The Sweet Cereal

SWEET CORN IS A GRAIN, A VEGETABLE AND A FRUIT ALL IN ONE — NOT BAD FOR A PLANT THAT’S ESSENTIALLY A GRASS

Sweet corn, otherwise known as maize, is a delicious, juicy treat, especially with kids. Steamed and coated with butter, it’s the perfect complement to a barbecue while just about everyone, it seems, loves popcorn.

Of course, it’s also wonderful in chicken soup or fried as breakfast fritters. And it grows fast and tall — up to 2m or more — with ease, which makes it fun to plant and watch it sprout.

Archaeologists believe corn was first cultivated in the Americas at least 8000 years ago and the crop was a staple food as well as a religious symbol in the Incan, Mayan and Aztec cultures.

It’s still central to Latin-American cuisine where it’s often teamed with beans, making a protein-rich combo. Corn has become immensely popular as well as economically important in North America as well, whereby far its biggest use is in cattle fodder.

The early settlers were introduced to corn by Native Americans and, combined with lima beans in a mix called succotash, it’s still a traditional Thanksgiving dish.

Accompanying Columbus back to Europe, maize quickly spread from the Iberian Peninsula to southwest France, the Balkans, and Italy in particular, where it became crucial to the peasant diet in the form of polenta.