# Did you know Indian corn is edible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-indian-corn-is-edible/372023 "2006-09-09T02:09:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-indian-corn-is-edible/372023/1 "2006-09-09T02:09:26Z")
I have read on various websites that Indian corn, often used as an autumn decoration, is actually edible. Has anyone here tried it? How long do you have to boil it? How does it taste compared to sweet corn? Where is it sold fresh with the husk still on it? Does it ripen later than sweet corn (hence the autumn association)? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-indian-corn-is-edible/372023/2 "2006-09-09T11:46:01Z")
And is it as indigestible as regular corn? If so I have to buy some indian corn and a camera. ---
**Author:** ![DrMemory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DrMemory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrMemory)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-indian-corn-is-edible/372023/3 "2006-09-09T12:06:10Z")
Patty calls his pictures,_Art._ But I still call it Shit. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-indian-corn-is-edible/372023/4 "2006-09-09T12:56:31Z")
What’s your definition of “edible”? Depending on what it is, lots of things may be edible. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-indian-corn-is-edible/372023/5 "2006-09-09T22:27:04Z")
Indian corn is not merely edible, it is historically a staple of the native South American diet. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-indian-corn-is-edible/372023/6 "2006-09-10T20:52:55Z")
I’ve heard that it pops reasonably well. Never actually tried it, though. And you can grind it to meal, and use it for anything you’d use yellow cornmeal for (that’s how they get those funny-colored corn chips). ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-indian-corn-is-edible/372023/7 "2006-09-10T21:17:22Z")
[QUOTE=DaveRaver] I have read on various websites that Indian corn, often used as an autumn decoration, is actually edible. [/QUOTE] Why else would they grow it? > [@](#): > > Has anyone here tried it? I’ve had it as an ingredient in different dishes, but never eaten right off the ear. > [@](#): > > How long do you have to boil it? As I understand, it’s not meant to be eaten right off the ear like sweet corn. It was meant to be dried and removed from the ear, then ground and used as a flour. It was a good staple because after it was properly dried you could store it for a long time, grinding it for each meal (rather than storing a big bag of flour. The Natives also popped it, but the archaeological evidence isn’t too strong on it being commonly consumed. (Some researchers believe that the evidence of popcorn we have could have come from kernals accidentally dropped in the fire.) > [@](#): > > How does it taste compared to sweet corn? It would be more like “field corn.” The hulls would be tougher and it would be more starchy-- less sweet. > [@](#): > > Where is it sold fresh with the husk still on it? For that, you’d probably have to find a farmer who grows it, but again, it really wasn’t meant to be eaten that way.