Traditional Corn Snack – Rumbi Qualities And Health Benefits

This article is by Dr M S Krishnamurthty MD (Ayu),PhD.
Corn snacks are highly appreciated for nutritive value, taste and fun of masala magic that happens in our mouths!
Today we find the baby corn, sweet corn, American sweet corn, wheat corns, baked or half baked with spices, salt, butter etc. in various chat centers.

In fact few of them are healthy too. But hygiene aspect should be considered in outdoor corn corners.
In classical text Bhojana kutoohala it is explained by the name ‘Rumbi’ or ‘Umbi’.

Classical Reference: Bhojana kutoohala/ Dhanya prakarana
This is called Bombi in Hindi.

Table of Contents

Classical reference

Preparation method

Half matured or fully matured (but not dried) barley or wheat seed cluster (corn bunch) is taken and half cooked or baked directly keeping over the charcoal or by using the paddy husk or firewood till it is soft and slightly brown in color. According to ones need rock salt, pepper, lemon, lemon mixed chilly powder etc can be added or applied.

This should be eaten when it is warm.
Once it gets cold, it becomes hard to chew and more importantly hard to digest.

Today Chat masala, ghee etc are also added.
Read related: Wheat – Barley Chapati And Roti: Health Benefits

Qualities

Increase kapha, energizer, light to digest and decrease pitta and vata.
Read related – Ayurvedic Wheat Flour Ladoo With Jaggery: Preparation, Benefits

Wider utility

A variant of that is half boiled wheat, barley or chickpeas. In classical texts it is called Kulmasha. Quality wise it is different from the fried and baked corns. In Hindi it is called Gugarya. It is heavy, dry, aggravate vata and laxative in nature.
Read related: Wheat Uses, Health Benefits, Side Effects

Ancient classical snacks are still in practice. But changes can be observed in additives as well as in baking ways. So a thorough review regarding such food practices in ancient texts will add more to present day texts and practices of dietetics.

Corn, sweet, yellow, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt

Taste – astringent, sweet, slightly salty
Properties – dry, light
Potency – not very cold (as salt is hot in potency)
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta nourishing (salt is Pittakara)
Kapha balancing (more Kapha balancing when compared to raw corn as it is lighter due to heat processing)

Corn, sweet, yellow, canned, no salt added, solids and liquids

(Includes foods for USDA’s Food Distribution Program)

Taste – sweet
Properties – dry, light
Potency – cold
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Sweet
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta balancing
Kapha balancing

Corn, sweet, yellow, canned, cream style, no salt added

Taste – astringent, sweet
Properties – not very dry, not very light
Potency – cold
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing (does not increase Vata to a great extent as it is less dry and not very light)
Pitta balancing
Kapha balancing (more Kapha balancing when compared to raw corn as it is lighter due to heat processing)

Corn, sweet, yellow, canned, vacuum pack, no salt added

Taste – astringent, sweet
Properties – dry, light
Potency – cold
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta balancing
Kapha balancing (more Kapha balancing when compared to raw corn as it is lighter due to heat processing)

Corn, sweet, yellow, frozen, kernels, cut off cob, boiled, drained, with salt

Taste – astringent, sweet, slightly salty
Properties – dry, light
Potency – not very cold (salt is hot in potency)
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta nourishing (salt is Pittakara)
Kapha balancing (more Kapha balancing when compared to raw corn as it is lighter due to heat processing)

Corn, sweet, yellow, frozen, kernels on cob, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt

Taste – astringent, sweet, slightly salty
Properties – dry, light (as it is heat processed)
Potency – not very cold (salt is hot)
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta nourishing (salt is Pittakara)
Kapha balancing (it becomes light and Kapha balancing due to heat processing)

Corn, sweet, white, raw

The only difference between yellow and white corn is that the naturally occurring pigment that makes those kernels yellow, beta carotene, gives them a bit of a nutritional edge over white corn—beta carotene turns into vitamin A during digestion.
Taste – astringent, sweet
Properties – dry, light
Potency – cold
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta balancing
Kapha balancing

