Rainbow Maize - Presìdi Slow Food - Slow Food Foundation

As suggested by the name, the kernels of the rainbow maize form an amazing array of colours: opaque blue, carmine red, pale orange, creamy white, violet, egg-yolk yellow or pink. The variety is not grown commercially; instead it has been preserved and passed down for generations by subsistence farmers. The dried kernels are crushed by hand, using a stone, then coarsely ground to obtain samp, or more finely ground for use in a porridge called pap. All of this was before the introduction of intensive monocultures and GMOs. These days, cornmeal is still an everyday staple in the country, but over 80% of the corn grown in South Africa is genetically modified. The Slow Food network in Johannesburg has tracked down some farmers, who still cultivate this maize, in what is known as the Valley of a Thousand Hills, close to Pietermaritzburg, in KwaZulu-Natal.

Slow Food Presidia - Page 2 of 4 - Slow Food Foundation

La Fe Mini Corn on the Cob, 8 count

Slow Food - Good, Clean and Fair Food for All

New Slow Food Presidia: South African Rainbow Maize and Rex Union Orange - Slow Food

Presìdi Slow Food - Page 2 of 4 - Slow Food Foundation

Slow Food - Good, Clean and Fair Food for All

Slow Food - Good, Clean and Fair Food for All

Plant scientists at CSHL demonstrate new means of boosting maize yields

Slow Food - Good, Clean and Fair Food for All

Slow Food - Good, Clean and Fair Food for All