Cereal is named for the Roman goddess of agriculture, Ceres. According to myth, she used her powers to change the seasons and ripen the grains of wheat, oats, and corn. This seems silly now, so today we take a more advanced, technical approach to cereal. To make cereal, you first must have raw materials. These grains are washed and cleaned before they are sent to the cooker.
Most cereals are steam cooked in large circular cookers.
At this time, flavorings, vitamins, and minerals can be added before the cereal is sent to the drying racks. Depending upon the type of cereal, the grains can be sent through huge roller mills which squish them into thin flakes. These flakes are then toasted, fortified with vitamins, frosted with sugar, and packaged in boxes. They go through a slightly different process called puffing. After the corn grains are cooked and dried, they are slowly subjected to high pressure and temperature in a large drum.