Cream of Wheat

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Cream of Wheat is a hot breakfast cereal invented in 1893 by wheat millers in Grand Forks, North Dakota^{[citation needed]}. The cereal is currently manufactured and sold by Kraft Foods. On January 24, 2007 it was announced that Cream of Wheat and Cream of Rice will be sold to B&G Foods. It is similar in texture to grits, but made with farina (ground wheat) instead of ground corn. The product made its debut at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.

Cream of Wheat is prepared by boiling water and slowly pouring in the farina while stirring. As it's stirred, the farina starts to thicken and mix with the water, creating a mixture that thickens depending on the ratio of liquid to farina. Some choose to use milk instead of, or in addition to water, to give the resulting food a creamier taste. Currently there are three available original mixes, the difference being in the time it takes to prepare — 10-minute, 2 ½-minute or 1-minute. Cream of Wheat is also sold in single-serving instant packets. These are prepared by mixing with hot water and allowing to set in a bowl (about two minutes).

It is common to customize the hot cereal with the addition of sugar, fruit, or nuts. As a result, several flavors are sold of the instant variety: Original, Apples 'N' Cinnamon, Maple Brown Sugar, Strawberries 'N' Cream and Cinnamon Swirl. Some people break up toast and stir it into the hot cereal.

In addition to its wheat-based products, the rice-based Cream of Rice is also produced as part of the product line, and is often a recommended early food for infants and toddlers.

Contents 1 Package design 2 In popular culture 3 See also 4 External links 5 References

[edit] Package design

The original boxes of Cream of Wheat were hand-made and lettered, and emblazoned with the image of an black chef produced by Emery Mapes. The character was named Rastus, and the image was included on all boxes and advertisements until 1925, when it was replaced by the more stylized version used on today's boxes. Using a stereotypical black icon was fairly common for U.S. commercial brands at the time of the cereal's creation; for other examples, see Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben.

[edit] In popular culture

In 2005, Cream of Wheat was at the center of a major controversy in Major League baseball. San Francisco, California radio host Larry Krueger went on a tirade against the San Francisco Giants, comparing manager Felipe Alou's mind to Cream of Wheat. The tirade, which also included numerous disrespectful comments about Caribbean hitters, attracted great ire from the fans, the media, and the Giants themselves.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] See also

• Maypo
• Semolina

[edit] External links

• Kraft's current Cream of Wheat lineup — Last accessed 20 September 2006
• Discussion and history of black chef in advertising - includes example

[edit] References

• Frequently Asked Questions, Kraft Foods website. Last accessed 15 June 2006.