History of Corn

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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. http://www.ksgrains.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

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. http://www.ksgrains.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

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 http://www.ohiocorn.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow