Blue corn

Varieties

Five Hopi blue corn cultivars identified in the 1950s showed significant differences for several traits, such as plant height, kernel weight, width of kernel, and thickness of kernel.

The traditional Hopi blue corn varieties are extremely drought-tolerant, deep-rooted, and somewhat short plants, seldom exceeding 4-5 ft in height. The Rio Grande pueblo blue corn varieties are taller, reaching 5-7 ft, higher yielding, and not as drought-tolerant as the Hopi varieties. Both varieties of blue corn prefer deep, sandy soils.

Other native varieties of blue corn include Yoeme Blue, a small kernel, short (3-4 ft), bushy, and heat-tolerant low desert blue corn variety cultivated on the Salt River Pima Reservation in Arizona, and the Tarahumara northern Mexican variety Tarahumara Maiz Azul, cultivated in the high deserts bordering the Sierra Madre in Northern Mexico. Tarahumara Maiz Azul is widely used to make tortillas and tamales in Mexico, as well as tesgüino, a Tarahumaran corn beer.

A Cherokee heirloom variety of blue corn which originated from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is called Cherokee White Eagle Corn and is distributed to Cherokee tribal members from the Cherokee Nation Seed Bank. It is a tall variety, reaching 5-7 ft, and is high yielding.

Tortilla protein content

In 100 grams of blue corn tortilla (Sakwavikaviki), the protein content is 7.8%, compared to 5.7% in yellow corn tortillas.

Anthocyanins

Varieties of blue corn cultivated in the Southwestern United States vary in their respective contents of anthocyanins, the polyphenol pigment giving the corn its unique color. Anthocyanins having the highest contents are cyanidin 3-glucoside (most abundant), pelargonidin and peonidin 3-glucoside.

Uses

Food

Aside from its use in traditional Southwestern dishes of tortillas and cereal, blue corn is used commercially in products such as blue corn chips and blue corn pancake mix.

Symbolic

The Hopi use corn in religious rituals, placing it in a framework of directional associations in which yellow corn is associated with the Northwest, blue corn with the Southwest, red corn with the Southeast, white corn with the Northeast, black corn with the Above, and all-colored corn with the Below.

Gallery

File:Atole.jpg|blue corn atole porridge File:¡Viva México en Xochimilco! 112.JPG|Tlacoyo, Mexican appetizer made of blue corn File:01 Blue Corn Quesadillas.jpg|Blue corn quesadillas

References

References

1. (1993). "Hopi Crop Diversity and Change". Society of Ethnobiology.
2. "About Us".
3. Johnson, Duane L.. (1993). "New Crops". John Wiley & Sons.
4. McKee, Gwen. (1999). "Best of the Best from New Mexico Cookbook: Selected Recipes from New Mexico's Favorite Cookbooks". Quail Ridge Press.
5. "Rio Grande Blue Corn New Mexico Farming Conference".
6. "Tarahumara Maiz Azul - Native-Seeds-Search".
7. "Yoeme Blue - Native-Seeds-Search".
8. (21 September 2016). "Zea mays ( Yoeme Blue Corn ) - Backyard Gardener".
9. (21 September 2016). "Zea mays ( Tarahumara Maiz Azul Corn ) - Backyard Gardener".
10. "Seed Bank Plant Listing".
11. (2016). "Basic nutrition report per 100 grams: 35239, Tortilla, blue corn, Sakwavikaviki (Hopi)". US Department of Agriculture, National Nutrient Database; Standard Reference 28.
12. (2016). "Basic nutrition report per 100 grams: 18449, Tortillas, ready-to-bake or -fry, corn, without added salt". US Department of Agriculture, National Nutrient Database; Standard Reference 28.
13. (2016). "Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of kernel anthocyanins from southwestern United States blue corn". Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
14. Stephen, Alexander M.. (1936). "Hopi Journal of Alexander M. Stephen". Columbia University Press.
15. Hieb, Louis A.. (1979). "Handbook of North American Indians". Smithsonian Institution.