Literature

1. Literature • Warman, Arturo 1988: La historia de un bastardo. Maíz y capitalismo. FCE: México, D.F.

2. Literature • Kaller-Dietrich, Martina: Mais – Ernährung und Kolonialismus. In: Mais - Geschichte und Nutzung einer Kulturpflanze (=Historische Sozialkunde/ Internationale Entwicklung 18). Ingruber, Daniela/ Kaller-Dietrich, Martina (edas): Wien/ Frankfurt a.M. 2001: 13-42

3. Corn Botanical: zea mays Zea (Cereal grain) mahiz (caribbean, preserving life)

4. Mesoamerican Corn cultivation Planting with – Separating and piling – Harvest digging hooks (hoe) of plants Pictures from the Codex Florentino, 1570 (Codices served as reports to the Crown)

5. Combined cultivation of corn in the mesoamerican milpa • EFFECTS • positive waterbalance • limits soil and eolian ersosion • soil renutriment assured

6. Multiple uses of corn in Mexico: The corn silk (espigas) are prepared as tea which is attributed healing effects (in case of urinary infections and ailments of the kidney) The de-grained corncobs (olote) serve as fuel material, as animal fodder, for the production of tools, as replacement for toilet paper and as basis for the production of explosive oil. The green corn leaves serve as animal fodder and fertilizers. The corn stalks are used as construction material, fertilizers and for the production of diverse tools. The corn husk, the tightly-wrapped leaves that cover the cob, called totomoxtle, serve for wrapping up meals. The strong roots of the corn stalks either are left for the improvement of the soil or are used as fuel material.

7. Also the pitch-black corn smut, the so-called huitlacoche (= botan. ustilago maydis), is eaten and because of culinary reasons its infestation is also intentionally induced. Corn smut The corn smut is a parasitic mushroom which infects the corn plants

8. Corn people Fresco from Bonampak Chiapas

9. GENESIS AND CORN Codex Chimalpocoa - Nahuatl 4 failed attempts to create humans from different food; Quetzalcóatl, in the shape of an ant, penetrated into the “mountain of preservation” and found there corn – from that moment onwards the Gods nourished themselves from corn and from it they created humans Pop-Wuj - Mayas 3 attempts to create humans: 1st. attempt, out of loam – but they could not stand the weather conditions 2nd. attempt, out of wood – but they were clumsy 3rd. attempt, out of corn – humans could think, speak and admire the Gods

10. soaking and cooking with slaked lime Preparation of corn dough for making corn TORTILLAS washing out of lime and peeling of the grain grinding/ squeezing on the METATE (= Mesoamerican grinder made from basalt)

11. Pre-Columbian Kitchen utensils

12. Dissemination of Corn in Europe 15th century: Ornamental plants 16th century: Portuguese bring corn to West Africa Food rations for slaves Since the 17th century: moderate cultivation especially in Southern Italy and in the Balcans (Ottoman Empire) Epidemic spread of Pellagra CORN  FOOD FOR POOR PEOPLE

13. Pellagra In the 18th century identified as a deficiency disease Evidence is available since the 17th century in Southern Spain Symptoms: Inflamation of the skin (dermatitis) Diarreah Debility (dementia) Death Epidemics: Southern France, Northern Italy (Pianura Padana), Balcans

14. Mal de Rojas • 1937: Cause was found to be deficiency of niacin • Interaction between Nicotinic acids and Vitamin B  • Administration of products containing niacin: beer yeasts, pork fat

15. CORN IN THE USA • Part of the succes story • Settlers learned from the Indigenous peoples • Corn cultivation with digging hooks (hoes) • Preparation of corn (for example hominy: corn kernels cooked with ashes)

16. Corn is Food for the plantation workers slaves in the Southern States Corn = (besides raising pigs  Fat) the backbone of the production of tobacco / sugar and cotton After 1865 (abolishment of the slavery) there was more corn produced than cotton

17. SLAVE BREEDING • … on the cotton plantations • Different forms of production: • Plantations or in the back gardens of the workers • Preparation: Mash, dough or couscous • Source: http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/76/Gwendolyn+Midlo+Hall-2005

18. Corn Beltin the Midwest Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska Basis for livestock production 20th century: 40% of the world production in the USA

20. Corn for livestock in the USA Practiced in the USA since 1830 Experimental laboratory: Valley of Ohio Herds of cattle from Indiana were herded to be fattened in the Ohio valley and afterwards were taken to the slaughterhouses of Cincinnati

21. Corn for livestock in the USA • 6 kg corn  1 kg beef • 1910: < 80% of the corn production in the corn belt were used for animal fattening • 20th century: 70% of the total production of corn is used for livestock

22. Corn and Biotechnology In the decade of the 1920s research and application of the Heterosis effects: 1. Increased yield in comparison to parental generation 2. high uniformity of the plants Hybrid breeding: Following generation = sterile Henry A. Wallace (Secretary of Agriculture under Franklin D. Roosevelt) began the first campaign for hybrid corn in 1926 Roosevelt: New Deal – intensification of agriculture through modern techniques 1941: hybrid corn on 40% of the cultivated areas 1950: only hybrid corn in the USA

23. Original corn crops regions = red Corn corps regions today = green