XIV. 



690 MAIZE 



CHAP, grade maize may be used for this purpose. The use of these 

 and similar preparations is extending steadily in the United 

 States, Europe, and South Africa. Their protein content 

 is relatively low. One of the largest firms of manufacturers 

 in the United States uses 210,000 muids of choice maize per 

 annum in the manufacture of these and other products {Bow- 

 man and Crossley, 1). 



644. Tortillas and Enchilladas.— -The " tortilla " or Mexi- 

 can corn-cake is said to be the main food of 90 per cent 

 of the native population of Mexico. The total annual con- 

 sumption of tortillas is valued at $76,560,000 gold {Bowman 

 and Crossley, 1). In Mexico the tortilla is made from shelled 

 maize which has been allowed to soak over-night in rather 

 strong lye water, made from wood ashes, in an earthenware 

 jar; this process swells the grain and softens the hull. The 

 whole grain is then pounded or water-ground into a paste in a 

 metate or hollowed stone, with a more or less cylindrical 

 pestle. The paste is afterwards rolled or patted into thin 

 cakes (sometimes 2 feet in diameter) which are baked or 

 fried. In California the paste or meal is mixed with salt, 

 water, and a little fat, into a batter stiff enough to be moulded 

 with the hands into round, flat cakes which are baked in the 

 ashes or on a hot stone. The enchillada is a tortilla cooked in 

 a pan and then fried in olive oil and stuffed with a mixture of 

 red pepper, onions, raisins, and garlic, and dressed with hard- 

 boiled eggs and grated cheese. 



645. Maize as a " Green" Vegetable. — The young grains of 

 the maize ear, before they harden, form a favourite article of 

 food in maize-growing countries. The ears are either boiled 

 or roasted, and if not overcooked 1 the grains are creamy and 

 palatable. In order to make this vegetable available the year 

 round, and for use in countries where the crop is not grown, 

 a large industry in the ''canning" of green maize has been 

 established in the United States. Canning factories exist 

 which every season put up thousands of tins of " green 

 corn " cut from the cob, ready to be warmed and eaten when 

 the fresh article is out of season ; " canned corn" is a staple 

 vegetable in the United States during the winter months. 



1 At a low altitude 8 minutes in rapidly boiling water usually suffices — 

 long cooking only tends to harden the grains and make them indigestible. 



