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Cancha in Peru | |
| Course | Snack |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Peru |
| Region or state | South America |
| Associatedcuisine | Peruvian,Ecuadorian |
| Ingredients generally used | Roasted ordeep-friedcornkernels |

Corn nuts,[1] also known astoasted corn,[2] are asnack food made ofroasted ordeep-friedcornkernels. It is referred to ascancha inPeru,chulpi inEcuador,kikones inSpain, andcornick in thePhilippines.
Corn nuts are prepared by soaking whole corn kernels inwater for three days, thendeep-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.
Corn nuts originated in Peru and are called cancha, where they have been prepared for over 1,000 years and still are to this day. They are found in Ecuador and Brazil as well.

Holloway later renamed his product CornNuts. After Holloway and his sons Maurice and Rich learned of a breed of corn grown inCusco, Peru (often referred to asCuzco corn[3]) that grew large kernels (some said to have been bigger than aquarter), 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.[4] 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 byNabisco[5] in 1998.[6][7]Cornnuts was a registered trademark ofKraft Foods.[8] On February 11, 2021, Kraft sold the Planters and Corn Nuts brands toHormel Foods.[9] Corn Nuts are available in seven flavors: Original, Ranch, BBQ (barbecue-flavored), Chile Picante con Limon, Mexican Style Street Corn, Jalapeño Cheddar and LoadedTaco.[10]
AFilipino variant of corn nuts is cornick (Filipino:kornik). Compared to the American variety, cornick pieces are typically smaller and crispier. They are also traditionally made fromglutinous corn.Garlic is the most common flavor of cornick, with other common flavors including:chili cheese,adobo,barbecue, lechón manok (also known as roasted chicken), and sweet. Major brands include Boy Bawang (literally "Garlic Boy" inTagalog, commonly sold in small packets), Corn Bits, and Safari.
A popular variety of cornick is the lighter,chicharrón-likechichacorn,[11] a semi-popped style of cornick using glutinouscorn from theIlocos Region[12] which is treated withlime before frying.[13]
Diana, a snack company in El Salvador, makes a variety of corn-nut-like snacks. These are calledelotitos in Spanish, orcornbits.[14] These come in a variety of seasonings, such as Lemon, Cheese and Chili, and Barbecue. These are sold throughout Central America.
In both Portugal and Spain, corn nuts are often eaten as a popular snack.In Spain, they are known askikones, ormaíz tostado ("toasted corn"),maíz frito ("fried corn"),quicos ("Frankies") andpepes ("Joes"), and in Portugal, they are sold under the namemilho frito (fried corn).
The base flavor tends to be very salty. Some brands have barbecue versions available.
Recently, crushed corn nuts have been introduced in Spain as a cover forbattering.[15]
Albert Holloway of Oakland, California, first sold the fried, salted whole kernels in the 1930s under the name Olin's Brown Jug Toasted Corn [...] which Holloway later rebranded CornNuts
{{cite web}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)Celentano se atreve con 'copos de maíz (tipo Cornflakes), maiz tostado molido, copos de avena u otros cereales –el pollo con copos de avena y coco rallado es una cosa seria– o semillas (sésamo natural y negro, amapola para pescado)'.