Time to Celebrate: National Maize Day

Happy National Maize Day!

At American Heritage Insurance Group, we would like to say we hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is having a relaxing Black Friday.

We started looking at what the day after Thanksgiving is. Many said Black Friday of course, but some said it’s a time to relax or sleep-in. Others said they spend it with family who are in from out-of-town. Then, we came across that it is also National Maize Day.

What is National Maize Day?

Maize is also known as corn. It’s a typical cereal grain that began domestication in Mesoamerican and spread through the rest of the continent. It was the first of many crops domesticated by the indigenous Americans (Native American Indians). Corn is also considered to be one of the most important and popular crops in America.

There are 270 million metric tons annually in the U.S. alone. It can grow as tall as 23 feet and as short as 8 feet. The favorite sweet corn is typically the shorter kind.

Maize is derived from the Spanish form (maiz). this was the indigenous Taino word for corn.

In the United States and Canada, maize is primarily used for livestock feed, forage, silage or grain. There are also many different types of uses for maize including flour corn, popcorn, dent corn, flint corn, sweet corn, waxy corn, and pod corn to name a few.

There are a variety of ways to eat maize as well. Corn meal is a type of porridge/mush in the U.S. It’s the main ingredient for tortillas and other Mexican dishes. You can also enjoy corn on the cob.

Enjoy the lovely maize today!