Corn, one of the world's most important food crop

Corn, one of the world's most important food crop - Maize or Corn (Zea mays L. ssp. from Spanish:  Maiz after Taino: mahiz), known in many English speaking countries, such as mealie / mielie or corn, is a cereal domesticated by the indigenous peoples in Central America in the prehistoric times. By main classification it's included to vegetable, but is technically a fruit.

The Olmec and the Maya, cultivated corn  in many varieties in the area of central and southern Mexico, to grind and cook them - corn - in a process called nixtamalization. Between 1700 and 1250 BC, the culture spread through much of America. Any large or dense populations in the region has developed a network based on the large trade and surplus of corn. In case of contact with Europeans in the Americas in the late 15th - early 16 th centuries, explorers and traders of maize was introduced in Europe and other countries through trade. Maize spread to the rest of the world due to its popularity and its ability to grow in different climates.

Corn is the most widespread crop in the Americas with 332 million metric tons grown annually in the United States (although 40% of the harvest - 130 million tons -. It is used for corn ethanol). Transgenic corn (GM = genetally modified) represented 85% of corn planted in the United States in 2009. While some corn varieties grow to 12 meters (39 feet) high, most commercially grown corn was raised in a standard height of 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). Sweet corn is usually shorter than field corn varieties.

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