Maize was domesticated from its wild grass ancestor more than 8,700 years ago, according to biological evidence uncovered by researchers in Mexico’s Central Balsas River Valley. This is the earliest dated evidence — by 1,200 years — for the presence and use of domesticated maize. the studies confirmed that maize derived from teosinte, a large wild grass that has five species growing in Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
Native Americans taught European colonists to grow the indigenous grains, and, since its introduction into Europe by explorers, corn has spread to all areas of the world suitable to its cultivation.
The domesticated crop is one of the most widely distributed of the world’s food crops.
Although it is a major food in many parts of the world, corn is inferior to other cereals in nutritional value. Centuries of cross breeding have produced larger plants, and specialized varieties.
Corn is used as livestock feed, as human food, as biofuel, and as raw material in industry. A greater weight of maize is produced each year than any other grain. In 2014, total world production was 1.04 billion tonnes. Maize is the most widely grown grain crop throughout the Americas, with 361 million metric tons grown in the United States in 2014.
A store-bought cake mix baked in a Bundt pan is the trick to a spooky Ghoulish Halloween Cake. Get your creative juices flowing by decorating your very own edible pumpkin that'll be the hit of your monster bash.
- 1 (18-1/4-ounce) package devil's food or any flavor cake mix, prepared according to package directions
- 2 (16-ounce) containers white frosting
- Red, yellow, and green food colors
- 1 flat-bottom ice cream cone
- Candy corn for garnish
- Decorating gel for garnish
- Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 10-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray; pour in prepared batter.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes; let cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan and invert onto platter; let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir white frosting with a few drops of red and yellow food colors, until frosting reaches desired orange color. Set aside 1/4 cup orange frosting in a small bowl and add a drop of green food color to make desired brown color. Place ice cream cone upside down on waxed paper and frost with brown frosting then cover and refrigerate.
- Frost cooled cake with orange frosting. Create eyes, mouth, and nose with Halloween candy or decorating gel. Place frosted ice cream cone in center hole of cake at an angle for stem.
1893 – Charles Atlas, Italian-born bodybuilder (d. 1972)
1945 – Henry Winkler, American actor
1946 – Robert L. Gibson, American astronaut
1951 – Harry Hamlin, American actor
