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local Monday 27 noveMber 2023

EpisodeLXXVIII-78 Corn in the native Aruban diet

ORANJESTAD — Zea mays, ,a Spanish conquistador,
corn, maize, or " maish encountered in 1499 when
grandi" which stands for presumed first set foot on
big corn in Papiamento, Aruba. The Caquetio spoke
is an annual plant or a a language belonging to
Gramineae, a large and the great Arawakan-Loko-
nearly ubiquitous fam- no speaking nations of the
ily of monocotyledonous South West Caribbean is-
flowering plants known as lands across Venezuela in
grasses(grass family).They to South America.
are genetically created by Corn was a vital crop for
Central America natives Aruba`s ancestors, the
and have become one of most important crop to-
the top three cereal crops gether with a tuber known
grown in the world, along as yuca, beans squashes
with rice (Oryza sativa) and and peanuts. Corn was sa-
wheat (Triticum spp.). With cred for the Caquetio and
2010 global commercial they respected the whole
production of dried corn plant as their creator and
totaling 844.4 million metric the mother food, it was
tons, harvested from 161.9 venerated with the out
million hectares. most respect. Beside pol-
len and ceramic barrens,
Corn is used fresh (“green”) ancient agro ceramic cul-
for human consumption, or tures of Aruba had left their
may be dried and ground native milling stones, called
into flour or meal. Corn is “coody”by Arubans. A tes-
one of the most important timony of a sedentary life
Amerindian staple crops.In style and the presence of
addition to use as a human maize. This abundance of
food, we cannot ignore food gave time to master
that the seed head and many arts of ceramics ex-
whole plant are used as pressions and an enormous
forage and silage, an im- array of crafts and tech-
portant source of feed for nics.
livestock and an increas-
ingly important biofuel, To indulge yourselfin an out
both in the form of corn oil and Argentina also pro- approximately 3500 years ning of the rainy season. Or- of the ordinary island cul-
(used as bio-diesel) and duce significant amounts. ago. Merchants andfisher- ganized agriculture began tureand way of life experi-
ethanol (an alcohol fer- Corn production increased men groups of Amerindians with the arrival of the Ca- ence, we recommend you
mented and distilled from by 42% worldwide over the practiced a primitive way quetios, who most probably participation in our cultural
the processed kernels), past decade in associa- of agriculture by sticking migrated north; out from encounter session, hosted
which is blended with pe- tion with the increasing de- many seeds in the ground the Orinoco and Amazon by our columnist. We have
troleum-based gasoline in mand and prices for corn on their departure and basin reaching the Carib- entertained the curious of
various proportions for use processed into biofuel. encounter young plants bean islands for keeps. The heart for decades. Con-
as fuel. Some estimate that corn including stalks of corn on Caquetios where the na- tact us:etnianativa03@
was first planted in Aruba their return at the begin- tion who Alonso de Ojeda gmail.com. q
Although grown in temper-
ate and tropical countries Article by: Etnia Nativa
worldwide, the U.S. alone
produces more than one Whatsapp us +297 592 2702 and book
third of the global total of your Aruban exprerience
dried corn (316.2 metric Etnia Nativa is close to the high rise hotels
tons). China, Brazil, Mexico