Maíz, or corn, is something extremely Peruvian but unlike potatoes, is not from here. It’s actually from Central America, from where its cultivation reached Peru and became the Inca’s sacred food. There are hundreds of types of corn in the Americas, and dozens in Peru. The photo above of types of corn that can be found in Peru, taken by Jenny Mealing, inspired me to read about the grain’s history here.

Tags: choclo, corn, food, potatoes