Corn, also known as zea mays
In years prior to the discovery of the New World, and with it, the discovery of maize, many grains were called "corn".
In 1940, Barbara McClintock recieved the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovery of the first transposons in corn.
As a food, corn is used in various forms. Grits are commonly eaten for breakfast. Hominy is usually eaten as component of lunch, dinner, and supper.
Image:
http://www.wikipedia.com/images/uploads/corns.jpg full-sized image
Might I suggest we rename this whole article to Maize. Everywhere in the English-speaking world, Maize means this plant, even though in some countries (e.g. the US, Australia) that word is not often used. On the other hand, (IIRC)what Corn refers to varies from country to country -- SJK