The History of Corn
Contrary to what many believe, corn is not actually native to what
is now the United States. Corn is a domesticated form of teosinte, a
wild grass found in isolated patches in the Mexican western Sierra Madre.
With the use of modern archeological, and genetic techniques, scientists
estimate that teosinte was first domesticated in this area around 4,000
to 3,000 B.C. By 1400 B.C., corn cultivation had reached both Mexican
coasts. This early corn looked very different than today’s corn
in that the kernels were small and individually covered by their own
floral parts (similar to oats and barley) and the cob readily broke
into small fragments. Additionally, the grain generally developed near
the top of the plant. Over a period of thousands of years, Mesoamerican
natives improved the crop by systematically selecting for desired traits
which has led to the present day appearance of corn. The crop eventually
reached what is now southern New England approximately 1,000 years ago.
The word corn can be traced to an Indoeuropean word that was translated
to mean ‘small nugget.’ The various transmutations of this
origin evolved into the Germanic ‘korn’ which means any cereal
grain, and the Latin ‘granum’ (grain) which also refers to
any edible grass seed. When English and German settlers arrived in the
new world they referred to the crop as "corn" referring to
their generic term for an edible grass crop. They distinguished it from
other grains by calling it "Indian corn." The origin of the
word maize is believed to be from Taino people, who inhabited the islands
in Northern Antilles (near present day San Salvador) where Christopher
Columbus first landed. The Taino name for their crop was actually "mahis"
which meant "source of life." Over time the word has been
transmutated phonetically into maize.
When Columbus landed in the West Indies, the Indians gave him corn
to take home to Spain. From there, corn spread quickly throughout Europe
and the rest of the world.
The earliest settlers in this country might have died during their
first winter if the Indians hadn't given them corn to cook and eat.
The Indians also showed the settlers how to grow corn. They dug holes
in the ground, dropped in some kernels and small fish, and covered them.
The fish were used to fertilize the soil.
The Indians already had numerous ways for preparing corn which they
shared with the settlers. Corn was made into bread, porridge, soup,
fried corn cakes, and pudding.
Corn was so valuable that the settlers used it instead of money. They
traded it with the Indians for food and furs.
Information provided by the Kansas City Corn Growers Association. www.ksgrains.com
Why is Corn Important?
As a crop, corn dominates American agriculture, with production more
than double that of any other. Corn is planted on roughly 70-80 million
US acres annually, with an annual production of about 9 billion bushels
and a value of 30 billion dollars (production and value vary from year
to year). The humble kernel of corn finds its way into your life as
edible and inedible products, including rubber, plastics, fuel, clothing,
food additives and adjuncts, and literally thousands of other forms.
Corn is also our chief crop export, with total bushels exported in excess
of total bushels used domestically for food, seed, and industrial purposes.
Over half of the crop, however, ends up as feed for domestic livestock.
Corn production is measured in bushels, a term that equates to a quantity
equal to 56 pounds of shelled grain (removed from the cob). A single
bushel of corn contains roughly 73,000 kernels, each of which can produce
a plant bearing one or more ears, each of which in turn can produce
roughly 800 new kernels. Each year, United States farms harvest many
hundreds of trillions of kernels, to be used as food for humans and
animals, to produce raw materials for manufacturing other goods, and
for export.
Information provided by the Kansas City Corn Growers Association. www.ksgrains.com
The Different Kinds of Corn
DENT corn, the scientific name of which is Zea mays indentata, is also
called "field" corn. It is a corn variety with kernels that
contain both hard and soft starch and become indented at maturity. It
is a major crop used to make food, animal feed, and industrial products.
FLINT corn, known by the scientific name Zea mays indurata, is a variety
of corn having hard, horny, rounded or short and flat kernels with the
soft and starchy endosperm completely enclosed by a hard outer layer.
It is similar to dent and is used for the same purposes. Most of it
is grown in South America.
WAXY corn is a corn variety with grains that have a waxy appearance
when cut, and that contain only branched-chain starch. It is grown to
make special starches for thickening foods.
SWEET or "green" corn is eaten fresh, canned, or frozen.
It is a type of corn that is grown in many horticultural varities. It
is variously considered a distinct species (Zea saccharata or Zea rugosa),
a subspecies (Zea mays rugosa) or a specific mutation of dent corn.
It is distinguished by kernels containing a high percentage of sugar
in the milk stage when they are suitable for table use.
POPCORN is a variety of corn, Zea mays everta, which has small ears
and small pointed or rounded kernels with very hard corneous endosperm
that, on exposure to dry heat, are popped or everted by the expulsion
of the contained moisture, and form a white starchy mass many times
the size of the original kernel.
INDIAN corn has white, red, purple, brown, or multicolored kernels.
It was the original corn grown by the Indians, and is known by the scientific
name Zea mays. It is many times seen in harvest time and Halloween decorations.
FLOUR corn, also called "soft" corn or "squaw"
corn, has kernels shaped like those of flint corn and composed almost
entirely of soft starch. It is known by the scientific name Zea mays
amylacea. In this country we grow small amounts of blue flour corn to
make tortillas, chips, and baked goods. In South America this corn is
grown in various colors to make food and beer.
This information provided by the Ohio Corn Marketing Program www.ohiocorn.org
