Ukraine is a great place to feast on sweet corn. This summer treat is tasty, nutritious, and at the same time not expensive at all, as local fields abound in this crop. The season starts in late July and is over by mid-September. But you must know that the corn plant is soft and juicy only a short period after being harvested. Later on, the seeds dry up and harden and hence are less enjoyable.
During the season, sweet corn makes for popular street food, especially at beach resorts. So whenever you are at the Black Sea in Odesa or Shatsk Lakes (Shatsky ozera), you'll likely encounter several ladies loudly selling hot sweet corn to the vacationers. Besides, this product is widely sold throughout local markets and is extremely easy to cook. Just boil it in slightly salted water for some 10 minutes and serve the snack sprinkled with some more salt. Most people take off the leaves while boiling corn plants, except some cooks, claiming that leaves add to the flavor.
As one of the world's leading corn producers, Ukraine exports thousands of tons to Asia, Africa, and Europe. A part of the harvest is always saved and dried for the seeds. What's more, a good deal of the crop is canned in the factories and enjoyed year-round in various salads and on its own.
Probably, you didn't know that corn grows on a kind of grass, so it's neither fruit nor a vegetable, but rather a corn plant, as we named it above. The stems might grow as high as 23 feet (7 m) in favorable conditions. But the most stunning feature is its golden color which is not a mere coincidence—the corn does have a small amount of gold in its content!