Corn, sweet, white, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt

Corn, sweet, white, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt

Corn, sweet, white, canned, whole kernel, regular pack, solids and liquids

Corn, sweet, white, canned, whole kernel, no salt added, solids and liquids

Corn, sweet, white, canned, whole kernel, drained solids

Corn, sweet, white, canned, cream style, regular pack

Creamed corn is a type of creamed food made by combining pieces of whole sweetcorn with a soup of milky residue from pulped corn kernels scraped from the cob.
Taste – astringent, sweet
Properties – not very dry, not very light
Potency – not very cold (as salt is added which is hot in potency)
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing (does not increase Vata to a great extent as it is less dry and not very light)
Pitta nourishing (as salt is added which is Pittakara)
Kapha balancing (more Kapha balancing when compared to raw corn as it is lighter due to heat processing)

Corn, sweet, white, canned, cream style, no salt added

Corn, sweet, white, canned, vacuum pack, regular pack

Taste – astringent, sweet, slightly salty
Properties – dry, light
Potency – not very cold (salt is added)
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta nourishing (as salt is added)
Kapha balancing (more Kapha balancing when compared to raw corn as it is lighter due to heat processing)

Corn, sweet, white, canned, vacuum pack, no salt added

Corn, sweet, white, frozen, kernels cut off cob, unprepared

Taste – astringent, sweet
Properties – dry, light
Potency – cold
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta balancing
Kapha balancing

Corn, sweet, white, frozen, kernels cut off cob, boiled, drained, without salt

Corn, sweet, white, frozen, kernels cut off cob, boiled, drained, with salt

Taste – astringent, sweet, slightly salty
Properties – dry, light
Potency – not very cold (salt is hot in potency)
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta nourishing (as salt is Pittakara)
Kapha balancing (more Kapha balancing when compared to raw corn as it is lighter due to heat processing)

Corn, sweet, white, frozen, kernels on cob, unprepared

Taste – astringent, sweet
Properties – dry, not very light (as kernel is not cut off cob)
Potency – cold
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta balancing
Kapha neutral (as kernel on cob is slightly heavy and Kaphakara when compared to Kernels cut off from cob)

Corn, sweet, white, frozen, kernels on cob, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt

Taste – astringent, sweet
Properties – dry, light (as it is heat processed)
Potency – cold
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta balancing
Kapha balancing (it becomes light and Kapha balancing due to heat processing, freezing decreases unctuousness)

Corn, sweet, white, frozen, kernels on cob, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt

Taste – astringent, sweet, slightly salty
Properties – dry, light (as it is heat processed)
Potency – not very cold (as salt is hot in potency)
After digestion taste transformation ( Vipaka ) – Pungent
Effect on Doshas
Vata increasing
Pitta nourishing (salt is Pittakara)
Kapha balancing (it becomes light and Kapha balancing due to heat processing, freezing decreases unctuousness)

Corn pudding, home prepared

Corn pudding is a creamy food product prepared from stewed corn, water, any of various thickening agents.
Cooked corn – Vata increasing, Pitta balancing, Kapha balancing
Thickening agents – Kapha increasing, Vata balancing
Effect on Doshas
Vata balancing
Pitta balancing
Kapha nourishing

Succotash (Corn and Limas )

Succotash, (corn and limas), cooked, boiled, drained, with salt

Corn cooked – Vata increasing, Pitta balancing, Kapha balancing
Limas cooked – Vata balancing, Pitta increasing, kapha neutral
Effect on Doshas
Vata neutral
Pitta nourishing (succotash without salt is Pitta neutral but salt is Pittakara)
Kapha balancing

Succotash, (corn and limas), frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt

Contact Prof. MS Krishnamurthy MD(Ayu), PhD