What Is Cream of Wheat?
Cream of Wheat may no longer lead the market in breakfast food sales but it certainly lands on the top of any longevity list as an American breakfast staple. From a rather desperate chance taken by a small flour mill in North Dakota during tough economic times, Cream of Wheat grew. It has remained very much the same as its first batch in both product content and packaging. Cream of Wheat, a simple and some might say bland food, has graced American tables for more than 100 years.
History
In the economic panic of 1893, a small flour mill in Grand Forks, N.D. somehow managed to survive. When they began to run out of operating funds, one of the millers suggested the owners try making and marketing a hot porridge made from the part of the wheat called farina. The owners agreed and sent a sample to their New York brokers. The product made an impression and the brokers switched their order from flour to porridge. Within five years, the demand for Cream of Wheat grew so much that they had to move from Grand Forks to Minneapolis, Minn. to be nearer to freight options and suppliers. Since its humble beginnings, Cream of Wheat has provided a hot breakfast to generations of Americans.
Features
Cream of Wheat consists of farina, or meal made from wheat. Originally described as made from the first roll, or best cut of wheat, it became very popular as a healthy, hot and wholesome grain food based in part on its white color. Throughout most of the 1800s, white bread had been expensive and only for the wealthy. Grain manufacturing advances had recently made white bread less expensive and people were buying it as a middle-class status symbol as much as for its soft, doughy texture. Cereals at the time were made from whole grain porridge. They were cooked all night and were light brown in color. Cream of Wheat's white color fed into the public's image of white grain foods as a status symbol of comfort, plenty and middle class. It was not until later in the 1900s, after Americans had consumed years of white-flour foods instead of whole-grain foods, that health professionals began to link the loss of whole grain in the diet caused by over consumption of white-flour products to a host of health issues such as obesity and heart disease.
Function
You eat and prepare Cream of Wheat in much the same way as oatmeal. Until recently, oatmeal may have been a healthier choice if you subscribed to the brown, whole grain is better theory. B&G Foods bought Cream of Wheat in 2007 and began a campaign to revive the brand. Along with marketing it on sentimental value and as an inexpensive, easy food choice, the company added whole grains, convenient instant packaging and flavor varieties to appeal to today's market.
Types
Cream of Wheat, depending on the variety chosen, provides whole grain, calcium, iron and B vitamins. Infants to the elderly can eat Cream of Wheat. Much like oatmeal, Cream of Wheat provides everything from small instant packages to 10 minute, cook-on-the-stove varieties. A variety of stir-in products such as fruit, nuts and cheese may be added for additional nutrition and flavor. The Cream of Wheat website provides several recipes for cooking other foods such as muffins.
Theories/Speculation
On the outside of the box of Cream of Wheat, a black chef holding up a saucepan is the brand's familiar logo. From its first packaging in the late 1800s, this character has held a prime spot on every box. Controversy surrounds both the identity of this man and the way in which he was portrayed at various times over the brand's long history. At times, "Rastus", the name given to the character, was portrayed in ways considered inappropriate and racist. However, the same smiling chef placed on the box in that hurried first packaging in the 1890s continues to be on every box to this day.
Tags: Cream Wheat, made from, whole grain, Cream Wheat grew, first packaging, flour mill, Grand Forks
