Maize: history and properties of the cereal

It is known as maize but also as corn, a cereal so ancient that we have to go back 9000 years to get to the beginning of history.

Where does maize come from? History and properties

The South American origins of maize are certainly reminiscent of Christopher Columbus, the great Genoese navigator who first imported this cereal into Europe after the discovery of the New World in 1492.

It was in South America, particularly in Mexico, where maize cultivation was perfected over time, becoming the staple diet of the pre-Columbian Maya, Incas and Aztecs, who believed that this cereal, perhaps because of its golden colour, was a gift from the gods.

In Europe, maize arrived around the first decades of the 16th century and since then extraordinarily successful, spreading to all areas of the world suitable to its cultivation.

Considered the cereal of the lowermost class of society, maize formed the basis of the diet of what came to be known as the “polenta civilisation”, as it was based on the almost exclusive consumption of this cereal, causing health problems that triggered pellagra, such systemic disease that results from severe vitamin B3 (Niacin) deficiency.

Many farmers in northern Italy suffered from it, and the belief of the time was that it was the maize itself that contained a toxin that caused pellagra, until it was discovered that it did not depend on the maize but on the diet itself.

Pre-Columbian populations did not suffer of pellagra to the same extent and the difference lay in the preparation of the flour: in Mexico maize flour was soaked in “lime water”, which made available the vitamins (niacin in particular, also known as vitamin PP, Preventing Pellagra) contained in the cereal.

Varieties and types of maize and their benefits

Zea Mays, the scientific name for maize, is a cereal belonging to the Gramineae family. The most common variant, and the one that is also the most widespread in Italy, is certainly yellow maize; in addition to yellow maize there is also multicoloured maize, black, white, red, orange (the one that the Mayas cultivated) and even green.

From the point of view of maize flour, the various types differ mainly in the different degrees of grinding and refining: coarse-grained, medium-grained and fine-grained.

Faribon, the professional mill studied and optimized by Omas for grinding dry cereals, gives you the chance to grind maize easily according to your needs, adjusting the grain size while keeping the valuable nutritional properties of the maize grain intact.

Maize is in fact a very digestible cereal, gluten-free and therefore suitable for diets for celiacs. It is rich in minerals and B vitamins, iron and folic acid, making it an excellent ally for those suffering from anaemia.  It is an excellent natural anti-inflammatory and its antioxidant properties counteract the activity of free radicals, thus reducing the risk of developing degenerative or cancerous diseases.