num_pages: 208
description: Originating in Mesoamerica 9000 years ago maizeor as we know it cornnow grows in 160 countries. In the New World indigenous peoples referred to corn as Our Mother Our Life and She Who Sustains Us. Today the United States is the worlds leading producer of corn and you can find more than 3500 items in grocery stores that contain corn in one way or anotherfrom puddings to soups margarine to mayonnaise. In Corn: A Global History Michael Owen Jones explores the origins of this humble but irreplaceable crop. The book traces corn back to its Mesoamerican roots following along as it was transported to the Old World by Christopher Columbus and then subsequently distributed throughout Europe Africa and Asia. Jones takes readers into the deliciously disparate culinary uses of corn including the Chilean savory pie pastel de choclo Japanese corn soup Mexican tamales a Filipino shaved ice snack and the South African cracked hominy dish umngqusho favored by Nelson Mandela. Covering corns controversies celebrations and iconic cultural status Jones interweaves food folklore history and popular culture to reveal the vibrant story of a world staple.
language: English
title: Corn: A Global History
publisher: Reaktion Books