The of Peruvian corn, commonly known in Peru as choclo, a word of Quechua origin, has the scientific name Zea Mayz L. and belongs to the grass family.
The corn plant can grow from half a meter to six meters high. Its stem is wrapped by the leaves, from which the cobs or spikes are born. The cobs contain the grains that are the important part of the plant for human consumption.
The Corn in Peru
The Peruvian inhabitants of the Norte Chico cultivated, processed and consumed corn 5,000 years ago, being a basic ingredient of their diet.
Corn, like potatoes and quinoa, formed an important part of the diet of the pre-Inca and Inca people.
In the Inca empire, due to the importance of corn, it was used to make offerings in religious ceremonies. It was also customary to put ears of corn next to the valuable objects in the Inca tombs.
Peruvian Corn Varieties
There are two main classes of corn:
a) Sara, properly speaking, which is grown in the temperate and frigid region (mountain range), and is made of small and medium-sized corn, somewhat flattened and round, of various colors, among which are varieties of white, yellow, purple or black, lead, pink, painted, red and brown.
b) Yunca Sara, it is cultivated in the warm region (coastals, valleys and forests), they are made of large flattened and long corns of a homogeneous white or cream color.
Peru is the country with the greatest variability and genetic diversity of maize. It also has the greatest diversity of cultivated species with 55 geographic races.
The concentration of the different races of maize in Peru is distributed in 23 regions where they are grown.
The varieties with the greatest presence in the regions are the following:
Cusco, is found in 13 regions
Kculli, is found in 12 regions
Morocho, in 11 regions,
Confite Punteagudo, in 10 regions, and
San Jeronimo, in 9 regions
The Cuzco giant and purple varieties are the most exported, respectively.
The largest variety of corn is piricinco, which can measure up to 29 centimeters, and is grown in the regions of Madre de Dios, San Martín, Ucayali and Loreto.
The smallest variety is confite punteagudo, which measures 8 centimeters and is grown in the regions of Ancash, Apurímac, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Cusco, Huancavelica, Junín, La Libertad, Piura and Tacna.
Cuzco’s giant corn is the one with the greatest presence in Peru, since it is grown in 22 regions, followed by the pointed candy variety, which is grown in 19 regions.
Popular Foods with Corn in Peru
Corn is one of the main ingredients of Peruvian food, since it is found in many dishes, prepared in different ways.
Here are some popular ways in which Peruvian corn is consumed:
The choclo sancochado is prepared with the tender and boiled cob of the cuzco, pardo, chullpi varieties. It is an inevitable complement to the popular ceviche.
Maicillo is prepared with the tender cobs of the chullpi variety.
Cancha, is prepared with roasted grains of the chullpi and velvet varieties, among others.
Mote, is made with large grains cooked in water of the Cuzco and Mochero varieties.
Flours, are prepared by grinding the grains in lime with water
Humitas and tamales are prepared wrapped in corn and banana leaves, respectively.
The chochoca is prepared in Arequipa, boiled with ash-lime water and dried in the sun.
Pepián de choclo is a typical dish from Lima that is prepared with liquefied corn.
Mazamorra morada, is a dessert from Lima based on purple corn
Champús is a dessert that is prepared with mote and some fruits such as pineapple and quince
As for drinks, they are very popular:
The chicha de jora that is prepared with fermented corn, and
The purple chicha that is prepared with purple corn.
Properties of The Peruvian Corn
Corn is a good source of fiber so its use is recommended in case of constipation and to combat high cholesterol and triglycerides.
It contains vitamin B1 or thiamin, very good for energy metabolism, vitamin B2 or riboflavin, vitamin B3 or niacin, vitamin B9 or folic acid, pro-vitamin A or carotene, and vitamin E.
With the corn germ, a very pure oil is produced, which is recommended for those who have problems with cholesterol.
It is used as a good antioxidant. It also contains abundant starch due to purple corn, specifically it is good for fighting diabetes and obesity.