Maize is an artificial species created entirely thanks to human ingenuity (right).
Its closest wild relative is a grass with tiny, barely edible, rock hard, seeds called Teosinthe (left).
It took thousands of years of tireless breeding work by Native Americans to get us maize.
Its closest wild relative is a grass with tiny, barely edible, rock hard, seeds called Teosinthe (left).
It took thousands of years of tireless breeding work by Native Americans to get us maize.
What about sweetcorn?
Well, the sweetcorn we know today is essentially a post war discovery.
It’s a random mutation, discovered in a batch of mutant maize strains sourced largely by exposing bags of the seeds to nuclear bomb tests in the South Pacific. 🌽 💣🏝
Well, the sweetcorn we know today is essentially a post war discovery.
It’s a random mutation, discovered in a batch of mutant maize strains sourced largely by exposing bags of the seeds to nuclear bomb tests in the South Pacific. 🌽 💣🏝
Ever read a wellness blogger talk about the evils of cornmeal ‘processed with lye’?
This is a millennia-old Native American practice called Nixtamalization.
It liberates vitamins and minerals from the hard grain & improves flavour.
Without it deficiencies quickly ensue.
This is a millennia-old Native American practice called Nixtamalization.
It liberates vitamins and minerals from the hard grain & improves flavour.
Without it deficiencies quickly ensue.
