In honor of Corn week at Oracle Santa Clara (July 8-12, 2019), we want to share some fun facts about this American staple we call corn:
- Corn is called maize by most countries, this comes from the Spanish word ‘maiz’.
- It was first cultivated in Southern Mexico and Central America six to ten thousand years ago.
- Corn is technically a grain and not a vegetable—the seed of a type of grass, like wheat. It therefore counts toward the recommended three daily servings of whole grains.
- An ear or cob of corn is actually part of the flower and an individual kernel is a seed.
- Corn will always have an even number of rows on each cob.
- With the exception of Antarctica, corn is produced on every continent in the world.
- A bushel is a unit of measure for volumes of dry commodities such as shelled corn kernels. 1 Bushel of corn is equal to 8 gallons.
- Americans consume 52 quarts of popcorn for every man, woman, and child.
- There is one piece of silk for each kernel.
- Florida, California, Georgia, Washington and New York together accounted for 66 percent of the fresh market sweet corn produced nationally in 2009.