So Why Is It Called Green Corn? (Milho Verde)

The eating corn that those in North America call sweet corn, or even corn-on-the-cob corn, is known in Brazil as milho verde, which translates into English as Green Corn. Granted the husks are green, but when it's cooked and ready to eat there's very little green to be seen - if they called it milho amarelo (yellow corn) I'd understand, but the green corn name stumps me. It also seems to stump all my Brazilians friends whom I've asked about this terminology. Nobody knows why it's milho verde, just that it IS milho verde.

Unlike in certain other parts of the world where eating fresh cord directly from the cob is considered something that only barnyard animals do, Brazilians share North Americans love of corn on the cob. It's considered more of a snack food or street food here than it is in North America, and it's not common to serve it as part of a meal in a home or restaurant. However, anywhere there's a crowd on the street, be it carnaval, a holiday festival, or just a park or seashore, you can be sure that there will be milho verde available from a number of vendors, selling the product from a cart or stall.

Most evenings, after the sun as set and it's a bit cooler, I walk along Fortaleza's seafront promenade, called Beira-Mar. Me and thousands of other people. It's a colorful scene of ordinary strollers, jogging athletes, skatboarders and roller-bladers, hucksters, and vendors of arts, crafts and food and drink. The most common food carts are those that sell acarajé, green coconut water, popcorn, french fries, and milho verde. The going price for a cob of corn is 1 real, which is approximately USD $0.50. Normally it is sold from a large cauldron of simmering water, placed in a clean and cut half-circle of corn husk, salted and butter, and is eaten on the run. Some vendors have a charcoal fire at one side of their cart, and will offer to grill the cob for you if you prefer it that way. A fresh, sweet ear of "milho verde" is satisfying without being too filling. Washed down with an icy beer, it makes the evening stroll just that much more pleasant.

Below are some photos of milho verde vendors and their carts, taken on Fortaleza's Beira-Mar.