By at least 1000 BCE, the Olmec had based their calendar, language, myths and worldview with maize at the center of their symbolism. [27] Columbian exchange Dong, X; Braun, EL; Grotewold, E (2001). "Functional conservation of plant secondary metabolic enzymes revealed by complementation of Arabidopsis flavonoid mutants with maize genes". Plant Physiology. 127 (1): 46–57. doi: 10.1104/pp.127.1.46. PMC 117961. PMID 11553733. Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR is useful for single nucleotide polymorphism typing for molecular breeding in this crop. [91] Evolution Starch from maize can also be made into plastics, fabrics, adhesives, and many other chemical products. [ citation needed] Genetic studies, published in 2004 by John Doebley, identified Zea mays ssp. parviglumis, native to the Balsas River valley in Mexico's southwestern highlands, and also known as Balsas teosinte, as being the crop wild relative that is genetically most similar to modern maize. [112] [111] This was confirmed by further studies, which refined this hypothesis somewhat. Archaeobotanical studies, published in 2009, point to the middle part of the Balsas River valley as the likely location of early domestication; this river is not very long, so these locations are not very distant. Stone milling tools with maize residue have been found in an 8,700 year old layer of deposits in a cave not far from Iguala, Guerrero. [113] [114] [115] Stucco head of the Maya Maize God, 550–850 AD

Grain". education.nationalgeographic.org. National Geographic . Retrieved February 27, 2023. In most countries, the grain of the Zea mays plant is called maize. In the United States, it's called corn.

Cornmeal is also often used as an additional ingredient in the preparation of injera or lahoh, flatbread that is traditionally eaten in the countries of the Horn of Africa ( Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia) and nearby Yemen. [43] [44] [45] [46] Polenta - a typical dish in many countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. [65] White cornmeal ( mielie-meal), made from white corn, is more common in parts of Africa. It is also popular in the Southern United States for making cornbread. [8] [13]

Heat the pot with water over medium heat until lukewarm. Add about half of maize meal and a pinch of salt and stir well. Friedman, William E.; Moore, Richard C.; Purugganan, Michael D. (October 2004). "The evolution of plant development". American Journal of Botany. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 91 (10): 1726–1741. doi: 10.3732/ajb.91.10.1726. PMID 21652320. Botanical Society of America. The susceptibility of maize to the European corn borer and corn rootworms, and the resulting large crop losses which are estimated at a billion dollars worldwide for each pest, [139] [140] [141] led to the development of transgenics expressing the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin. "Bt maize" is widely grown in the United States and has been approved for release in Europe. No Namibian dining table is complete without mielie pap or mahangu pap. Mielie pap, in short pap, also known as Oshifima, in my native Oshiwambo language, is simply stiff porridge made with fine maize meal (cornmeal), water and a pinch of salt. a b c "corn, n.1". Oxford English Dictionary (Onlineed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)Because of its shallow roots, maize is susceptible to droughts, intolerant of nutrient-deficient soils, and prone to be uprooted by severe winds. [68] Dolores Piperno, The Origins of Plant Cultivation and Domestication in the New World Tropics: Patterns, Process, and New Developments [14] Murphy, Winsome (2004-03-14). "Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge Recipe". Jamaicans.com . Retrieved 2022-05-05. Rebecca Earle, The Body of the Conquistador: Food, Race, and the Colonial Experience in Spanish America, 1492–1700. New York: Cambridge University Press 2012, pp. 17, 151.

Researchers sequence genome of maize, a key crop". Reuters. February 26, 2008 . Retrieved October 6, 2014. Corncobs can be hollowed out and treated to make inexpensive smoking pipes, first manufactured in the United States in 1869. [ citation needed] Children playing in a maize kernel box Mălai dulce AKA pollenta orange cake – traditional Romanian corn cake and dessert, from the Transylvania region a b c d e Hough, Josh; Williamson, Robert J.; Wright, Stephen I. (November 23, 2013). "Patterns of Selection in Plant Genomes". Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 44 (1): 31–49. doi: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110512-135851. Recipe of Ultimate Corn meal swallow (tuwon masara) - cookandrecipe.com". cookandrecipe.com . Retrieved 2022-05-05.Masa or masa harina - Nixtamalized corn used for making tamales and tortillas in Central America, Mexico, and South America. [63] Cornmeal is a meal (coarse flour) ground from dried corn (maize). It is a common staple food, and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but not as fine as wheat flour can be. [1] [2] [3] In Mexico, very finely ground cornmeal is referred to as corn flour. [1] [4] When fine cornmeal is made from maize that has been soaked in an alkaline solution, e.g., limewater (a process known as nixtamalization), it is called masa harina (or masa flour), which is used for making arepas, tamales and tortillas. [5] [6] Boiled cornmeal is called polenta in Italy and is also a traditional dish and bread substitute in Romania. [7] Types [ edit ] Karl, J. R. (2007). "Jala Maize is Small" (PDF). Maize Genetics MNL. 89: e3. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2017 . Retrieved November 19, 2015.