Cornstarch

On today's date in 1841, an Englishman named Orlando Jones received a patent from the US government for his invention cornstarch. Cornstarch is a dense powdery flour like substance that is used in baking and as a thickening agent for puddings, sauces, and soups. Grinding the white heart of a corn kernel makes the starch. Tid-bits of useless information like this fascinate me because I wonder where Orlando got the idea to finely grind corn kernels and how exactly did he figure it can be used as a thickening agent. Most importantly how did people make pudding before 1841???