<P> Corn nuts are prepared by soaking whole corn kernels in water for three days, then deep - frying them in oil until they are hard and brittle . The kernels are soaked because they shrink during the harvesting and cleaning process, and rehydration returns them to their original size . </P> <P> Albert Holloway of Oakland, California introduced corn nuts to the United States in 1936 . He originally sold them to tavern owners to be given away free to their patrons as a snack that would be great with beer, calling them Olin's Brown Jug Toasted Corn . </P> <P> Holloway later renamed his product CornNuts . After Holloway and his sons Maurice and Rich learned of a breed of corn grown in Cusco, Peru (often referred to as Cuzco corn) that grew large kernels (some said to have been bigger than a U.S. quarter coin), the company researched developing a hybrid of the Cusco corn that could be grown effectively in California . After a decade of research, the company introduced CornNuts made with the hybrid variety in 1964 . CornNuts sold on the market today are no longer of the large Cusco corn size . </P> <P> The most popular brand, CornNuts was owned by Holloway's original family company until the company was purchased by Nabisco in 1998 . Cornnuts is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods . It is available in five flavors: Original, BBQ (barbecue - flavored), Chile Picante con Limon, Ranch, and Jalapeño Cheddar . </P>

What kind of corn is used to make corn nuts