Cream of Wheat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cream of Wheat

Type	Porridge
Course	Breakfast
Place of origin	United States
Region or state	Grand Forks, North Dakota
Invented	1893 (1893)
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Farina, water or milk

Cream of Wheat is a popular American brand of hot breakfast cereal. It's a type of porridge made from wheat middlings, which are tiny pieces of the wheat kernel left over after making flour. It looks a bit like grits, but it's much smoother because it's made from ground wheat instead of ground corn. This cereal was first made in the United States in 1893 by wheat millers in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was first shown to the public at a big event called the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.

The company also makes Cream of Rice, which is a similar cereal but made from rice. Cream of Rice is often suggested as one of the first foods for babies and young children. It's also a good choice for people who can't eat wheat or gluten, a protein found in wheat.

Cream of Wheat was owned by a company called Nabisco from 1961 until 2000. Then, Kraft Foods Inc. bought Nabisco. In January 2007, another company called B&G Foods bought both the Cream of Wheat and Cream of Rice brands from Kraft.

How Cream of Wheat Started

Cream of Wheat packaging and the cereal in a bowl.

In 1893, there was a big economic problem in the United States. A company called the Diamond Milling Company in Grand Forks was having trouble selling its flour. Prices were very low, and people weren't buying as much. Tom Amidon, the company's main miller, had an idea. He suggested that the company could sell a breakfast porridge. His wife used to make this porridge from the parts of the wheat that weren't used for flour. These parts were the "middlings," which are rich in protein.

At first, the owners of Diamond Milling—Emery Mapes, George Bull, and George Clifford—weren't very interested. But they eventually agreed to try selling the new product. They sent 10 boxes of the cereal to their sellers in New York. These boxes were handmade by Amidon. Another employee suggested the name "Cream of Wheat." The boxes had this name written on them by hand, along with a picture of a chef.

Just a few hours after the sellers gave the product to grocery stores, they sent a telegram to Diamond Milling. They ordered 50 more cases! The very next morning, they sent another telegram that said, "FORGET THE FLOUR. SEND US A CAR OF CREAM OF WHEAT."

The Cream of Wheat building in Minneapolis, completed in 1928.

Because of this huge demand, Diamond Milling decided to make only Cream of Wheat. As more and more people wanted the cereal, the company moved to a new factory in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1897. They also changed their name to The Cream of Wheat Company. Six years later, they needed an even bigger factory in Minneapolis. In 1927, they moved to a third, even larger building where they made the cereal for many years. The company's shares were even sold on the New York Stock Exchange starting in 1929.

Different Types of Cream of Wheat

The original Cream of Wheat continued to be made. But in 1939, the company introduced "Enriched Quick Cream of Wheat." This new version cooked much faster, in about 2 and a half minutes, compared to the original which took 10 minutes. It also had extra vitamins and minerals added to it. Later, in 1958, they released "Instant Cream of Wheat," which cooked in just 30 seconds.

In 1961, a large food company called National Biscuit Co. (which later became Nabisco) bought Cream of Wheat for about $30 million.

Changes in Ownership

In 2000, Philip Morris Companies bought Nabisco, and with it, Cream of Wheat. They then combined it with their Kraft Foods company. Kraft closed the Cream of Wheat factory in Minnesota in 2002. They moved the production to other Kraft factories. Then, in 2007, Cream of Wheat was bought by B&G Foods from Kraft for around $200 million.

About Cream of Rice

Even though Cream of Wheat and Cream of Rice are similar products now, they actually started out as completely separate companies. They didn't become part of the same company until 1983, when Nabisco owned both.

The Cream of Rice Company was started in Chicago in October 1915. They registered the "Cream of Rice" name as a trademark in 1917. The company reported that they sold a lot of cereal at first. By February 1916, their product was in more than half of the grocery stores in Chicago. However, the company eventually closed down in 1921. A new company, the American Rice Products Company, was then started in New Orleans in 1921. This new company took over the "Cream of Rice" brand.

Later, in 1937, another company called Grocery Store Products Company bought the brand. They first made Cream of Rice in New Orleans. In 1949, the production moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania. In 1971, Cream of Rice was sold to a company called Clorox.

Finally, in 1983, Clorox sold Cream of Rice to Nabisco. Since Nabisco already owned Cream of Wheat, they brought the production of both cereals together at the Cream of Wheat factories in Minneapolis.

How to Prepare Cream of Wheat

Making Cream of Wheat is quite simple! You start by boiling water or milk. Then, you slowly pour in the farina while stirring. As you stir, the cereal begins to get thicker. If you use milk instead of water, or even a mix of both, the cereal will taste creamier.

In the United States, you can find three plain types of Cream of Wheat that cook at different speeds: a 10-minute version, a 2 and a half-minute version, and a 1-minute version. In Canada, there are two plain types: an 8-minute version and a 3-minute version.

Cream of Wheat also comes in "instant" packets. These are super easy to make. You just mix the contents of a packet with hot water. Then, you let it sit in a bowl for about two minutes, and it's ready to eat!

Many people like to add things to their hot cereal to make it taste even better. Common additions include sugar, fruit, or nuts. Because of this, the instant Cream of Wheat comes in several flavors. Some popular ones are Original, Apples 'N' Cinnamon, Maple Brown Sugar, Strawberries 'N' Cream, and Cinnamon Swirl. In October 2012, a new chocolate flavor was added to the instant line, and later, a Bananas & Cream flavor was also introduced.

Marketing and Advertisements

Over the years, many famous artists have created advertisements for Cream of Wheat. These include well-known illustrators like N. C. Wyeth, J. C. Leyendecker, and Henry Hutt. Their artwork helped make the Cream of Wheat brand famous.

Gallery

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  A Cream of Wheat advertisement from 1918

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  Oil on canvas by N.C. Wyeth 1908 "Where the mail goes Cream of Wheat goes"

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  Artist: Henry Hutt – 1908 watercolor

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  Artist: John Howitt – 1909

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  Artist: Denman Fink – 1911

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  A Cream of Wheat advertisement from 1917

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  A Cream of Wheat advertisement from between 1901 and 1925

See also

In Spanish: Crema de trigo para niños

• Frumenty
• Grits
• List of porridges
• Malt-o-Meal
• Maypo
• Semolina