Corn

Spanish term- maize

The plant

A leafy stalk that produces ears which contain the grain

The grain

Also known as the Kernel- there are on average 600 kernels on one ear of

corn

Who was the First people to raise and cook corn?

First people to raise and cook corn

The Mayans

How did they process corn?

Nixtamalization- grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually

limewater, and hulled.

When was maize introduced to Europe?

When was maize introduced to Europe?

Late 15th early 16th century

What is the difference between sweet corn and field corn

Sweet- sugar rich variety for humansField- for livestock

Corn is the most widely grown crop in the Americas

What percentage is used to make ethanol?

What percentage is used to make ethanol?

40%Best known as the type of alcohol found in

alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a solvent, and as a fuel. In common usage, it is often referred to

simply as alcohol or spirits

Forms of maize used as food

• Flour corn

• Pop corn

• Dent corn

• Corn grown for corn flour

• a type of corn that expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated

• High starch, low sugar can be used as a vegetable, kernel has a “dent” in it

Forms of Maize

• Sweet corn

• Pod corn

• High sugar, eaten as a vegetable

• each individual kernel enclosed in a husk

Forms of Maize

• Flint corn

• amylomaize

• Known as Indian corn. Very tough kernels

• Used to make biodegradable plastics that are edible. First foods in space were covered with this

Why does the variation called pop corn pop?

Corn is able to pop because its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. Pressure builds inside the

kernel, and a small explosion (or "pop") is the end result. Some strains of corn are now cultivated specifically as popping corns.

When was the first popcorn popper invented?

The first pop corn popper

The first commercial popcorn popperInvented by Charles C. Cretors in

1885.

Can you think of applications for popcorn?

Popcorn can be found as early as 4700 b.c.

How did the Great Depression help popcorn growers to prosper?

It was a snack that was inexpensive to buy- thus more was sold- the

farmer prospered

How did World War II help the production of popcorn?

Sugar rations kept candy at a minimum and popcorn became the

“candy” of the times.

Did you know that there are two main shapes of popped kernels?

Mushroom and butterfly