So I took some of my black corn, and plain yellow corn for comparison
And made corn bread -- half yellow, half black.
Is it just me, or does the black corn one look like a brownie? It didn't taste like a brownie, but the flavor was different and delicious. The yellow corn bread tasted like what I'm used to, but the black one was... how to describe it? It had an earthy almost meaty flavor to it. The yellow one tasted like it would be lovely with honey and butter. The black one I wanted to eat with a warm, thick winter stew. I admit I was surprised at how different they tasted... I'm going to have to do more corn taste tests here and start breeding for flavor as much as for beautiful colors.
Interesting. Here I thought it (your project) might just be about pretty colors, but that it might have a gastronomic aspect to it as well. So when gardeners and breeders first started selecting for sweetness for "sweet corn" they veered toward the yellows of zea mays. I am in the process of reading Peter Hatch's "A Rich Spot of Earth" in which he mentions Jefferson and other gardeners of his era did not seem to be growing corn, sweet corn, as a garden crop, but instead relegated it to field for fodder and course food stuffs ( for slaves). Yet, here there may be a totally different culinary aspect to the colored types, possibly for breads for gluten-free individuals not caring for the sweet taste found in typical corn bread and craving a loaf of something crusty and "meaty" for accompanying a stew or artisan sandwich?
ReplyDeleteAlthough you bred the various colored corn for the love of breeding, the resulting interesting color combinations have commercial value.The kernels are attractive to the eye. That you are now testing the varieties for taste is awesome. By the time your done with this research, you might have decent recipes and culinary advice to print on the seed packets when you market your corn.
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