Corn

About

Corn's flavor depends heavily on variety and processing. Popcorn develops a fried-rice-like aroma; canned corn has a rich, sulfurous note; frozen corn is sweet and close to fresh; and polenta, made from ground dried corn boiled to a thick porridge, is sweet, bland and mildly mushroomy. In Mexico, nixtamalization (soaking dried corn in an alkaline solution and removing some hull) increases nutritional value and produces floral, honey and violet notes, yielding products like hominy, tamales and masa-based tortillas that suit bolder, spicier pairings than untreated corn.

Pairs well with corn

• CiLemonCorn and pancakes share several classic accompaniments: berries, smoked bacon, cheese, butter, syrup, and especially lemon and sugar, a…
• FrTomatoTomato salsa and warm corn chips are a natural pairing for casual, warm-weather eating: tangy, savory tomato against mild, starchy corn,…
• SuGarlicCooked corn releases dimethyl sulphide, a compound also central to garlic's flavor, which is why the two are often paired: each amplifies…
• SpCinnamonMexican atole is a hot drink of cinnamon-spiced cornmeal (masa harina), sugar, and milk; adding chocolate turns it into champurrado.
• RoChocolateChocolate corn cakes combine the rough texture of compressed corn with the smoothness of chocolate; the flavor combination is less…
• CrCoconutIn popcorn, kernel shape (unilateral, bilateral or multilateral, depending on how many directions it expands in when popped) affects…
• EaMushroomHuitlacoche, an edible fungus also called "corn smut," infects corn kernels after heavy rain, causing them to swell, darken and burst from…
• ChCheeseCorn and cheese appear together across cuisines: grits with cheddar and polenta with Parmesan in the US and Italy, nachos, Colombian…
• FfHoneyHot corn pancakes with butter and honey, chestnut honey works especially well, its bitterness offsetting corn's sweetness, make a simple,…
• GrAvocadoCorn's aroma when "silking", as the pollen-catching silks emerge from the husk, carries grassy, floral, warm-air notes that avocado shares.
• CiLimeLime's sourness offsets corn's sweetness, a pairing that has become more relevant as corn breeding has pushed sugar content higher.
• BrMisoModern sweet corn varieties have become so sweet that older, more complex-tasting varieties like Silver Queen, with a milky quality from…
• FrPlumIn Japan, salty-sour umeboshi plums are rubbed onto cooked corn cobs instead of butter, giving an initial saltiness followed by a fruity…
• GrChileCorn's mild sweetness offsets chile's heat and depth.
• GrBuckwheatBuckwheat and corn were historically combined in American scrapple, a terrine-like dish of grain, broth and meat scraps; modern recipes…
• GrKaleCorn's sweetness pairs well with strong, contrasting flavors: salty miso, sour lime and, in the case of kale, bitterness.
• EaRyeRye and corn, once known in America as "rye 'n' Injun," appear together in pancakes and in bread, where corn's sweetness tempers rye's…
• RoMaple syrupCooked cornmeal mush (hominy), sliced, floured, fried and served with syrup, appears in nineteenth-century American cookbooks; wheat can…
• BeCranberryDried cranberries are used in cornbread and corn muffins as a tarter, less fruity alternative to raisins, which helps offset corn's…
• EaBlack beanCorn and beans have been paired since at least 7000 BCE in Mesoamerica, where treating corn allowed it to be ground into bread or tamales…
• EaFava beanFava beans, often assumed to be an Old World ingredient, are in fact popular in Ecuador.
• WoPine nutThe Navajo traditionally ground oil-rich piñon (edulis) pine nuts into a peanut-butter-like paste spread on hot corn cakes.
• GrLettuceCorn salad, also called lamb's lettuce or mâche, gets its name from growing wild around corn crops; its flavor has been compared to…
• SuLeekAccording to chef Daniel Patterson and perfumer Mandy Aftel in The Art of Flavor, leek and corn are natural partners: both are sweet, but…
• EaWhite beanSuccotash, a classic pairing of corn kernels and shelled beans with butter and cream, is best made fresh rather than canned.
• EaKidney beanCorn and kidney beans, together with squash, form the Iroquois "three sisters" planting system: squash covers the soil and suppresses…
• FfElderflowerThe Milanese cookie pan de mej is made with cornmeal (sometimes millet flour instead), wheat flour and dried elderflowers; a…
• GrOkraCornmeal-coated, deep-fried okra coins are a classic in the American South, where corn adds more texture than flavor; succotash there…