Its the season of corn again. Wet, rainy days and a few cobs of roasted corn go hand in hand. Ibe Oni, fresh corn produce of the day, is what people ask for when they go to the market or when they are opportune to travel along the expressways during the rainy days. Boiled, grilled or roasted corn along with Ube (African or Bush pear also called butter fruit) or coconuts are popular street snacks in the city of Lagos.
If there is so much corn around you and you want to partake in the produce of the season, there are so many ways to utilize this crop. Â There are so many corn recipes in Nigeria: corn puddings, soups, fritters, Adalu (beans and corn recipe) and so on.
Corn is one of the most popular grains of the world. Corn as a whole produce contains a starch, fair amount of fibre, minerals such as  manganese, phosphorus, zinc, and small amounts of some vitamins like folate, Vitamins B3, B5, B6. in a 100 grams of boiled yellow corn, you can get about 21g of carbohydrate, 2.4g  of fibre, 1.5g of fat and 3.4g of protein. Corn generally is limited in some essential amino acids and combining with other grains (that contain those essential amino acids) or legumes can complement the protein to become adequate to meet protein needs. Like many natural produce, corn also contains many bioactive compounds that can be beneficial to the body. They include: Zeaxanthin, Lutein, Ferulic acid, and phytic acid (although this antioxidant also binds zinc and iron and makes them unavailable for the body to utilize).
Corn is a very important raw material for the food industry. However, when corn becomes highly processed, it loses all the goodness in it and can be more harmful than beneficial for the body. Like most food products, the fresher the better.
So, now that it is the season of corn and you can get it fresh containing all the natural goodness, it would be great for you to utilize the opportunity.
