Maize is known in many English speaking countries as corn. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a form of starch.

The Mayans had cultivated it in numerous varieties cooked, ground or processed it. Beginning about 2500 BC, the crop spread through the Americas. The region developed a trade network based on the surplus and the varieties of its maize crops.

In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, explorers and traders carried maize back to Europe and introduced it to other countries. Maize spread to the rest of the world because of its ability to grow in diverse climates. Since maize has shallow roots, it is susceptible to droughts and is prone to be uprooted by severe winds.

Sugar-rich sweet corns varieties are grown for human consumption and field corn varieties are used for animal feed. Sweet corn is a genetic variant of corn, which accumulates more sugar and less starch in the ear.

While some natural strains of maize can grow 39 ft tall, most varieties commercially grown for grain have been bred for a standardized height of about 8 ft. Sweet corn is usually shorter than grain and silage corn varieties.

The grains of corn are about the size of peas and adhere in regular rows round a white, pithy substance, which forms the ear. An ear can commonly hold 600 kernels and be about 7 inches long. They are of various colors: blackish, blue-grey, purple, green, red, white and yellow.

Ground maize yields more flour than wheat with much less bran. It lacks gluten – the protein of wheat, and baked goods made from corn flour do not rise as well as those made from wheat.

Maize and corn meal are the staple food in many regions of the world. Every dish in Mexican cuisine uses maize. Maize is the main ingredient of tortillas, tamales, taos, pozole, atole and many more dishes.

Introduced into Africa by the Portuguese in the 16th century, maize has become Africa’s most important staple food crop. Maize meal is a thick porridge made in many cultures.

Maize meal is also used as a replacement for wheat flour, to make corn bread and other baked products. Cornmeal treated with lime-water is the main ingredient for many dishes of Central American food.

The popular popcorn consists of kernels of certain maize varieties that explode when heated, forming fluffy chunks which are eaten as a snack. Roasted dried maize ears with semi hardened kernels, coated with a seasoning mixture of fried chopped spring onions with salt, is a popular snack in Vietnam.

Cancha, which are roasted maize chulpe kernels, are a very popular snack food in Peru. Makki di roti is a popular bread eaten in Punjab and Pakistan.

Chicha and chicha morada (purple chicha) are drinks typically made from particular types of maize. The first one is fermented and alcoholic, the second is a soft drink commonly drunk in Peru.

Corn flakes are a popular breakfast cereal in North America, United Kingdom, and many other countries of the world. Canjica is a Brazilian dessert made by boiling maize kernels in sweetened milk.

Maize can be harvested and eaten in the unripe state, when the kernels are fully grown but still remain soft and tender. Unripe maize is made palatable by boiling or roasting the whole ear and eating the kernels directly from the cob.

Sweet corn is best eaten in the unripe stage. Corn on the cob is a common dish in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, some parts of South America, and the Balkans, but virtually unheard of in some European countries.

The cooked, unripe kernels may be shaved off the cob and served as a side dish or used in salads and garnishes.
Alternatively, the raw unripe kernels may also be grated off the cobs and processed into a variety of cooked dishes, such as maize puree, tamale, cakes and ice creams.

Maize flour – a major source of starch – is an important ingredient in home cooking and in many industrialized food products.

Maize is also a major source of the cooking oil called corn oil and maize gluten. A high fructose sweetened syrup called corn syrup is made from corn. Grain alcohol from maize is the source Bourbon whiskey. Maize is sometimes used as the source of starch for beer.

Within the United States, only 2.5% of the maize grown is used for human consumption. Maize meal is also a significant ingredient of some commercial animal food products.

Corn silk the Stigmas from female maize flowers, are sold ad herbal supplements.