Maize

Known in many English-speaking countries as corn, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The Aztecs and Mayans cultivated it in numerous varieties throughout central and southern Mexico, to cook or grind in a process called nixtamalization. Later the crop spread through much of the Americas. Between 1250 and 1700, nearly the whole continent had gained access to the crop. Any significant or dense populations in the region developed a great trade network based on surplus and varieties of maize crops. After European contact with the Americas in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, explorers and traders carried maize back to Europe and introduced it to other countries through trade. Maize spread to the rest of the world due to its popularity and ability to grow in diverse climates.

In the United States, Maize called corn, In Philippines we call it mais. In Africa, people call it mealie. But to most of the world, it is maize(mayz). The name comes from people.s word for the plan, mahis. In their language, it meant something like “source of life” And so it was, to people all over the Americas and some other part of the world.

Christopher Columbus took the name- and the plant back to Europe. Long before 1492, though, it had been eaten, grown, and even worshiped. It started as a wild plant in the high land of mexico. Some time after 5000 B.C., people began to farm it. The cobs were less than an inch long. They bore six to nine kernels each. But wherever itwas planted, the population grew. And so did the cobs, through farmers careful breeding. People ate it as a cereal.  They pounded it into flour and baked it into flat bread.

Read more: http://healthmad.com/health/maize/#ixzz1E6GubCXr