Corn – a plant from the Gramineae family – originated in Central America about 7,000 years ago. Its denomination – zea mays – comes from the Greek word zeia, which means grain, cereal, and is also a homage to the Mayans, one of the important peoples of America. The Aztecs and the Incas, other ancient peoples like the Mayans, not only fed on corn, but had a religious relationship with it. The traditional food of maize therefore represents one of the roots of our indigenous past.
In the pre-Hispanic world, this cereal was the basic sustenance of body and spirit. Its importance was so great that it was in the pantheon of the Aztec gods: it represented the emblem of the cereal goddess (Centeotl); and the mighty god of rain, of thunder and lightning (Tlaloc) always carried a stalk of corn in his hand.
Until 1492 (the date of the Discovery of America), the Europeans did not know about this cereal, basically consuming rice and wheat. However, in 1493, Christopher Columbus brought with him some corn seeds, and caused a great sensation among the botanists on the Iberian Peninsula. The Portuguese also took it to Africa and Asia. The plant received several names, according to the language spoken in the countries, being called choclo, corn, jojoto, mais, maize, elote and granone.
In Colonial Brazil, African slaves fed on corn and also manioc. They ate the first cooked on the cob and also mungunzá (grains cooked in water, coconut milk and sugar). Xerém was obtained – today a traditional dish of Northeast cuisine – breaking the corn into very small pieces in a big pestle or trip hammer. Xerém was eaten cooked in water and salt, with dried meat (sundried or jerked) or sausage. Xerém was also prepared as dessert, cooked in water and salt, with coconut milk and sugar; and then cold, dusted with cinnamon powder.
In the southern and central provinces of Angola, cornflour was called fubá (the word for flour in Kimbundu); and the cornmeal, angu. In some Brazilian states – Bahia, in particular – corn is passed on the “gravelstone” and transformed into a pulp with which acaçá and aberém are prepared, dishes used in candomblé terreiros.
Rich in carbohydrates, corn is an energetic food, very versatile, the source of oil, fibre and vitamins E, B1 and B2, and can generate more than six hundred by-products. Its major use, however, is in animal feed – poultry and swine – which consumes about 70% of the world’s cereal production. Because of its excellent quality, corn oil is used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and veterinary industries.
There are several indigenous legends about the origin of corn. According to Clemente Brandengurger quoted by Cascudo (1954), the Parecis Indians tell the following:
A great Indian chief, feeling that he was about to die, summoned his son, Kaleitôe, and ordered him to bury him in the middle of the field as soon as he passed away. He also warned that three days after the burial, a plant would come out of his grave, and it would give him many seeds. The chief asked him not to eat them: he should keep the seeds to replant, and if he answered his request, all the Indians would gain a very precious resource. Kaleitôe followed his father’s advice and it was thus that the corn appeared for them.
There is another version of this legend, told by the Indians, according to Fr Carlos Teschauer quoted by Cascudo, 1954:
The Guarani legend of the origin of maize (zea mays) also involves human sacrifice. Two warriors hunted and fished in vain and were discouraged from finding food for the family when an envoy of Nhandeiara (the great spirit) appeared to say that a fight between the natives was the only solution. The deceased would be buried right there, and from his grave would be born a plant which would feed all, giving food and drink. The two fought and Avati succumbed. From his grave came corn, or avati abati in the Tupi language.
The Guarani call the corn avaty in honour of the sacrificed Indian, and never forget that the cereal comes from the sacrifice of a very faithful friend. The abundance of crops, according to the indigenous, guarantees the survival of humans and many animals, meaning life, fertility and wealth. In pre-Columbian times, all this was represented through sumptuous temples, magnificent cities, and the images of various gods, which symbolised the abundance of goods.
Except for manioc, the ethnographic complex of maize is the largest and of the greatest folkloric projection, especially in June cuisine. With corn (or its products) it is possible to make pamonha, canjica, mungunzá, xerém (sweet and salty), popcorn (sweet and salty), couscous, as well as cakes and pies, delicacies very appreciated in Northeast Brazil.
In the 20th century, when it came to literature, José Bento Renato Monteiro Lobato – the greatest Brazilian children’s writer, better known as Monteiro Lobato – was inspired by the indigenous legends and gave birth to the famous Viscount of Sabugosa – a philosopher and scientist ear of corn who walked and spoke like a human being, and knew everything, more than anyone.
Today, corn is consumed in practically every part of the world. The grain and the plant have been used as raw material for the manufacture of numerous products, such as oils, vegetable creams, beverages and ethanol. It is not difficult then to understand the reasons why pre-Columbians worshiped corn. This cereal, for the ancient peoples, was not only a food and a source of survival, but a way of relating to the world and to the spirits.
Recife, 24 October 2008.
Translated by Peter Leamy, December 2016.
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how to quote this text
Source: VAINSENCHER, Semira Adler. Milho. Pesquisa Escolar On-Line, Fundação Joaquim Nabuco, Recife. Disponível em: <https://pesquisaescolar.fundaj.gov.br/en/>. Acesso em: dia mês ano. Ex: 6 ago. 2009.