Cheese puffs, cheese curls, cheese balls, or corn curls[1] are a puffed corn snack, coated with a mixture of cheese or cheese-flavored powders. Common brands include Cheetos (U.S.), Cheez Doodles (Northeastern U.S.), Cheezies (Canada), Twisties (Australia), Utz (U.S.) Wotsits (U.K.), and Ostbågar (Scandinavia).
They are manufactured by extruding heated corn dough through a die that forms the particular shape. They may be ball-shaped, curly ("cheese curls"), straight, or irregularly shaped. Some are even shaped as animals or other objects. Some cheese puffs are puffy while others are crunchy.
Cheese puffs were invented in the United States of America in the 1930's; there are two competing accounts. According to one account, Edward Wilson and/or Clarence J. Schwebke of the Flakall Corporation of Beloit, Wisconsin (a producer of flaked, partially-cooked animal feed) deep-fried and salted the puffed corn produced by their machines, and later added cheese.[2] He applied for a patent in 1939 and the product, named Korn Kurls, was commercialized in 1946 by the Adams Corporation, formed by one of the founders of Flakall and his sons.[3] Adams was later bought by Beatrice Foods.
Another account claims they were invented by the Elmer Candy Corporation of New Orleans, Louisiana some time during or prior to 1936 at which time the sales manager for Elmer’s, Morel M. Elmer, Sr., decided to hold a contest in New Orleans to give this successful product a name. The winning name "CheeWees" is still being used today by the manufacturing company, Elmer's Fine Foods.
An imaginary brand named "Cheesy Poofs" appears regularly in the animated television series South Park.[4]