If you want to learn about the different types of corn, this article is for you. Many people know that maize, sometimes known as corn, is one of the most culturally significant crops in the Southwest United States and Mexico.
Still, few are aware of the actual diversity of corn and its numerous culinary applications.
Also, internal kernel structure and the proportions of soft and hard endosperm, or starch, present in different varieties of corn (such as sweet, dent, and flour) determine the different types of maize (such as sweet, dent, and flour). Due to the starch ratio, distinct varieties of maize have other culinary qualities.
This article teaches you about the different types of corn available worldwide—the structural distinctions in each form of the corn kernel and the foods that each type has inspired.
Please read on as we go over them one by one.
1. Dent Corn
Dent corn, also known as field corn or yellow dent, gets its name from the dent or dimple at the top of each kernel when the corn dries out. Dent corn on the cob is low in sugar and heavy in starch, so we don’t recommend eating it.
No matter how much salt, sugar, or butter you put on a freshly harvested dent corn cob, it will taste tasteless!
Dent corn is also consumed in significant quantities but not in its raw, uncooked state. Dent maize is used to manufacture processed foods like corn flakes and corn chips and a variety of industrial applications.
Furthermore, Dent corn is also found in most animal feed, as the white or yellow kernels make up roughly 95 percent of the grains.
2. Flint Corn
Flint corn, sometimes known as Indian corn, has been grown since before the time of the Native Americans. Also, Flint corn gets its name from the extra-hard outer shells of the maize kernels, which resemble flint hardness.
Furthermore, Its cobs occur in various colors, with varied pigmentations on each kernel. This form of corn is primarily grown in Central and South America.
And it is used in the same way that dents corn and popcorn are. This is one of the different types of corn. Flint corn is distinguished by its hard outer covering, which shields the small, fragile endosperm within the kernel.
The name comes from this hard outer layer being considered “as hard as flint.” They appear to be made of glass. It can also be “popped,” but the kernels usually split open rather than explode when heated.
Because of the firmness of the kernel, these cultivars may store for a long time and are less vulnerable to insect and rodent predation. Flint corns are available in a variety of colors.
3. Pop Corn
Given the abundance of corn products available, is there anyone who doesn’t know what popcorn is? We all know that popcorn is the best movie snack of all time, and you won’t find one in a cinema that doesn’t sell it.
Another sort of Flint corn is popcorn. Popcorn kernels have a rigid outer shell that contains soft starches. Furthermore, the moisture in the outer shell of each popcorn kernel is converted to steam when heated. Creating pressure that causes the kernels to pop and expand.
4. Flour Corn
Flour corn contains soft-shelled, starchy kernels, making it ideal for corn flour production. Also, Flour corn kernels are packed with soft starches, making them easy to grind. Although most flour corn is white, you can find it in various hues, including blue.
5. Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is gathered during the milk stage when the ears have not yet ripened and dried. As opposed to dent corn, harvested at maturity. Sweet corn is a variety of corn you can eat right off the cob, frozen, or canned for later use.
Because it contains around 6% more sugar than field corn, it is rarely used for livestock feed, industrial products, or flour.
6. Pod Corn
Each kernel of this corn type is encased in long, membranous husks known as glumes, whereas in other corn, the kernels are naked or exposed.
The maize cob in this variety has a leaf gene mutation that isn’t usually active in this part of the plant. As a result, pod corn is a type of corn ear that develops leaves in the “wrong” location.
Pod corn was once assumed to be a wild ancestor of maize, but scientific studies have revealed that pod corn ears are the product of this genetic mutation.
Also, it is not usually eaten because it is difficult to expose each kernel, yet it is another example of corn’s incredible diversity.
What do you think about the different types of corn? Let us know in the comment section.
