Breadcrumbs

Types

Dry

Dry breadcrumbs are made from dry breads that have been baked or toasted to remove most remaining moisture, and may have a sandy or even powdery texture. Breadcrumbs are most easily produced by pulverizing slices of bread in a food processor, using a steel blade to make coarse crumbs, or a grating blade to make fine crumbs. A grater or similar tool will also do.

Fresh

The breads used to make soft or fresh breadcrumbs are not quite as dry, so the crumbs are larger and produce a softer coating, crust, or stuffing.

Panko

Panko is a type of flaky breadcrumbs used in Japanese cuisine as a crunchy coating for fried foods, such as tonkatsu. Panko is made from bread baked by passing an electrical current through the dough, which yields a bread without a crust, and then grinding the bread to create fine slivers of crumb. It has a crisper, airier texture than most types of breading found in Western cuisine and maintains its texture baked or deep-fried, resulting in a lighter coating. Outside Japan, its use has become more common in both Asian and non-Asian dishes. It is often used on seafood and is typically available in Asian markets, specialty stores, and many large supermarkets.

Panko is produced worldwide, particularly in Asian countries, including Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, China, and Vietnam.

Etymology

The Japanese first learned to make baked bread from the Portuguese. The word パン粉 (panko) is derived from pan, giving the word for bread in Japanese (derived from the Portuguese word "pão" for bread), and -粉 (-ko), a Japanese kanji indicating "flour", "coating", "crumb", or "powder" on occasion, when used as a suffix (as in komeko, "rice powder", sobako, "buckwheat flour", and komugiko, "wheat flour").

Breading

Breading, also known as crumbing, is a dry grain-derived food coating for a piece of food made from breadcrumbs or a breading mixture with seasonings. Breading is well-suited for frying as it lends itself to creating a crisp coating around the food. Breading mixtures can be made of breadcrumbs, flour, cornmeal, and seasoning that the item to be breaded is dredged in before cooking. If the item to be breaded is too dry for the coating to stick, the item may first be moistened with buttermilk, raw egg, egg wash, or other liquid.

Breading contrasts with batter, which is a grain-based liquid coating for food that produces a smoother and finer texture, but which can be softer overall.

In popular culture

In the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel", breadcrumbs are used by Hansel and Gretel to track their footpath. However, the breadcrumbs were eventually eaten by birds, subsequently leading them to become lost in the woods. The popularity of breadcrumbs in the fairy tale led to the use of the word breadcrumb as a navigation element that allows users to keep track of their locations within programs or documents.

Gallery

File:990402-ians-recipe-01-IMG 4724.jpg|Corn and chicken coated in breadcrumbs and fried. File: Panko - Paprika - 3.jpg|Panko breadcrumbs with paprika flavour File: Panko - White - 2.jpg|Panko white breadcrumbs File:971027-I'ANS-ATN-IMG 8772.jpg|IANS simple breadcrumbs File:Tonkatsu at Butagumi in Nishi-Azabu.jpg|alt=Close up of Japanese breaded tonkatsu|Panko on Tonkatsu File:971110-ILIA-Vanak-IMG 8870-2.jpg|alt=Fried shrimp|Fried shrimp with panko breadcrumbs File:980722-Recipe-05-Shrimps-IMG 8660.jpg|alt=Shrimps with Panko|Shrimp coated by panko breadcrumbs File:011221-White-IMG 3991.jpg|Panko breadcrumbs – white File:011221-Paprika-IMG 3985.jpg|Panko breadcrumbs – paprika File:011221-Spicy-IMG 3989.jpg|Panko breadcrumbs – spicy

References

References

1. Shabir Ahmad Mir, Manzoor Ahmad Shah & Afshan Mumtaz Hamdani. (2021). "Gluten-free Bread Technology". Springer Nature.
2. (2018-10-07). "Panko Bread Crumbs: The Secrets Revealed". YouTube.
3. (2 May 2012). "You'll Never Believe How Panko Bread Crumbs Are Made".
4. Marshall, Jo. (2010-10-05). "COOKCABULARY: Panko is a crumby ingredient - Fall River, MA". The Herald News.
5. (18 October 2010). "An Introduction to Search Engines and Web Navigation". Wiley.