Cornmeal

One US cup of cornmeal weighs 157 grams. Going the other way, 100 grams is about 0.64 cups.

Cornmeal is dried corn kernels ground to varying degrees of coarseness, with or without the germ and bran depending on the process. The version this entry describes is the yellow degermed enriched cornmeal that dominates the American supermarket — the Quaker Oats brand in the round cardboard tube being the archetypal example, though many store brands and other manufacturers produce essentially the same product.

USDA FoodData Central publishes 1 cup of degermed enriched yellow cornmeal at 157 grams (FDC 168867, Cornmeal, degermed, enriched, yellow). That gives a bulk density of 0.6636 grams per millilitre. King Arthur's ingredient weight chart publishes the same product at 156 grams per cup and 0.6594 grams per millilitre. The two figures agree within 1 percent, well inside the 10 percent tolerance we apply to the milled category.

King Arthur separately lists whole grain cornmeal at 138 grams per cup and polenta at 163 grams per cup. Both are legitimately different physical products from the standard degermed cornmeal, but neither is included as a state in this entry pending a second authoritative source. USDA publishes whole grain yellow cornmeal (FDC 169697) but with a portion whose cup weight is not as cleanly cited in accessible references. Polenta is not a distinct USDA entry; it is coarsely ground yellow cornmeal, chemically identical to standard cornmeal but ground to different specifications.

The three cornmeal grinds differ in bulk density in ways the physics predicts. Fine yellow (this entry) is degermed, and the endosperm-only grind packs tightly with less air, giving density around 0.66 to 0.68 grams per millilitre. Whole grain includes the bran, which is coarser and produces a bulkier grind with more air pockets, dropping density to around 0.52 to 0.58. Coarse polenta grind has larger but uniform particles that stack together tightly with fewer bridging gaps, giving density around 0.69 based on King Arthur's figure. The pattern — whole grain lightest, polenta heaviest, standard between — reflects the interaction of particle size, bran presence and packing behaviour.

Related products this entry does not cover: corn flour, which is more finely ground than cornmeal and denser per cup (roughly 130 grams per cup); masa harina, which is nixtamalized (lime-treated) cornmeal used for tortillas and tamales, with distinct alkaline flavour and different behaviour in baking; grits, which is coarsely ground corn similar to polenta but usually white and eaten as a cooked porridge; and popcorn, which is a distinct corn variety not ground into meal at all.

FDA identity standards for cornmeal are at 21 CFR 137.250 (yellow corn meal), 21 CFR 137.260 (bolted yellow corn meal), 21 CFR 137.270 (enriched corn meals) and 21 CFR 137.275 (self-rising yellow corn meal), addressing composition, moisture, particle size and enrichment standards. Codex Alimentarius standard for degermed maize meal is CXS 154-1985. Neither publishes bulk density; both focus on identity and composition.

The category here is 'milled' because cornmeal behaves like other fine milled powders in a measuring cup — it clumps, bridges over air pockets, and its density depends on scoop method and grain fineness. The 10 percent tolerance applies. For the yellow degermed state, both sources sit well inside it.