Food history and cultural significance

Food History

What is now produced and sold as corn on the cob is really a refined variety of the plant genus teosinte, a wild grass grown for millennia in the lands now known as the Americas. Corn, or maize as it was also known, became a key cultural staple of Mesoamerican societies such as the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas. These cultures viewed corn not only as a food source but also as a symbolic link between the human and divine worlds. Contact with European civilizations changed the relationship between Mesoamerican cultures and corn. The grain was introduced to Europe and it soon altered the agricultural economy of the world. Currently, Mexico grows a substantial percentage of the world's corn. However, the United States, China, and Brazil grow the most: about 73% or 456 million tons per year (Salvador). Corn is grown all over the globe and its by-products feed a substantial portion of the world's population. As with many staple crops, corn or maize evolved alongside its cultural custodians. Although corn makes its way into the menus of many societies, the crop cannot be divested of its historical, cultural, economic, and political roots.

Culture

Corn or maize is most closely associated with the cultures of what are now known as Central and South America. Corn is a derivative of the giant grass teosinte, which is native to Mexico. Civilizations indigenous to the Americas cultivated corn for cultural purposes, and not only for sustenance. However, growing corn became a science and its appearance has evolved over time. Biologically, the corn now sold in grocery stores differs greatly from that grown centuries ago in the Americas. Centuries ago, ears of corn were smaller than they are today, as were their kernels. Nevertheless, the crop can never be fully divested of its cultural connotations. Maize, or corn, is associated with the indigenous cultures of the Americas. Following contact with the Europeans, the crop's place in society dramatically changed.

Religion

Maize/corn was viewed as a sacred commodity, one which symbolized a connection with the divine universe. Civilizations like the Mayas created a variety of myths and tales that included maize, including creation stories. The cultivation of maize was considered to be a sacred act, as the grain was viewed as a divine gift (Morales). In some creation tales, maize is known as the "ideal human flesh," (Salvador).

Economics