The history of corn, which we often eat canned in salads or as popcorn, goes back a long way. And there are many dark spots in the origin of this cereal, which is very common throughout the world
Corn (or maize) is the oldest cultivated plant in the world. During excavations in Mexico City, corn pollen was found, the age of which is 55 thousand years!
Maize almost completely satisfies human nutritional needs. Modern research has shown that this cereal contains such important vitamins as A, B, C, E, folacin (B9), niacin (B3), thiamine (B1). Corn contains a lot of potassium, magnesium and even gold. In addition, it has a lot of fiber and no gluten at all, unlike cereals such as rye or wheat, which is of great importance for the nutrition of patients.
It is interesting that wild ancestors have not been found in corn - it seems to have always been cultivated. And this is not the most surprising - her biggest mystery is that the "queen of the fields", as corn was called in Khrushchev's times, is not able to grow without human help!
It cannot reproduce by self-sowing and run wild - a ripe ear of corn kernels, if not harvested in time, will simply fall to the ground and decay without giving "offspring."
Researchers of paranormal phenomena argue that the mysterious properties of maize can only be explained by its alien origin - once this cereal was given to people by creatures descending from heaven, whom earthlings considered gods.
Photo: Credit unknown / paranormal-news.ru
Yum Kaash is one of the most popular gods in the Mayan pantheon. Usually he was identified with resurrection and a new life (usually deceased rulers were depicted in his image). The main path of Yum Kaash was the patronage of the main agricultural product for the Maya - corn. Usually he was portrayed in the form of a young man, on whose head was corn or maize.
Here is what the astrologer Raul Rodriguei writes: “The most ordinary corn is the most important confirmation that humanity has an alien origin.
It takes caring human hands for corn to multiply. Say, rice or wheat can grow on their own - their seeds will be carried by animals. But corn itself, without human participation, is not capable of reproduction. Corn is a gift given to mankind by the god Kukulkan or, as the Aztecs called him, Quetzalcoatl. Moreover, according to legend, it was from corn that man was created. An ear of corn wrapped in leaves, if not gutted by hands, will rot."
In ancient Aztec myths, this version is confirmed. According to legends, corn is a gift from the most important god of Quetzalcoatl, a truly magical offering to man, because growing corn is quite simple, and with just one ear you can eat up for the whole day. And in the climatic conditions of Central and South America, the crop is harvested four times a year!
Fish fertilizer The
American scientist L. Morgan said: “Maize, due to its suitability for consumption both in green and in ripe state, its high yield and nutritional value, turned out to be a richer gift of nature that contributed to the initial progress of mankind than all other cereals, together taken.
The healthy and satisfying cereal quickly became the basis of the diet of the ancient Indians, spread across both American continents and served as the reason for the development and strengthening of the most mysterious and ancient civilizations - the Mayans, Aztecs and Olmecs. Having received such an easy-to-process and high-calorie food, the ancient Indians began to master crafts, came to a sedentary lifestyle, they had cities and arts. At this time, wild tribes were still roaming in Europe.
The very first farmers cultivated rich maize harvests and learned to prepare various dishes from it. Corn was boiled, fried, baked, flour and even wine were made from it. And the leaves and stalks of corn were used for various household needs - they were filled with mattresses, used for the production of clothes and shoes.
The ancient Indians knew that maize needed fertilization. And they fertilized the corn by putting a whole fish together with a grain in a freshly dug hole during sowing - for fish was found in these places in abundance.
Maize walks the planet The
great corn empire generously shared its fruits with Europe. When Columbus discovered America, among other things, he borrowed corn seeds from the new mainland. She appeared at the Spanish court, and then ended up in France, Portugal, Italy.
I must say that the spread of corn was not accompanied by such tragedies as in the case of potatoes - in Europe they did not know that they should eat potato tubers, and several deaths were recorded from the consumption of its poisonous fruits - green berries. No, everything turned out to be clear with corn - nutritious and healthy grains were to the taste of both the rich and the poor.
From Europe, maize came to India and China and became a panacea for these countries with large hungry populations.
In Russia, corn appeared in the 17th century. But it became widespread only in the southern regions - in the northern regions, the gift of the gods was not too "welcome" - corn does not have time to ripen in our harsh climatic conditions. Almost all over the world, this cereal is called maize, in ancient Indian, and in our country it is known precisely as corn. Nevertheless, in the Penza region there is a village Mais. "True, it is believed that this has nothing to do with corn, the village is named so for other reasons.
The etymology of the word" corn "has not been finally clarified. According to one version, it comes from the word" curly ", and on the other - with the word" corn "the ancient Slavs called cattle to themselves (like the words" chick-chick "they call chickens).
And yet, in Russia, corn does not have such a cult status as in America - despite all the efforts of the first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Nikita Khrushchev in his time. But in the United States, maize is one of the most basic cereals. It even features the expression: "Corn is the glue that holds such a diverse nation like the Americans together."
In fact, only one percent of the country's corn is eaten in America. 85% of it is consumed by cows and pigs - and it is thanks to this cereal that the meat and dairy industry in the United States ranks first in the world. And of the remaining 14 percent of maize, a variety of food and non-food products are produced - from corn whiskey to toothpaste and cough syrup.
Here are the benefits of an unpretentious, humble plant. And although it is not known for certain where exactly corn came from on Earth, one thing is clear - the possession of it has become the greatest success for humanity.
Natalya TRUBINOVSKAYA
Secrets of the XX century № 32 2011