, Cheese and Chili, and Barbecue. These are sold throughout Central America.
In Spain
In Spain they are a popular snack known as maíz tostado, maíz frito, quicos and pepes. The base flavor is very salty, though barbecue is also available. Recently, crushed corn nuts are being introduced as a cover for battering.
