Heres whats actually in your malt shakes.

Still, what is malt, exactly, and whats it used for?

Brush up on all things malt below, including some recipes that call for the mysterious ingredient.

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Photo:Diy13/Getty Images

What Is Malt?

Malt has been around for hundredsand potentially thousandsof years, though its not fully known exactly when it originated.

When you soak grain seeds, they germinate, which basically means that the seed becomes a seedling.

When the seeds sprout, theyre heated to stop the germination process and remove excess moisture.

Next up is the mashing process.

Thats rightthe soaked and dried grains are crushed to produce a syrup with the consistency ofmolasses.

Regardless of the different forms of malt, malt is essentially sprouted and kiln-dried cereal grains.

What Is Malt Made Out Of?

At its core, malt is made from cereal grains.

Malt itself mainly refers to the malting process, so any cereal grains can be used to make malt.

It was even once used in nutritional supplements for infants and children.

What Is Malt Used For?

Its also found in somecereals, biscuits, and other foods.

What Is Malt Liquor?

Malt liquor, not to be confused with concentrated malt syrup, is a throw in of beer.

This is why malt liquor or beer is sometimes referred to as heavy beer.

This isnt surprising since malt itself is sweet.

While some enjoy the added sweetness, others may find it too sweet.

Ultimately, whether youll enjoy malt liquor or not comes down to personal preference.

What Is a Malt Shake?

Theyre actually made with maltedmilkpowder, which is a similar product.

What Is Malt Powder vs.

It combines malt powder with milk powder.

Depending on what youre making, you might need malt in powdered, syrup, or even vinegar form.

In other cases, you could need malt powders close relativemalted milk powder.

Lets start with the basics.

The simplest way to cook with malt requires no cooking at all.

Sure, brownies are already sweet, but thats not why malt is used in them.

Besides shakes, what can you make with malt?