What is Granola?
A breakfast cereal made by toasting sweetened rolled oats with nuts and dried fruits. It has a crunchy texture with a sweet, nutty flavor. Granola can be used as a topping over yogurt and fruit, or eaten as a cereal with milk.
What does Granola Taste Like?
Sweet is one of the five main tastes. It has smooth and round notes in its flavor profile. Sweet is a naturally occurring flavor in many foods, including fruits, berries, winter squashes, sugarcane, and honey. The sweet taste in these foods is due to a higher sugar content. Sweetness is characteristic of desserts and is used as an accent in savory foods.
Ingredients
Rolled oats are oats that have been rolled flat and are used to make oatmeal and baked goods. Oats are a cereal grain that when harvested are thin, short and golden. Rolled oats are small, round and a matte cream color. They are thin and cook quickly. The flavor is mild, sweet and nutty.
The almond tree was first cultivated in the Middle East and has since become a crop grown in climates similar to the Mediterranean, around the world. The almond is covered by a hard shell that must be removed before eating. The almond is between 3.5 and 6 centimeter and in an oblong shape with a pointed top. It's skin is brown and ridged. It's meat is white with a dense hardness. It has a mild flavor that is occasionally bitter. Almonds are used in many dishes, from desserts to savory dishes, or eaten as is, coated in salt, sugar, chocolate or any other number of ingredients.
Raisins are made from dried grapes. Usually they are made from red grapes and occasionally they are made from green grapes. Raisins are small and roughly the size of a cooked black bean. They are wrinkly and dark purple with a shiny exterior. The texture is chewy, sticky and soft. The flavor is sweet and fruity. Raisins pair well with sweet and savory foods.
Canola oil is a popular and readily available oil in America, due to its inexpensive price and neutral flavor. Canola oil comes from the rapeseed plant, the oil is pressed from the seeds and has a yellow color. It is a thin oil that is best for medium high heat, such as sautéing, though is commonly used for deep frying. Canola can be found in baked good, salad dressings, and a vast variety of food products.
Maple syrup comes from the sap of the maple tree and is cooked down into a syrupy consistency. The color varies from a pale to dark amber. The darker the color is, the stronger the flavor will be. Maple syrup is broken down into four categories all under the name Grade A, with four levels of varying color and flavor. Darker syrup will be slightly thicker than light colored syrups. The flavor of a light maple is sweet and a warm. Darker syrups have a more robust flavor and a slightly caramel taste. Maple syrups is used to drizzle on pancakes, baked into desserts as a flavoring, and can be used in savory dishes from ham to vegetables. Like many sweeteners, it is a multi-use item.
Ground cinnamon is a fine aromatic powder made from the bark of the cinnamon tree, also known as cassia; another variety. The bark is peeled from the tree, dried and ground into the warm brown powder that is known as cinnamon. The flavor is spicy, warm and sweet and savory at the same time. It is extremely popular in many cuisines and common in American desserts.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
