Ecuador maize varieties facts for kids

The varieties of Ecuadorian maize (also known as corn) are super important! They hold a long history of farming and cooking traditions in Ecuador.

Maize is grown almost everywhere in Ecuador. The only place it's not found is in the very cold, high desert areas called the Altiplano, which are about 3,000 meters (around 9,800 feet) above sea level. Most maize is grown in the mountain provinces like Loja, Azuay, and Pichincha. You can also find it in other mountain areas like Bolívar, Chimborazo, Tungurahua, and Imbabura. Maize is also grown in coastal provinces such as Manabí, Esmeraldas, and Guayas, and even in Pastaza, which is part of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

How Ecuadorians Use Maize for Food

Many traditional Ecuadorian foods are made with specific types of maize kernels. They also use special ways of grinding and cooking. Foods like cooked or toasted grains, and sweet puddings made from partially ripe grains, are usually prepared with maize varieties that have a lot of floury kernels.

Here are some popular foods made from maize:

• Chicha - A traditional drink made from ground maize kernels.
• Chullpi - A type of sweet maize.
• Maíz tierno - Soft maize, picked when it's still milky.
• Maíz cao - Maize picked when it's at a waxy stage.
• Mote - Boiled maize often served with beans.
• Canguil - This is what they call popcorn!
• Pan - Bread made from maize flour, kneaded and baked.
• Tamal - Rolls made from maize dough, often filled with meat.
• Tortillas - Flatbreads made from maize flour, kneaded and cooked on a hot plate.
• Tostado - Toasted maize, sometimes cooked with fat.

The Amazing History of Maize in Ecuador

Scientists believe maize first arrived in Colombia and then the Ecuadorian coast about 5,000 years BCE (Before Common Era). It traveled across the Isthmus of Panama. Since then, people in Ecuador have been growing and improving native maize varieties.

Here's how maize changed over time in Ecuador:

• It adapted to the lower and middle parts of the Eastern Andes mountains.
• New, early types of maize were created, and they spread to more areas.
• Sometimes, maize mixed with another plant called Tripsacum, which helped create new varieties.
• Maize from other regions was also brought in.
• Different types of maize mixed together, creating new "hybrid" varieties in the highlands.
• Farmers carefully chose maize based on its endosperm (the starchy part of the kernel), kernel size, how easy it was to shell, its taste, and if it was good for making chicha and chicha morada drinks.

The first detailed description of Ecuadorian maize varieties was written by a Spanish writer named Father Juan de Velasco (1727–1792) during the colonial period. He described these types:

• Amarillo (Yellow) - Large and soft.
• Blanco (White) - Large, long, and very soft, often used for bread flour.
• Canguil - Small, hard, and pointed, perfect for popcorn.
• Carapali - Medium size, white with a red tip.
• Chulpi or Chullpi - White, medium, very soft, and sweet (like sweet corn).
• Morocho - Small, medium, yellow, and hard, used to make chicha.
• Negro grueso - Black, large, and hard.
• Negro mediano - Black and soft.
• Tumbaque - Large, flat, dark green, and soft.

Modern Ways to Classify Maize

The maize kernels eaten in Ecuador today have changed over time. They come from different groups based on their shape and structure, first described by a scientist named Alfred Sturtevant:

• Zea mays everta - This is the type of maize used for popcorn, known locally as canguiles.
• Zea mays amylosaccharata - This is sweet corn, called chullpi in Ecuador.
• Zea mays indurata - This is dark maize, known as maíz morocho.
• Zea mays amylacea - This is soft maize, called maíz suave.

In the early 1960s, a researcher named Aureliano Brandolini collected many maize seed samples from Ecuador. He studied them to understand the different types, or "races," of maize. His work helped identify new races and confirm others.

The way Ecuadorian maize is classified today considers many things:

• Where it grows (its location and environment).
• Things like altitude and how plants react to different amounts of daylight (photoperiodic response).
• The characteristics of the plant and its ear (the part with the kernels).
• A close look at the cells and chromosomes.
• Historical and cultural information about how the crop has been grown.

This research showed some interesting facts:

• The Canguiles group from the Andean highlands isn't affected by changes in daylight hours (photoperiod). This is also true for Lima varieties, which might have been brought in more recently.
• Maize varieties from the lowland tropical areas grow very tall, sometimes over 5.5 meters (about 18 feet) without counting the tassel!
• In contrast, Canguiles and the hard-kernel maize from the highlands sierra (like Morocho, Patillo, Perlilla, and Tusilla) are much shorter, usually less than 2.0 meters (about 6.5 feet) tall.
• The size of the tassel (the top part of the maize plant) varies a lot and doesn't seem to be linked to the environment. The shortest tassel is on the tropical Dentado maize, while the longest, at 55 cm (about 21 inches), is on the sierra Uchima.

These studies helped identify many different groups and types of maize. Some important traditional varieties that are still grown today include:

• Highlands Sierra Maize
  • Maíz suave (soft maize)
    • Huandango
    • Maíz cónico dentado
    • Maíz de los Chillos
    • Maíz harinoso dentado
  • Morocho (dark maize)
    • Montaña
    • Morochón
    • Sabanero ecuadoriano
    • Tusilla
    • Uchima
  • Maíz precoz (early maize)
    • Kcello

• La Costa (The Coast) & El Oriente (The East) Maize
  • Maíz duro (hard maize)
    • Chococeño
    • Cubano
  • Maíz blando (soft maize)
    • Candela
    • Gallina
    • Tuxpeño