Sweet Corn among the Indians

Abstract

T HE question of the pre-Columbian existence of among the American Indians has been under discussion, in which its early history and probable role in Indian agriculture are clouded unnecessarily.' In the United States the term sweet corn evokes pleasant thoughts of fresh maize as a delicious vegetable. Botanically, is Zea mays saccharata. The basic difference between other and is that the latter has lost the ability to convert its sugary endosperm into starch. All other varieties of conveniently referred to as corn, pass through a sugary stage but convert their sugary endosperm into starch. It is possible, then, to pick field at the proper moment and by cooking it immediately to have the rough equivalent of corn. It is only a rough equivalent, however. Some field corns, such as the Corn Belt dents, make poor eating even when picked at their best. Others, such as the elotes of some parts of Mexico, are probably as flavorful as our best corn. Although there is only a single gene difference between and field it is obvious from observation of the plant that in the development of for its special usages other modifications have also been made. The single gene difference is important, however, for it means that a simple mutation can change any into a corn. Such a mutation has been observed to occur in pure strains of corn. The term sweet corn has been, and in part continues to be, a fertile source of confusion. This is due to the tendency to place varieties with similar usages into the same botanical classification. Writers have tended to interpret the use of in other areas, and in the United States in the past, in terms of our present usage. As will be shown below, however, our particular usage of is probably to be viewed as rather unusual. It is also clear that in America in the past sweet corn had at least one other widespread meaning-what we should call dehydrated corn. The Indians of North America widely practiced the custom of picking field in its sugary stage. They boiled, roasted, or steamed it and then dried it for indefinite storage. Corn so prepared could at any time be dropped into