What is the difference between cornflour and cornmeal flour?
There are no universally accepted standards. There are local, regional and national definitions that seem to change at will. Here is my understanding and definitions – Corn starch – the white thickening agent Corn flour – the product used to make tortillas and generally in Mexican cooking; the best is made from flint corn that has been processed with lye like hominy to remove the tough hull. Corn Meal – a slightly coarser grind, the equivalent to graham flour. You’ll see some small flakes; this is what I routinely use for corn bread, pancakes and the like, #2 whole grain corn meal. Corn grits – slightly coarser to quite a bit coarser; definitely “gritty” feel to it. This is nearly always degerminated. Cracked corn – even coarser grind, now rarely used for human consumption, my grandfather liked it for breakfast with sorghum. It takes a long time to cook. Polenta – the Italian term for grits. As with grits, the coarseness has a wide range.