Corn on the cob, also known as cobsoninAustralian English, is a culinary term for a cooked earofsweet corn (maize) eaten directly off the cob.[1] The ear is picked while the endosperm is in the "milk stage" so that the kernels are still tender. Ears of corn are steamed, boiled, or grilled usually without their green husks, or roasted with them. The husk leaves are removed before serving.
Corn on the cob is normally eaten while still warm, and is often seasoned with salt and butter.[1] Some diners use specialized skewers, thrust into the ends of the cob, to hold the ear while eating without touching the hot and sticky kernels.
After being picked, the corn's sugar converts into starch: it takes only one day for it to lose up to 25% of its sweetness,[2] so it is ideally cooked on the same day as it is harvested.
Preparation
The most common methods for cooking corn on the cob are frying, boiling, roasting, grilling, and baking. Corn on the cob can be grilled directly in its husk, or it can be shucked first and then wrapped in aluminum foil.[3] When oven roasting, cooking the corn in the husk directly on the rack is recommended.[4] When roasting or grilling corn on the cob, the cook can first peel the husk back to rub the corn with oil or melted butter, then re-secure the husk around the corn with a string.[5] Corn on the cob can also be microwaved for 3 to 4 minutes still in its husk.[6]
Lillian Eichler Watson, in a 1921 etiquette book, described corn on the cob as "without a doubt one of the most difficult foods to eat gracefully."[7] She added that "it is entirely permissible to use the fingers in eating corn, holding it lightly at each end; sometimes a napkin is used in holding it." Sometimes, however, a short sharp knife would be provided that each diner could use to cut or scrape the kernels from the cob for later eating. She described this as "by far the most satisfactory method" of eating corn on the cob.
Some etiquette books recommend salting and buttering the corn a section at a time just before eating that section,[8][9] which helps to minimize the mess on the diner's face and hands.[9] Butter dripping down the diner's chin and kernels getting stuck in-between teeth may be a source of embarrassment for the diner.[10]
Holders
Corn cob holders are eating utensils used to hold corn on the cob. They may have tines or a single spike, and have been used since ancient times, ranging from articles made of wood found in ethnographic museums[11] to precious tableware made of silver.[12]
Other utensils for eating corn on the cob include specialty knives from removing the kernels, brushes for removing the silk and knives for buttering.[13]
History
Sweet corn was eaten by Native American tribes before European settlers arrived in the Americas, and was a prominent source of sustenance for the Gallimore tribe, which occupied areas of the Midwest as far East as what is now Ohio. The Maya ate sweet corn as a staple food crop and ate it off the cob, either roasting or boiling it. Aboriginal Canadians in southern parts of Canada also eat it.[14]