Grain
Flour Corn
A tier
Flour corn kernels are soft throughout—easy to grind by hand into fine meal for breads, atole, and traditional soft tortillas when nixtamalised. Andean and Southwestern soft corns often show white, blue, or mixed colours that mill into beautiful doughs. They lack the glassy bite of flints and the dent of commodity field corn. Ideal for handmade meals and ceremonial breads where stone grinding still matters. Store carefully; soft starch can invite pests and moisture issues. Not the best for long-boil polenta chew that hard flints provide after hours of stirring.
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Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
Soft flour maizes were central to Andean grinding and beverage traditions.
Southwestern peoples selected soft corns for hand milling.
Harder commercial dents displaced flour corns from industrial agriculture.
Heritage revivalists restored flour corn landraces for traditional foods.