The Story of Corn

by Betty Fussell

The Story of Corn is a unique compendium, drawing upon history and mythology, science and art, anecdote and image, personal narrative and epic to tell the extraordinary story of the grain that built the New World. Corn transformed the way the entire world eats, providing a hardy, inexpensive alternative to rice or wheat and cheap fodder for livestock and finding its way into everything from explosives to embalming fluid. Betty Fussell has given us a true American saga, interweaving the histories of the indigenous peoples who first cultivated the grain and the European conquerors who appropriated and propagated it around the globe. She explores corn's roles as food, fetish, crop, and commodity to those who have planted, consumed, worshiped, processed, and profited from it for seven centuries. Now available only from the University of New Mexico Press, The Story of Corn, is the winner of a Julia Child Cookbook Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
"Written in a lively and nontechnical style."-- Library Journal
"Fussell has clearly done a good deal of research and a lot of traveling--peering over a precipice at Machu Picchu, descending into a restored ceremonial kiva of the Anasazi people in New Mexico, visiting the sole surviving corn palace from the Midwest boosters--glory days of a century ago."-- Kirkus Reviews

Genres: History, Food, Nonfiction, Microhistory, Food History, Science, Agriculture

367 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Betty Harper Fussell is an award-winning American writer and is the author of eleven books, ranging from biography to cookbooks, food history and memoir. Over the last 50 years, her essays on food, travel and the arts have appeared in scholarly journals, popular magazines and newspapers as varied as The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, Saveur, Vogue, Food & Wine, Metropolitan Home and Gastronomica. Her memoir, My Kitchen Wars, was performed in Hollywood and New York as a one-woman show by actress Dorothy Lyman. Her most recent book is Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beef, and she is now working on How to Cook a Coyote: A Manual of Survival in NYC.

Reviews

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, as far as content goes, really this should get 4-5 stars, however the writing was so difficult to get through. First the good. Fussell obviously did a wonderful job with her research; the book contains everything and anything you could possibly want/need to know about corn. Additionally, it is organized pretty well bouncing back and forth between ancient and modern humans' uses of corn, showing that the two seemingly opposite cultures treat corn in similar manners, just in different words/symbols.
Now the bad. Don't get me wrong, it's not even your typical awful writing, instead, it's as if the author kept reworking sentences and then couldn't decide which was the best, so she included them all! So many times, a full paragraph is just a repeat of one concept instead of the expansion of it. Also, there are numerous comparisons between the ancient and modern world which are complete stretches for literary sake, or are just downright cheesy.
Last of all, the author is a HUGE proponent of the "noble savage" concept. This axiom at times majorly skews her portrayal of Native American views of corn. (This is a personal pet peeve, so I'll be honest, it really doesn't affect the narrative a whole lot; I just can't stand it).
Overall, it's a great source of all things corn.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad history of corn. A bit dry and overly personal for my tastes. Recommended only for people really interested in the history of corn.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Wherever corn went, civilization followed." Lots of research.
I found the writing style not so conducive to recreational reading. (Although it's not scientific or academic, it's an odd mix of personal information while lacking a personal touch.)

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads #Food History

Betty Fussell’s The Story of Corn is, quite simply, a revelation. When I read it, I realized that corn is not just another cereal grain, but one of the most powerful cultural, agricultural, and political forces in world history. Fussell treats corn as both protagonist and witness, showing how this single crop shaped civilizations, fueled economies, and even altered the environment.

She begins in the Americas, where maize was domesticated thousands of years ago. For Indigenous peoples, corn was more than sustenance; it was sacred. Fussell describes the ceremonies, myths, and agricultural techniques that surrounded maize cultivation, and how deeply it was woven into spiritual and social life. The book then follows corn’s transatlantic journey, spreading across continents as both food and commodity, transforming diets and landscapes.

But Fussell doesn’t romanticize. She’s unsparing in tracing how corn became a tool of conquest and colonization, how European expansion uprooted Indigenous traditions while exploiting their knowledge of cultivation. Later chapters delve into industrial agriculture, hybrid seeds, and the rise of high-fructose corn syrup, showing how corn has morphed into a symbol of abundance and excess at once. Fussell’s critique of agribusiness is sharp: she lays bare how subsidies, monocultures, and corporate control turned corn into both an economic powerhouse and an ecological problem.

What I loved most is her ability to mix the intimate with the global. She weaves together myth, history, politics, and recipes, moving seamlessly from Aztec rituals to American breakfast tables. The book is filled with quirky details—corn as moonshine, as livestock feed, as candy filler—that make you realize how omnipresent it is. Fussell’s prose is spirited, sometimes even playful, but always backed by rigorous research.

By the time I finished, I couldn’t look at a tortilla, a cornflake, or even a soda the same way again. Each was evidence of a vast history of adaptation, innovation, and exploitation. Corn, Fussell insists, is not just food—it is identity, industry, and ideology. It has fed populations, bankrolled empires, and rewritten landscapes.

Among all the food history books I’ve read—Laudan on cuisines, Reader on potatoes, Dalby on spices—Fussell’s The Story of Corn stands out for its blend of narrative verve and moral urgency. It’s not merely about how we came to eat corn in all its forms; it’s about how corn came to eat us—how it infiltrates our diets, economies, and even our politics.

This isn’t a quick snack of a book; it’s a full meal, layered and sometimes heavy, but unforgettable. Fussell makes you see that the story of corn is, in many ways, the story of the modern world. And once you’ve read it, you’ll never walk through a supermarket aisle without hearing the rustle of cornfields behind the shelves.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corn history aficionados will enjoy this book, even if it’s a chore to read. The book’s about food history, but it defies genres and calls itself a “unique compendium.” Indeed, the author’s lyrical style often wanders with philosophical and personal musings. Combined with endless factoids, it’s easy to forget the point the author’s making at any given moment. Thus, although I do suggest this book for corn history buffs, the text’s lack of focus makes reading it arduous despite insightful and fascinating details. That’s unfortunate, as tighter editing and structure could’ve made this compendium more appealing to casual readers or researchers. Four stars for corn enthusiasts, but two stars for anyone else.

[Dexter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's definitely fascinating, and definitely thorough. But you have to be pretty determined to get through it all.

I constantly felt like I was in an advanced history class without ever taking the prerequisites. I think a lot of that is due to the book being 30 years old, and the author makes a ton of references that probably made more sense back then but now aren't as well known or remembered. Maybe if I'd grown up in corn country it'd be easier to understand.

After finally finishing it though, I almost feel like instead of learning more about corn, I now know how much I don't know about corn.

[Abby]

This is a monumental work, so thoroughly researched and sensitively written that its place in the literature is well earned. I love its veering in many directions and the many aspects of corn Fussel considers, creating a portrait of an extremely complicated plant and its extremely complicated relationship with humans. But somehow this was a way denser read than I was expecting, and I barely got through it despite my active interest. I guess I was unprepared.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything to be known about corn is here. The Native American myths the American folklore, the science, the uses both in industry and in cooking. If the book has a fault it is slightly out of date but except for the science i am certain all the information is pertinent.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've tried to finish, but I can't. Betty, Betty, Betty... savages? Really? I'll try again someday, in an effort to be fair.

[Pat Carson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read - especially, for me, the history of corn in the world.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely, readable, informative with plenty of illustrations and pictures throughout.