Corn has been the food of sustenance for Native Americans as far back as records can be found. Some Native Americans refer to themselves as “children of the corn.”
When European explorers and then settlers came to America, the native Indians gave them corn and showed them how to cook and eat it. The new inhabitants integrated corn into their own cuisine.
Throughout the heartland of America, green fields of corn glisten in the prairie sun and the crop feeds people and hogs alike. In New Mexico, there is a blue corn used to make popular blue corn chips and enchiladas. In the South and Southeast, corn fritters are popular. In the Pacific Northwest and New England, corn-on-the cob accompanies barbecues and clam bakes. While adults in bars everywhere enjoy corn-based bourbon whiskey, children and adults alike munch popcorn at movie theaters in large and small American cities.
In fact, corn is probably more truly American than apple pie but “Mom and corn” may not be as catchy a slogan as “Mom and apple pie.”