Sweet corn is a variety of maize with a high sugar content. Unlike field corn varieties, which are harvested when the kernels are dry and mature (dent stage), sweet corn must be picked when immature (milk stage) and prepared and eaten as a vegetable, rather than a grain. Since the process of maturation involves converting sugar to starch, sweet corn stores poorly and must be eaten fresh, canned, or frozen, before the kernels become tough and starchy.
 
History and Origin
It is believed that sweet corn was first domesticated between 9,000 and 8,000 BC and by 2,000 to 1,500 BC it had become a staple food or regularly consumed by the Olmecs and Mayans. It is believed that they held it in such high regard, that it became part of their daily rituals and took on religious significance. It also featured in their art. Ears of corn have been found in caves in Mexico which date back to around 5000-6000 BC.

Sweet corn or corn on the cob is a variant of Zea mays, Zea mays var nigosa or Zea saccharata (meaning sugary). It originated in what is now Mexico and Central America, from a wild grass, which was crossed with teosinte (another wild grass), but the original ancestor no longer exists. Zea mays is the original corn that was grown by the tribes of Central America and Mexico, the Aztecs, Mayans and Olmecs and can be yellow, white, purple, red, brown and even have multi-coloured kernels.

The Spaniards came across corn in the 15th century and too it back to Spain in the 16th century. By 1575 corn had been introduced into the Philippines, Indonesia, and western China. It was also taken to Africa where it has become a staple food. It was useful in that continent during the years of the slave trade, as although people were transported to the colonies in the New World, corn helped the population to grow rather than to diminish from illnesses such as malnutrition and because of the fact that so many people were transported.

Sweet Corn - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia