Maize is a member of the grass family, Poaceae. It is a cereal that is counted among the most important basic foodstuffs in many countries. It is a member of, like sugar cane or millet, the so-called, C4 plants. These are particularly well suited to warmer climates. They need only a little water to quickly photosynthesise, they can use carbon dioxide more effectively, and can even provide good harvests in hot dry climates.

In Mexico, maize has been cultivated as far back as 3000 BC. Maize began to make its way to Europe after Columbus discovered it in the New World/Caribbean in 1525. Today, the USA is the most important maize farming country.

Apart from its main importance as a food and animal feed, maize also finds other uses. It is used to make disposable cutlery and crockery. It is used as biodegradable wadding in packing. It can also be used to produce energy in biological gas facilities.

In order that it keeps for a long time, maize grains are separated from the ears and dried after harvest. This reduces their water content to 15%. Maize grains are then turned into flour and semolina in mills. Us Europeans best enjoy maize (sweet corn) freshly cooked and golden yellow from the cob, or munching it in the cinema in the form of sweet or salty popcorn. It’s also great with milk for breakfast, in the form of cornflakes.

Maize makes its way into our chocolate as crunchy cornflakes. Producing cornflakes from maize firstly involves boiling corn grits, rolling them into flakes, and then drying them. After all that, they have really earned the chance to be dipped in the creamy milk chocolate of RITTER SPORT Cornflakes.