Granola

Granola is a breakfast food and snack food consisting of rolled oats, nuts, honey, and sometimes puffed rice, that is usually baked until crisp. During the baking process the mixture is stirred to maintain a loose, breakfast cereal-type consistency. Dried fruits, such as raisins and dates, and confections such as chocolate are sometimes added.

Besides serving as food for breakfast and snacks, granola is also often eaten for an evening meal and by those who are hiking, camping, or backpacking because it is nutritious, lightweight, high in calories, and easy to store; these properties make it similar to trail mix and muesli. It is often combined into a bar form. Granola is often eaten in combination with yogurt, honey, fruit (such as bananas, strawberries or blueberries), milk and other forms of cereal. It can also serve as a topping for various types of pastries or desserts. Granola, particularly recipes that include flax seeds, is often used to improve digestion.

History

The names Granula and Granola were registered trademarks in the late 19th century United States for foods consisting of whole grain products crumbled and then baked until crisp, in contrast to the at that time (about 1900) contemporary invention, muesli, which is traditionally neither baked nor sweetened. The name is now a trademark only in Australia and New Zealand, but is still more commonly referred to as muesli there. The trademark is owned by the Australian Health & Nutrition Association Ltd.'s Sanitarium Health Food Company in Australia and Australasian Conference Association Limited in New Zealand.