Malting is a very ancient process which goes back at least to the time of the Ancient Egyptians.
Malt mainly starts as ripe barley grain taken from a field. The grains are placed in a warm, wet tank and steeped in water, and this causes them to start sprouting, which scientists called germination, but traditionally is also called malting. During this process special chemicals in the seeds, called enzymes, start to break down the cell walls and create the malt flavour.
As soon as the seeds produce tiny roots they are dried in a huge oven called a kiln at about 70°C. This high temperature also changes the seed colour to a rich, dark brown.
This malt is mashed up and added to other ingredients. James Horlick invented the malted milk drink that carries his name. It is made of malted barley, wheat and evaporated whole milk. Ovaltine is another version.
Maltesers and other malt-based snacks and sweets use sugar, milk powder, cocoa butter, glucose sugar, malt and other ingredients made into tiny pellets ten cooked in a vacuum oven, which makes the pellet mix produce gases which give the honeycomb texture. They are then coated with chocolate and finally given a very fine hard sugar coating to stop them melting in the hand.
Whiskey and beer are beverages that are made by distilling malted barley.
