Because corn has never been found in a truly wild state, it’s believed that it likely emerged as a result of the hybridization of two grasses somewhere in Ancient Mexico. And thanks to Christopher Columbus, who stumbled upon it in Cuba, it eventually made its way to Europe and beyond.

I learned about this fact from: Hawjes, AD. A World of Vegetable Cookery – An Encyclopedia Treasury of Recipes, Botany and Lore of the Vegetable Kingdom. Simon and Schuster, New York: 1968.