CORN, RED (G64)

Known globally as maize, corn is the only grain whose origin can be traced to the Americas. Scientists believe that the people of central Mexico developed corn from the indigenous wild grass teosinte at least 7,000 years ago. Corn spread north into the present-day southwestern United States and south as far as Peru. When Christopher Columbus landed in modern-day Cuba, some of his crew went inland and came across maize being cultivated by Native Americans. It's unclear whether corn was brought back to Europe after Columbus's first or second voyage, but by the early 16th century it was being cultivated on the continent. Corn comes in various colors, ranging from yellow and white to red, purple and blue. This colorful variety has mainly been used as decoration, but is now gaining popularity in cooking. In addition to being eaten whole, corn kernels are frequently ground and processed to make products such as cornmeal, cornstarch and masa harina.