I just re-read “On The Beach” and near the end an elderly woman said that if she felt up to it she might have a cup of cornflour. Now to my American ear this sounds like something that would be nearly impossible to eat under the best of conditions http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=cornflour&btnG=Search+Images.
Does it refer to something else, or did it in 1966 Australia which is where the book is set? Or have I been whooshed?
Cornflower, or sometimes cornflour is a crockery pattern.
She was probably referring to her cornflower tea set.
I wondered if it might be that, and I could understand the mixup if it was an overheard conversation, but tbdi is referring to something seen in print. I’ve never seen conrflowers referred to as ‘cornflours’, neither have I seen the term ‘cup of cornflour’ outside of recipes.
Cornflour is called cornstarch in the US. It’s used to thicken sauces and soups. It alo used to be used as to medicate upset stomachs in the 19th century.
That’s probably the explanation then; I had done some searching but had not found any reference to it being a home remedy. I’m guessing it’s largely water with a little cornflour/cornstarch mixed in… it still sounds fairly disgusting but makes a lot more sense now. Thanks.
“Corn” refers to any local grain. It’s maize in the US, but it could be wheat, rye or oats elsewhere. Given that Nevil Shute, the author of On The Beach, is British, and he wrote it in Australia, the “cornflour” referred to in the book is most likely not maize but one of the other cereals.
Sorry for double posting. I just remembered that Unca Cecil had a column on the meaning of the word “corn”: How could the Romans use corn? It’s American!
That should have read, “It was also used to medicate upset stomachs in the 19th century.” :smack: English is my mother tongue, honest.
Actually, although ‘corn’ is indeed a generic term for cereals here in Britain and still elsewhere. ‘cornflour’ is a specific term that always indicates flour made of maize - otherwise it would just be ‘flour’ or ‘barley flour’ or ‘rye flour’ or whatever, but ‘corn’ is not generic in reference to flour in British English.
I didn’t know that. How odd that it would be called cornflour rather than maize flour or somesuch.
It’s a fairly standard ingredient here in recipes. I used some a couple of days ago in a sauce.
Actually, Australian supermarket shelves carry “wheaten” cornflour, which is just regular wheat flour ground even finer than usual, along with the more typical maize cornflour, AKA cornstarch.
I have spent whole days devoted to discovering which cornflour produces the best slime. Note: that’s not me in the picture, although I did have dinner with her once.
In Mexican grocery stores here in Colorado (and in the Mexican foods section of regular grocery stores) you can find packets of flavored, sweetened cornstarch for making hot drinks. I’ve never tried it, though I’m usually one to try any weird or exotic foodstuff I come across. (You’ll do well to try to distract me if we walk past an Asian grocery together, unless you like being forced to try fried squid chips and grass jelly drink. 
)
That’s interesting - I’ve never heard of this ‘wheaten cornflour’ stuff - is it marketed specifically as a substitute? And if so… why? - the usual reason for substituting cereals is to remove wheat, making them suitable for a gluten-free diet, but what you describe is exactly the opposite, which makes it… curious…
You can make a milk pudding using cornflour (and sugar). With colour and flavouring we call it “blancmange” and you can eat it either warm or cold.
Custard powder is nowadays not much more than flavoured cornflour. Proper custard uses eggs, but is harder to make.