The Charms of Cornmeal

Most accounts suggest that cornmeal, also known by its Indigenous name maize, originated 8,000–10,000 years ago in an area of Mexico termed Mesoamerica and arrived in North America via the migration of Native Americans. In the New World, writes Elisabeth Rozin in Blue Corn and Chocolate, corn was a “beloved and worshipped grain that had nourished and nurtured the aboriginal populations for many thousands of years.” Indigenous peoples introduced corn to different parts of America, and eventually to Africa and Europe, through a system of trade routes. These cultures used intricate methods for farming, including the