It’s safe to say that everyone loves corn. Cultures around the world rely on it, and this veggie (okay it’s technically a grass) is #1 when it comes to versatility. Here’s some corn trivia.
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Called Maize (a Taino word meaning “giver of life”) in most countries, corn originated in Mexico thousands of years ago. It is believed to come from a wild grass called teosinte, and the natives developed it into corn. About 1000 years ago, as they migrated throughout the Americas, the natives brought corn with them. Brought to Europe by trade, Corn is now grown in every continent except Antarctica.
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It takes 92 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of corn, and 1 acre of corn eliminates about 8 tons of carbon dioxide from the air.
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An ear of corn has an average of 800 kernels and 16 rows, always an even number of kernels.
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A stalk of corn averages a height of 8-10 feet, and there are thousands of hybrids. Most types of corn fit into one of six: sweet, flour, popcorn, pod, flint, and dent.
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Corn has over 3500 uses, and many are not food related, like cosmetics, laundry detergent, paint, antibiotics, and fireworks, and plastic production. It’s estimated that as much as 1/4 of items in the grocery store contain some form of corn!
