Sweet Corn

Also known asCorn on the Cob · Sweetcorn · Zea mays · 玉米

Name: Sweet corn (Zea mays var. saccharata) — a type of maize with high sugar content, eaten fresh, while the kernels are still soft and milky, as a vegetable. It is different from field corn, which is dried and used for flour, feed and cornmeal.

Description

Maize was domesticated in southern Mexico around 9,000 years ago from a wild grass called teosinte, and became the staple crop of the Americas. Sweet corn arose from a natural mutation that stops sugar turning to starch, and Native Americans grew it long before European settlers noticed it in the 18th century. The United States and China are the biggest producers of maize today.

Sweet corn begins converting its sugar to starch as soon as it is picked, which is why very fresh corn is sweeter, and why modern “supersweet” varieties have been bred to hold their sweetness longer. Botanically each kernel is a fruit, and corn is also a cereal grain, a vegetable and a grass.

Main nutrition value

Sweet corn provides fibre, vitamin B (thiamin, folate), vitamin C, magnesium and carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, and is higher in sugar and starch than most vegetables.

How best to be consumed

Sweet corn is best eaten very fresh, and cooked briefly.

1. Boil, steam or grill the cobs for 5 to 10 minutes, and serve with a little butter and salt.
2. Cut the kernels off the cob, and add to salads, salsas, chowders, fritters and stir-fries.
3. Grill in the husk for a smoky flavour, as in Mexican street corn (elote).
4. Use frozen or canned kernels in winter, rinsing canned ones to reduce salt.
5. Cook soon after buying, and store husked or in the husk in the fridge.

Overconsumption could cause…

Sweet corn is healthy in sensible portions, though it is more starchy than other vegetables.

1. Higher sugar and carbohydrate intake, which matters for people managing diabetes.
2. Digestive upset such as gas, since the kernel's outer hull is not fully digested.
3. A lot of butter, salt and mayonnaise in some street-style preparations.
4. Allergic reactions in rare cases.

GroupsFruit VegetablesOther Starchy VegetablesGrass family (Poaceae)Low fatLow sodiumFresh

Related foodsBaby CornParsnipGreen PeasWater ChestnutLotus RootJerusalem Artichoke

Wikipedia — Sweet corn, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_corn