But dent corns, both white and yellow, now dominate the market. However, the blue corns are finding new market outlets. Although Pueblo tribes have historically grown many different colored corns, blue corn is one of the most important, both as food and for religious purposes. Unlike most commercial yellow hybrid dent corns that can yield 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of grain per acre, blue corn is open-pollinated and characterized by relatively low yields of 1,000 to 4,000 pounds per acre. It also tends to lodge, making machine harvest somewhat difficult.
Blue corn has a coarser, sweeter, and nuttier taste than other corns grown for flour or meal.
Its grainier consistency results in a somewhat denser tortilla than those made from white or yellow corn flour. Research of the New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service found blue corn, like Opaque-2 corn, higher in lysine than either white or yellow dent corn varieties used in tortillas. Most blue corn varieties were also found to be high in iron and zinc. Blue corn flours and meals have traditionally been used in making tortillas and corn chips. Newer products include pancake and muffin mixes and corn flakes.