What’s The Difference Between Maize And Corn?

When the talk is about corn and maize, the confusion is obvious. You might think it is the same or it may not. But what is the underlying difference between them? 

Have you come across this line, “All maize is corn, but not all corn is maize?” Let’s learn why it is like that in this blog. 

So where do they originate from? 

To clarify the chaos, here’s what it is: Corn and maize are the same plant. But depending on the usability of it and where you are, they have different names altogether. The name Maize is the scientific name of the plant. 

For thousands of years, Americans have been growing Maize which was important for Aztecs and Mayans in the ancient civilization. 

In places like the United States and Canada, upon the arrival of European settlers in America, they called maize “Corn” according to the old English. It means “any grain” and ever since the term corn has been used which is otherwise called maize in many other places. 

What do they look like? 

They indeed look different, maize is technically not used for cooking but rather for animal feed and making biofuels as they are big and have sturdy stalks. Whereas corn we normally are aware of is used for eating purposes. Remember the movie nights that had popcorn? Or the cornmeal used in baking and cooking? Or the sweetcorn that you enjoyed on a cob? 

What is in it? 

For kitchen purposes, corn and maize have different use cases. Sweet Corn has sugars in it, which comes naturally and is good for snacking. Corn on the other hand is good to be in our diet as it contains carbohydrates, vitamins, and fiber that we need to stay healthy.

The cultural significance 

Maize symbolizes sustainable farming and signifies the interconnectedness of the lives of Native American tribes. Corn is used in traditions of Thanksgiving in North America where succotash and cornbread are mainly prepared. 

Well, not forgetting the fact about “where you are”. It matters as in many English-speaking places including the UK, corn is referred to as “wheat”. Whereas maize is referred to as corn in their country. So in regards to being clear on the terms used for grains, maize and corn are interchangeably used. 

In a nutshell

Formerly the term maize is used in business conversations globally as it gives a simple understanding that it is one particular crop,  disregarding what it is called in different countries. Corn is commonly used by marketers as it is used in everyday language. 

It is one of the important cereals known for its yield and flavor all around the world whether you call it corn or maize. 

In other words, you can remember it this way, the crop grown on the farm is maize, which is sold as corn when we see it as food. Also, those countries who are calling it corn are not referring to one crop but to them, it is different crops depending on the place. While those who are referring to maize know exactly what corn is!