Kikos, pepes, quicos, corn, panizo… Depending on where in the country we are, it will be called one way or another, but what is clear is that fried corn is one of the most popular snacks. Also consumed in different countries in America, we are curious: how is it made? Although fried corn does not seem to leave much room for the imagination, we wanted to find out if there is something else and, above all, clear up a doubt that always arises when talking about this topic: why is the result of frying corn not popcorn?
With the origin or invention of some dishes it is always better to be careful. Who was the first to roast corn? Surely the question is impossible to answer, but if we talk about the popular snack, the most told and repeated story would take us to Valencia in 1932 when the López Lluch couple’s butcher shop decided to start roasting peanuts, then seeds and also corn. Although those last names don’t sound the same, the name of the company they created does and was named in honor of the famous Spanish sailor Cosme Damián Churruca.
Indeed, in Spain roasted corn was invented by Churruca in the 1930s. In fact, the name he gave to that product, kikos, has ended up becoming generic to designate one of the most popular snacks in the country. And, at least in our case, the one where we are always searching through the bags of scrambled eggs. Especially if it is the giant version that, in a display of originality, was baptized Kikonazo.
Beyond the variety of names, how are they made? Several artisan roasters we have spoken with who work with various nuts acknowledge that they buy roasted corn from other suppliers. So some mystery will have to be developed so that, apparently, it is in the hands of large companies. Apparently, because we recognize that despite being popular, it is one of the segments in which it is most difficult to find some information.
Luckily, Frit Ravich, a veteran company with half a century of history specializing in nuts and snacks, did want to tell us some details about its preparation. Is it simply fried corn as the name suggests? “Frying is an essential part of the process, but before frying it is very important to properly condition the corn, which consists mainly of peeling, washing and maceration that guarantees the correct quality of the product,” they explain.
Regarding frying, “kikos are always fried with vegetable oil. In Spain, sunflower oil is mainly used, often high oleic oil to increase oxidation stability,” they detail.
After frying them, the last part is salting. Also add flavors, which have become increasingly common in this type of products in recent years. “The most consumed flavors are salty and barbecue aromas, although currently the spicier or more exotic flavors are beginning to emerge, especially among younger consumers,” say those responsible for production at Frit Ravich.
In the specific case of this brand, its Cocteleo range – the commercial name of the traditional scrambled egg – has recently incorporated a quite spicy version with a teriyaki flavor and another “chili-lime”.
We leave the most repeated doubt for last. And why is it that when you fry corn, the result is not popcorn, but golden, crunchy corn kernels? “There are different varieties of corn and not all of them are suitable for making the same product. Specifically, for the kikos a corn that is hard is used and for the popcorn a popping corn is used.” As simple as that. In the case of larger corn, there is no mystery nor are they swollen with any type of technique: a corn with thicker fruits is simply used.
But talking about corn ignoring its origin and its gastronomic uses on the other side of the Atlantic would not make much sense. Because something tells us that before it was made in Valencia in the 1930s, in Peru they were already toasting pistachio, one of the classic accompaniments in dishes like ceviche.
Anyway, in addition to this function as a garnish, it is also a very popular appetizer there. “It is consumed as a snack, before a meal, very salty. In some cases it is flavored with garlic, lime, pepper or aceviched with leche de tigre, cilantro, chili peppers…” explains Peruvian chef Jhosef Arias, who runs half a dozen restaurants in Madrid.
Regarding preparation in restaurants, Arias details the two common methods. One of them is roasting slowly in a clay pot without any fat, moving until toasted. “It lasts longer, but it is a little drier, so some use a little pork crackling to cook it,” he warns.
In their establishments, however, they opt for the other method: fried in plenty of oil. “We hydrate it for 10 minutes in very cold water and fry it at 180 degrees, because a very sudden change in temperature causes each corn to break, and thus a little more fat enters it and the salt enters. A well-roasted pitch has to be juicy,” he explains.
Regarding the variety of corn, in Peru this question would be worth a master’s degree. But basically two are used: the mountain variety, the most consumed, with a white grain, large and uniform in size, and the chulpi, smaller and crunchier.
