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Corn was first cultivated on the South American subcontinent some six millennia ago by Native American peoples. Since then, maize, which is what they called it, has become an ubiquitous, if often invisible, part of our world. It fattens the meat and poultry that land on our plates, its extracts go into plastics, adhesives, glazes, even insecticides. Cornstarch is a food and industrial additive that goes into thousands of products, from toothpaste to baking powder to cosmetics. So enmeshed have Man and corn become that modern corn species cannot self-propagate. Without Man to scatter the seeds, corn would go extinct.
Archaeological evidence of corn cultivation in the Americas dates back as far as nine millennia, though those ancient cobs looked very different from the corn we know today; they were much shorter and came in a riot of colours, from blue to red to yellow to black. All the corn we eat in the 1990s is a hybrid of those original strains. Though the vast majority of all corn produced today is yellow or white, red and blue corn is still grown on a small scale (corn chips of those colours have recently arrived on local supermarket shelves). Variegated strains a mosaic of yellow, white, blue and red kernels on every ear occasionally pop up, dried whole as ornaments.
CHOOSE corn that is firm and plump-looking, with fresh-looking leaves and silk and smooth kernels. Shriveled or discoloured kernels and brown-edged husks are signs of age, toughness and starchiness instead of sweetness.
STORE corn not at all, if possible! But if you must, keep it wrapped in plastic in the coldest part of your fridge. Store all forms of ground corn airtight in a cool place, away from sunlight, and use up as soon as possible.
COOK AND EAT corn as soon as possible after buying (or picking!) as its sweetness declines rapidly once it's off the stalk. Steam, boil, microwave (wrapped in microwave-save plastic wrap) or grill over charcoal until tender. If you're boiling ears of corn, add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of sugar or honey to the water to bring out the corn's own sweetness. Never salt the water as this toughens the corn. To cook kernel on their own, shave them off the cooked or uncooked ear with a very sharp knife and lots of care. Save the milky liquid that leaks out to add to stocks or gravies. |
See also Types Of Corn.
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