Corncob

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A corncob is the central core of a maize (Zea mays ssp. mays L.) ear. Young ears, also called baby corn, can be consumed raw, but as the plant matures the cob becomes tougher until only the kernels are edible. When harvesting corn the corncob is collected as part of the ear, leaving the corn stover in the field.

The corn plant's ear is also considered a "cob" or "pole" but it is not fully a "pole" until the ear is shucked, or removed from the plant material around the ear. Every row of corn on a corncob has the same number of kernels.

Contents 1 Uses 2 Trivia 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Uses

Corncobs are an important source of the furfural, an aromatic aldehyde used in a wide variety of industrial processes. Although with little nutritious value, corncobs can be used as fiber in ruminant fodder. Corncobs can be used to make smoking pipes. Over many years corncobs can also be made into charcoal.

[edit] Trivia

• In the NBC television drama Heroes, the character Hiro Nakamura throws corncobs at the character Matt Parkman's face as a test in the episode The Eclipse Part I.
• The character Groundskeeper Willie in the popular Fox comedy The Simpsons tries to eat his way out of his shack, which the character Bart Simpson has filled with creamed corn.
• In the XBox Live Arcade video game Castle Crashers, the boss you fight in the level entitled 'Corn Boss' is a giant corncob.

[edit] See also

• Maize
• Corn stover
• Sweet corn
• Pole Corn

[edit] External links

• Making charcoal from corncobs

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