Maize, makka cholam in Tamil and makka or bhutta in Hindi, was domesticated about nine thousand years ago in the Balsas valley of Mexico from a wild grass called teosinte. Portuguese traders brought it to India in the 1500s. Today most Indian maize goes to poultry feed, starch and ethanol, but roasted bhutta and Punjabi makki di roti keep it in the kitchen. Tamil cholam can also mean sorghum.
- Botanical name
- Zea mays L.
- Family
- Poaceae
- Tamil
- Makkacholam
- Hindi
- Makka
- Parts used
- Grain after cooking, Young cob
- Habit
- Maize; Tamil cholam also names sorghum
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Makkacholam
It is a tall annual grass, often two metres or more, with a thick, solid stem and broad leaves.
Male flowers form a branched tassel at the top of the stem.
Female flowers form ears in the leaf axils, wrapped in husks, with long silks that each lead to one kernel.
The kernels sit in rows on a cob and may be yellow, white, red, blue or black.
Sorghum carries its grain in a head at the top of the stem, not on cobs.
Traditional use of Makkacholam
Kitchen
Makki di roti, flatbread of maize flour, is eaten with sarson ka saag and butter in Punjab winters.
Punjabi food practice
Kitchen
Cobs roasted over coals and rubbed with lime and chilli are sold as bhutta on Indian streets in the monsoon.
Indian street food practice
Kitchen
In Mexico maize is soaked and cooked in lime water, called nixtamalization, before grinding for tortillas.
Mexican food practice
Modern notes on Makkacholam
Nixtamalization frees niacin; populations that ate untreated maize as a staple suffered pellagra, a niacin deficiency disease.
Maize stored damp can be contaminated with aflatoxins from moulds, which damage the liver.
The fall armyworm, a pest from the Americas, arrived in India in 2018 and spread quickly through maize fields.
Maize is gluten-free and is the world’s largest grain crop by tonnage.
Makkacholam safety
Throw away mouldy or discoloured maize and store grain dry. If maize is your main staple, eat it with pulses and other foods that supply niacin.
Ecology and sourcing
It is wind-pollinated and cross-pollinates readily between fields.
It cannot reseed itself in the wild, because the husks keep the kernels on the cob.
Its wild ancestor, teosinte, still grows in Mexico.
Related plants
Also in Poaceae
Questions about Makkacholam
Is makka cholam the same as cholam?
No. Cholam alone often means sorghum.
Is sweet corn a different plant?
No. It is a sweet variety of maize.
Is maize gluten-free?
Yes.
What is nixtamalization?
Cooking maize in lime water before grinding.
When did maize reach India?
In the 1500s, through Portuguese traders.
Sources
- Zea mays L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q11575 (Zea mays)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.