Toot Your Own Corn Trivia Quiz

Answer: Corn pone

Corn pone dough is thick and soft, and made from just cornmeal, water, and salt. The dough is shaped into individual patties and cooked in a frying pan with bacon grease. It can also be cooked in the oven. It is much denser in texture than cornbread. Serve with bacon gravy for extra yumminess.

Cornbread, which is more like a cake in texture, is made with cornmeal, eggs, milk, shortening and flour. Sometimes diced jalapenos are added to give a bit of zing.

The picture is of corn pones ready to be eaten, made with a little whole corn for texture.

Answer: True

As you can see from the picture, dent corn gets its name from the dimple that forms at the end of each kernel as the ear dries out. Dent corn is a type of field corn which is generally starchier than the sweet corn most commonly consumed by people in the form of ears or as a vegetable on your plate. Dent corn is used primarily for animal feed but is also used to make corn chips or tortillas, corn oil or corn syrup.

Answer: Squash

The 'three sisters' as they became known, were used by the indigenous people of the USA to grow the three crops symbiotically. This method of companion planting deters weeds and pests, enriches the soil, and provides physical support for each one. In addition, it attracts pollinators, ensuring a fruitful crop.

The beans pull nitrogen from the air and set it in the soil, which benefits all three. Because the squash has large leaves, it provides shade for the roots of each plant, and as the leaves rot, provides nutrition for the soil.

Answer: Guacamole

The story goes that some military wives from across the border in Texas turned up to the Victory Club in Piedras Negras (Mexico) looking for something to eat. The restaurant was closed, but the enterprising maitre d' fried up some chips made from totopos (like tortillas but thicker).

He melted some Colby cheese on them and sprinkled over some jalapenos, and nachos were born! The ladies jokingly called them Nacho's Special, after the maître d', whose name was Ignacio (Nacho for short).

Answer: Polenta

Once cooled, polenta sets quite firmly (depending on the amount of liquid used when cooking) and can be baked, fried, or grilled, including making chunky 'chips' which are delicious served with a dipping sauce or pesto. While still hot, it is often served with stews like osso bucco and ratatouille.

The texture and colour of the polenta will vary depending on how fine the meal is, and the sort of corn used to create the meal.

Answer: Old maids

Even though popcorn became popular as a snack food during the 1930s, its history goes back thousands of years. We know that popcorn was used by the Aztecs in Mexico for decoration, food, and even for trading. In 2012, archaeologists found evidence of popcorn in Peru, with a cache of 6,700-year-old corn cobs accompanied by puffed kernels. It is thought that corn was domesticated from a wild grass in Mexico around 9,000 years ago.

A popcorn maker made things a whole lot easier when it was invented in the 1890s.

Answer: Candle corn

Thailand grows and exports most of the world's baby corn, which is, in fact, prematurely harvested corn. It is most often tinned but can be found fresh in the areas in which it is grown, and has a crunchier texture than the tinned variety. It's also called cornlettes, young corn, child corn or baby sweetcorn, depending on where you live.

As candle corn has to be harvested by hand, it's much more labour-intensive than fully grown corn, which can be harvested by machine.

Answer: Very hard outer layer

Grown primarily in Central and South America, 'Zea mays indurata' is also known as Indian corn. It comes in a range of colours from white to red to blue, and is often made up of a patchwork of colours, sometimes called calico corn. It is pressed into service as a decoration in people's homes, as well as being used for being milled for traditional foods like cornmeal, flour, and hominy.

Answer: Prevents crystalisation

Corn syrup is an invert sugar that keeps the sugar in the pan smooth. The grain sugar, as it melts, seeks to re-form its bonds making it crystalise again. Adding corn syrup will prevent this. It doesn't reduce calories; in fact corn syrup packs in the calories, but if you're only eating sweets a couple of times a year, it's probably okay! Corn syrup's properties are also useful in cooking other sweet things like some sauces, when it not only makes it smoother, but also adds a shine.

It will also keep biscuits (cookies) and brownies moister.

Answer: Cornflakes

Modern-day corn flakes were invented by John Harvey Kellogg and Will Keith Kellogg, as a health food for patients at their sanitarium in Michigan. Though it originally contained both wheat and corn, it was found that less wheat and more corn created a better tasting, crispier product. Field corn is generally used in the production of the cereal.