It’s corn! A big lump with knobs… It has the juice… You may have seen the viral YouTube/TikTok video that swept the nation titled “The CEO of Corn | Recess Therapy #cornboy”. People from all over the world were lip-syncing the video, creating remixes and covering the “Corn Kid.” The YouTube account Recess Therapy uploaded the video to YouTube interviewing seven-year-old, Julian Shapiro-Barnum and his obsession with the “beautiful thing.” The video now has over 10 million views on YouTube. Corn has made a comeback and more businesses are hoping on the bandwagon.
Is corn a vegetable, grain or fruit? This question has taunted corn-eaters for years and today we hope to explain the mystery more.
Corn can actually be considered all three depending on how it is harvest. According to https://ask.usda.gov/, the development of corn plays a major role in which of the three food groups corn could be placed in. When a stalk of corn is fully grown it is considered to be a part of the grains food group. The kernels are more dry which can be used for fueling cars, making food and more. When a stalk of corn is freshly grown the kernels hold liquid which classify it in the vegetable foods group. Moistened kernels can be used for corn oils and corn starches. Temperatures also play into affect how kernels are produced as more dry areas age corn quicker.
According to https://marinmg.ucanr.edu/, many botanists classify corn as a fruit. There reasoning is that the kernels harbor sugar and when that sugar dissolves it turns into starch.
Whether you classify corn as a fruit, vegetable or grain it tastes great overall and is nice side to many dishes. The photos below show why corn is not just a side but the main course!
The restaurant, Chica Las Vegas, found inside the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, has a dessert that is impressive and a little bit “corny.” Their dessert menu features “The Corn” which is strawberry flan cheesecake, graham cracker chili crumble and raspberry tajin. The corn dessert is Instagram worthy and only cost $15. The corn dessert looks just like real corn but tastes sweeter.
