*Maize or Indian corn is a New World plant that was first domesticated by the Mexicans and was brought to Spain by Columbus in the late fifteenth century. During the next century, the plant gradually spread around the world, but mainly took hold in warm climates around the Mediterranean, especially Italy. By the late seventeenth century, corn meal had become a staple in Rumania and Moldavia, where it displaced wheat as the basic component in the national dish, mamal’ga, which resembles polenta. The use of corn spread less rapidly in Russia, however, no doubt in part because of the climate. As late as 1847, the Tsarist government authorized the distribution of free seed to encourage its cultivation in Russia. Since ground corn meal obviously keeps somewhat better and is easier to transport than fresh cobs, it is understandable why Molokhovets used corn meal frequently and easily, but seemed unfamiliar with methods for handling fresh ears. This is the sole recipe, in fact, in this edition to call for fresh corn, although the later undated German edition also included instructions for boiling corn on the cob. (Pokhlebkin, Natsional’nye kukhni, 111; and Guba, Tainy shchedrogo stola, 81.)