“Every season has fruits that are designed to sustain us humans within that period”. It was my sister who first told me this many years ago and till date I find myself looking out for the fruits and veggies in season and guessing what benefits each has in store.
It’s July and the rains in Lagos where I live hasn’t let up at all. Every day it rains and pours. Almost everywhere we find corn stands where the sellers roast or boil the corn and the aroma wafts through the air, calling out to us to take a break and come enjoy the beauty of God’s green earth.
We see cars parked by the road side stopping to load up on the roasted or boiled goodies. Not just the corn, no sir. There will be accompaniments of either ube (pear) or coconut to go with the corn. And it’s not only the cars that are stopping to buy the corn.
We find pedestrians stopping as well. In buses and cabs…even bikes are not exempted. I personally don’t fancy the roasted corn as much as the boiled corn, but I can settle for it if it’s fresh.
It makes me wonder, what does nature have to offer through the corn?
Corn (also known as maize) is a staple food in many countries and one of the most popular cereals in the world. It provides us with Vitamins A, B and E and contains many minerals. It is very rich in fiber and prevents constipation, haemorrhoids and colorectal cancer. It also has some antioxidants which prevent Alzheimer’s disease and act as an anti-carcinogenic agent. Corn is also known to prevent heart ailments, lower hypertension, and lower LDL cholesterol, prevent anaemia, prevent neural tube defects at birth and control diabetes.
The amazing corn can also be used to make the following:
- Pap/ogi/koko/akamu
- Beans and corn
- Pop corn
- Corn flakes/cereals
- Pastry- corn bread/muffins/pancake
- Chips/tortillas
- Whiskey
What have you made with corn before? Please let’s know so we can add to the list.
