Notable Differences Between Corn and Maize You Should Know

Corn and Maize are two words which are usually used interchangeably by most people. But do they really mean the same thing? Or are there some notable differences between them? Find out in this post.Information Guide Nigeria

Corn is a term primarily used by North Americans. It is one of the world’s most popular cereal grains, and is known globally.

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Maize, however, is a term derived from the Taino. The Tainos are the indigenous people of the Bahamas and Antilles islands, they are the ones who gave the plant its original name. In British English, the word “corn” simply means cereal.

Therefore, one can safely say; corn and maize are two different words but represent the same thing.Differences Between Corn and Maize

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Etymology of Corn

The root of the word corn is the proto-Germanic “kurnam,” which evolved across centuries into words like kernel and grain. The word has now been traditionally been used to describe the primary grain crop in any given area.150 Really Cool Japanese Baby Boy Names

In England, corn was generally used to refer to wheat, while in Scotland, it was oats, and in parts of Germany, it was rye. Let’s take a closer look at etymology of Corn and Maize.

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1.    Corn

In most countries, corn is the name given to the leading crop grown in certain areas. In England, it refers to wheat, whereas in Scotland and Ireland, it refers to oats. Corn was also used to represent wheat and barley in the Bible.Npower Recruitment

In the United States and Canada, corn and maize refer to the same plant that produces kernels which are used in cooking. However, for food products produced using maize, such as, corn flour, corn starch, cornmeal, and so on, the term corn is preferred over maize.

Note that in commodity trading, corn is only maize and does not include any other grains. In the culinary world, corn is mostly used in words like; sweet corn, popcorn, cornflakes, baby corn, dent corn, flint corn, flour corn, waxy corn, and so on.

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2.    Maize

Maize was domesticated from a wild grass called teosinte over 7,000 years ago in what is now called Mexico. Maize is far easier to cultivate than other grains because it does not require much labour.CAC Public Search 2022 See How to Confirm Nigerian Companies

Its cultivation was spread throughout Central and North America, where it was first discovered before it was brought back to Europe by Columbus. The indigenous Taino people of the Caribbean gave rise to the name maize, which is now used in most European languages to refer to “Indian corn,” or grain from the New World.

Teosinte and maize can be subjected to cross-breeding to create more fertile offspring. This specie of maize is now considered to be one of the main grain crops in the world.

Ancient Mexican farmers are known to be the first to domesticate maize.  They noticed that the plants did not appear to be the same. Some grew larger than others, and some kernels were tastier than others.JAMB Form

So they chose the best ones with the desired characteristics and cultivated them for the following harvest season. This is known as selective breeding, and it was from this process that modern maize evolved.WAEC Result

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Difference Between Corn & Maize

The following are notable differences between corn and maize:

1. Corn is the term used to describe cereal in British English.
2. The word “corn” has many different meanings which greatly depend on where you live.
3. Corn is a crop that is grown throughout the United Kingdom, whereas maize is widely cultivated in America and has been the primary cereal in Mexico, Central, and South America since pre-Columbian times.
4. The word maize is commonly used in New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, whereas corn is commonly used in European countries
5. Maize is sometimes used for the plant (maize) that is not cooked or still raw on the branches of the cob, whereas corn is used to describe the maize that has been cooked and is ready to eat.JAMB Result

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