Cheese puffs facts for kids
Cheese puffs in a bowl
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| Alternative names | Cheese curls, cheese balls, cheesy puffs, corn curls, corn cheese |
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| Type | Snack food |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | Puffed corn, flavoring |
Cheese puffs are a super popular snack food! You might also know them as cheese curls, cheese balls, or corn curls. They are made from corn that has been "puffed up" and then covered with a yummy cheese or cheese-flavored powder.
To make them, a special machine pushes hot corn dough through a shaped opening. This process is called extruding. It makes the corn puff up and take on different shapes. Cheese puffs can be round like balls, curly, straight, or even have irregular shapes. There's also a similar snack called Puffcorn, which is just plain puffed corn without the cheese flavor.
Contents
How Cheese Puffs Were Invented
Cheese puffs were first created in the United States during the 1930s. Interestingly, two different companies came up with the idea around the same time!
The Flakall Corporation Story
One story says that a man named Edward Wilson noticed something cool in the mid-1930s. He worked at the Flakall Corporation in Beloit, Wisconsin. This company made food for animals. He saw puffed corn coming out of their machines. Edward decided to try turning it into a snack for people.
Later, in 1939, Clarence J. Schwebke got a patent for an improved machine to make these snacks. The product was named Korn Kurls. It was sold starting in 1946 by the Adams Corporation.
The Elmer Candy Corporation Story
Another company, the Elmer Candy Corporation in New Orleans, Louisiana, also created a cheese puff snack in 1936. The sales manager, Morel M. Elmer, Sr., held a contest to name their new product. The winning name was "CheeWees".
The Elmer family later lost the trademark for "CheeWees" when their candy company was sold in 1963. But they kept making the snack through their new company, Elmer's Fine Foods. They were able to buy back the "CheeWees" name in 1993.
Popular Cheese Puff Brands
Many different companies around the world make cheese puffs. Here are some well-known brands:
| Brand | Manufacturer | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chee.Toz | Dina Food Group | Iran | |
| Cheese Puffs | Akij Foods and Beverage Ltd. | Bangladesh | n/a |
| Cheetos | Frito-Lay | U.S. | 1948 |
| Cheez Doodles | Wise Foods, Orkla | Northeastern U.S., Scandinavia | 1958 |
| Cheezies | W.T. Hawkins Ltd | Canada | 1948 |
| Curl | Meiji | Japan | 1968 |
| Kurkure | Pepsico India | India | 1999 |
| NikNaks | Simba Chips | South Africa | 1972 |
| Pirate's Booty | B&G Foods | U.S. | 1987 |
| Twisties | The Smith's Snackfood Company | Australia | 1950 |
| Wotsits | Walkers | United Kingdom | 1970 |
Cheese Puffs in Pop Culture
A made-up brand of cheese puffs called "Cheesy Poofs" has appeared in the animated TV show South Park. The real company Frito-Lay even made a special, limited batch of "Cheesy Poofs" in August 2011 as a promotion.
See also
In Spanish: Cheese puffs para niños
