Pippa Corbett answered
Corn is an important crop for a number of different countries, and is thought to have originated from central Mexico over 7000 years ago.
Where does corn come from?
The interesting thing about corn is that we probably wouldn't even know what it was if it weren't for human cultivation.
Corn doesn't grow naturally in the wild, but requires human care.
The grain we know as corn comes from a type of long-grass that was grown by a number of ancient Mexican civilizations, including the Aztecs and the Mayans. The plant it evolved from was called teosinte. Because corn can be used in so many different products (everything from cooking oil to animal feed), its importance to the indigenous people of North and South America grew exponentially.
What's the difference between corn and maize?
Maize is a word for the corn plant - and derives from the original 'Mesoamerican' word maiz.
In the US, the word 'corn' is used in exactly the same way as 'maize'. For example, corn-starch could also be known as maize-starch.
In other countries (like the UK for example), corn refers specifically to the crop's use in the kitchen - for example 'popcorn' or 'corn-on-the-cob'.
In international trade, the word maize is preferred so as to avoid ambiguity.
Where does corn come from?
The interesting thing about corn is that we probably wouldn't even know what it was if it weren't for human cultivation.
Corn doesn't grow naturally in the wild, but requires human care.
The grain we know as corn comes from a type of long-grass that was grown by a number of ancient Mexican civilizations, including the Aztecs and the Mayans. The plant it evolved from was called teosinte. Because corn can be used in so many different products (everything from cooking oil to animal feed), its importance to the indigenous people of North and South America grew exponentially.
What's the difference between corn and maize?
Maize is a word for the corn plant - and derives from the original 'Mesoamerican' word maiz.
In the US, the word 'corn' is used in exactly the same way as 'maize'. For example, corn-starch could also be known as maize-starch.
In other countries (like the UK for example), corn refers specifically to the crop's use in the kitchen - for example 'popcorn' or 'corn-on-the-cob'.
In international trade, the word maize is preferred so as to avoid ambiguity.
