My question is; is baby sweetcorn the same plant as maize, or is it just a related plant? i.e. if it hadn’t been picked when it was a ‘baby’ would it have grown into the traditional corn-on-the-cob?
Two of my friends were arguing about this last night and i promised them resolution via the SDMB.
Maize and sweetcorn are all varieties of the same species (Zea Mays) ‘maize’ cultivars are generally starchy, ‘sweetcorn’ cultivars are generally sugary and ‘babycorn’ cultivars tend to form more inflorescences than other varieties - other than that there is not a lot of difference.
Baby corn is just immature corn cobs, yes. Whether it would actually grow into something quite as sweet and palatable as sweetcorn/corn on the cob is quite another matter.
Thanks Mangetout
I was under the impression that maize = sweetcorn and that they were interchangeable terms. From your answer I gather that this is not the case?
Maize usually refers to starchy varietie that are grown for fodder, cornflour, polenta and so on.
Sweetcorn is the same species, but comprises varieties that have been selectively bred for high sugar content.
There is considerable crossover and confusion between the two terms, particularly here in the UK. It is not helped by the fact that almost any cereal crop (wheat, rye, oats…) may be called ‘corn’ here.
They’ve developed a corn cultivar that can be grown especially for baby corn. I grew some and it was pretty good. Those cobs that didn’t get picked in time did indeed become ripe corn, albeit small (2-3 inch) straggly ears.
The answer is no. How can it grow up when you’ve eaten it?
