National Corn Fritter Day

In order to understand the history of National Corn Fritter Day, you really need to understand the history of corn fritters. This snack is savory and sweet, and it has its origins in Native American cuisine. However, not only are these treats popular in the South of the United States, but they are also known in Indonesia as well, where they are referred to as bakwan jagung or perkedel jagung. The ingredients do differ, though, as we will explain.

Native Americans have been using maize, which is ground corn, as food for thousands of years – long before explorers from Europe came to the New world. In Pre-Columbian Americas, corn-based products were considered staple foods. This includes the likes of cornbread, arepa, and corn flatbread. Deep drying techniques were not used by Native Americans at this time, though, as ample supplies of cooking oil were needed, as well as equipment that was able to handle oil being cooked at extremely high temperatures.

When European settlers came to America, they started to learn about different processes and recipes for corn dishes. They then started to make their own variations of cornmeal-based dishes, including European breads. The corn fritter was invented in the South of the United states. This is a cuisine that is known for having a lot of deep fried foods. Of course, the most famous being Southern fried chicken!

In South America, traditional corn fritters will use melted butter, milk, flour, egg, and corn kernels. They can be baked, shallow fried, and deep fried. They can also be served with cream, honey, fruit, or jam. Some people also make them with creamed corn, after which they are baked and served with maple syrup.

But what about the Asian version of this popular treat? On the other side of the world, it was in the late 16th century that maize seeds made their way into Southeast Asia from America. This happened through Portuguese and Spanish traders.

In Indonesia, with the tropical climate, the plant thrived. Soon, it was a staple food for the southeastern and central parts of Indonesia, which did not get a lot of rain. This is because wet rice requires much more water than corn did. Palm oil and coconut oil have been essential elements of the cuisine in Indonesia for centuries.

Therefore, palm oil was used to deep fry the corn and other ingredients. This technique was taken from Portuguese colonists. This resulted in Indonesia creating their own version of the corn fritter, which is known as bakwan jagung ro perkedel jagung.

In Indonesia, corn fritters are not sweet. Instead, they are savoury. Their texture is more granulated. This is because the corn kennels are not blended into the dough and they are not finely ground either, which means their kernel shape is retained.

The fritter is made from fresh corn kernels, which are combined with salt and pepper, as well as garlic, shallots, eggs, scallion, celery, and rich flour. They are then deep-fried using coconut oil. They are served as an appetizer, as well as regularly being enjoyed as a snack.