I love corn – dent or field corn which is waxy – popular in Nigeria, sweetcorn, and more.
And I’ve written several recipes about corn, from perspectives of how it’s classically used in Nigeria to contemporary New Nigerian explorations.
I recent went to Mexico City and was surprised at the many similarities that exist between how corn/ maize is used there and in Nigeria. It reawakened thoughts on the origins of corn in Nigeria.
The undisputed fact is that maize’s existence is rooted in Mesoamerica. And then, one of my early thoughts was that the path to Nigeria, like cassava was through the Portuguese who acknowledged the Indigenous connections. I say this because of how corn, maize is described in the 1852 compilation, A vocabulary of the Yoruba language by Crowther, Sammuel Adjai, Owen Emeric, 1819-1854. There are 49 results for a search for “corn” in it. Of those, with 25 mentions of “Indian corn”, and 11 of “Guinea corn”.
Historically, the Indigenous peoples of North America were referred to as “Indians” and they were the earliest nations to interact with Europeans. They are also the peoples in prehistoric times across Mesoamerica who domesticated corn, hence the name and association. Corn is a diverse species of grass, and one of significance in Mesoamerica in the past, and across North, South, and Central America today.
But, reading a piece by Blench, Williamson, and Connell, The Diffusion of Maize in Nigeria: A historical and Linguistic Investigation (1994), there is a reference to a possible West Indian connection.
And then, there is the reference to sorghum as Guinea Corn, what we across Nigeria popularly call it. But how did that name take root? The Guinea Coast is the name for the forested to coastal regions of West Africa. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Guinea has existed oon maps since the 14th century – Derived from the Berber word aguinaw, or gnawa, meaning “black man” (hence akal n-iguinamen, or “land of the black men”), the term was first adopted by the Portuguese and, in forms such as Guinuia, Ginya, Gheneoa, and Ghinea, appears on European maps from the 14th century onward.
And sorghum, and millet kind of resemble corn growing on stalks.
According to MCS Bantilan1, UK Deb2 , CLL Gowda1 , BVS Reddy1 , AB Obilana3 and RE Evenson4 in a short paper on Sorghum, it is the second major crop (after maize) across all agroecologies in Africa…and the third important cereal (after rice and wheat ) in India.
I still have a lot of work to do to unravel, in my mind at least, the history of corn in Nigeria but first, I wanted to take stock of all the corn products we have “Guinea” and “Indian” as the first step in parsing what I know, and moving from known to unknown. There will be a collection of recipes in a future post to show the versatility of corn, and hopefully more documentation.
In Nigeria, corn comes in two main colours – white, and yellow. Field, waxy corn is common, though in the last decade or so, sweetcorn has become more and more popular.
You’ll find a variety of preparations – corn is dried then used as is, broken into grits, ground into flour, fermented for wet-milled starchy products and more. It is eaten fresh – added to meals, boiled, roasted, parched, and more.
Ogi/ Akamu/ Koko, kinds of “Pap”
Made from dried whole field corn that’s soaked in water to ferment for a few days, with frequent changes of the water until fermented according to personal preferences, the corn is rinsed, then milled until somewhat smooth. This mixture is then strained using a fine-mesh cloth bag, forming somekind of fermented corn/ starchy milk. It is left to settle, separating out into a starchy corn mix, and a probiotic rich water known as omidun. The starchy mix is our pap, variedly known as Ogi in the southwest, Akamu in the south and south east, and Koko in the north. The pap can be stored wet – with some of the omidun, or water, and if often refrigerated. It is sometimes pressed, and then portioned. It can be frozen in this form. It could also be dried into flour.
The omidun – the water – can be drunk, or used to make a bunch of medicinal drinks including Adoyo, a drink made with lemongrass, citrus, sometimes turmeric, and the omidun.
I live in Canada, and when I was writing Chop Chop, my debut cookbook, I tested many ways to make pap because I couldn’t find whole dried corn in small quantities.
Starch and In Between Flour
When I was writing Chop Chop, I went on a hunt for corn flour in the grocery stores in Canada, tried to figure out how to describe dried ogi flour, and learned many things.
First of all, corn starch or cornstarch, cornflour (one-word/single-worf) all refer to a starch powder made from the endosperm of the kernel.
This starch goes by different names depending on where you are. It is corn starch/ cornstarch in English-speaking North America and cornflour in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
If you’re looking for ground corn, known as corn flour in parts of North America (maize flour in the UK) you may not find it in the baking aisle – in Ontario, Canada, I often find it the international aisle!
And then you have fermented corn flour which is what I think of ogi powder as. However, a lot more starch is preserved in the process of making it, and some of the fiber, from the skins are part of the debris from the process. Overall, it is somewhere in between but closer to cornstarch than corn flour.
Corn Flour
Corn Flour is the whole corn, ground and used in a variety of ways. It is popular in the north where it is made into Tuwon masara, a soft cooked dough. I’ve only come across the white corn flour used for this.
Corn Meal
To make ukwaka, a steamed plantain wrap made from super-ripe plantains, you thicken the mix with a variety of flours or meals. Growing up in Warri, we used yellow corn meal. It’s grittier than corn flour but not coarse.
Corn Grits
Common in the north, and known as Biski, this cracked corn grits that can be cooked into a porridge, or steamed like couscous.
Parched, Flaked, and Popped Corn
Parched corn is a popular street snack, sold with popcorn, and roasted groundnuts. It is hard, and not for the week. It is made by dry roasting dried corn kernels, or toasting in a lightly greased pan – in a single layer for the most success. It is common in Nigeria today. For a long time, I had no idea it was called “parched” corn until I came across many references from ancient times, in the Bible, and amongst Indigenous peoples who typically nixtamalized the corn, parched it, ground it, and used it in a variety of ways.
Cornflakes is a popular cereal in Nigeria, and popcorn is also a common snack/ treat.
Cooked Corn, Different Ways
Below, 3 different corn wraps.
On the left you have agidi, the white, gelatinized set dish is made from soaked dried corn that’s prepared in a similar manner to ogi but the corn isn’t fermented. Some people use ogi flour, or paste to make it. You essentially cook a mix of the starchy flour with water until it reaches a specific point. It is then spooned into conically wrapped leaves, or bowls and left to cool and set.
In the center is a fresh corn mix to make Sapala – a fresh corn wrap, similar to Mexican tamales in form, and on the right, ukwaka.
While this post focuses mostly on different corn ingredients and processes, the next one will be all about different dishes made with corn.
I leave you with a gathering of corn products – and yes, a few years ago, I learned that Jack Daniel’s was made with corn.
Stay well and add any corn facts, thoughts, ingredients you’d like me to add to the list.
Bye x
