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The Story Of... Corn
Corn, or maize (from the Native American, 'masa') is one of
the most widely distributed food plants in the world – exceeded in
acreage only by wheat. Corn is grown from 58 degrees north latitude,
in Canada and Russia, to 40 degrees south latitude in South America,
with a corn crop maturing somewhere in the world every month of the
year. It is the most important crop in the United States, which produces
about half the world's total tonnage.
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Corn is one of the most popular crops in the world today
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Corn's wild ancestor, teosinte, is native to southern Mexico, and
formed the staple of the earliest agricultural communities throughout
the Americas. From its origins in central America, the crop spread
up the western coast to northern America, and penetrated the jungles
of Panama and Colombia to reach the fertile terraces of the Inca
Empire in the South.
Like other cereal crops, the process of domestication has fundamentally
changed the genetic structure and behavior of the plant. Where ripe
cobs of teosinte grew no larger than a human thumb, maize plants
can now reach over eight feet in height, with cobs growing ten inches
long.
The crop was seized upon by European colonists of the New World,
and exported back to Europe and to other colonies beyond. Thanks
to its preference for steady rains and its long growing season,
maize has been particularly successful throughout southern and tropical
Africa, where corn seed, or mealies, are pulped and boiled into
porridge or mash. Corn also provides the basis for flatbreads around
the world, including tortillas, hominy grits, corn flakes and, of
course, popcorn.
Chicomecóatl, Aztec goddess of sustenance and corn, was one
of the most ancient and important goddesses in the Valley of Mexico.
Often portrayed as the wife of corn god, Centéotl, Chicomecóatl
was portrayed with a red-painted face, wearing a distinctive rectangular
headdress of red paper and holding a double ear of corn in each hand.
Where to next?
Get more stories about crops including Wheat,
Rice, or Sorghum.
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