If you’ve ever taken a road trip through the Midwest, where miles upon miles of cornfields stretch east from Kansas and Nebraska on through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, you know that from the car, all corn looks the same. The corn in cornfields looks so similar, in fact, that it dizzies the eye, like one of those Magic Eye posters that were popular in the 1990s. No wonder they call corn maize; like a maze, it would be pretty easy to get lost in a sea of Kansas corn!

While all corn looks the same when you’re driving through Iowa on Interstate 80, the truth is: It isn’t. In fact, there are dozens of varieties of corn worldwide, including five main types — pop corn, which is also known as Indian corn; flint corn, which is a larger type of pop corn; flour corn, which is used to make corn flour and corn meal; dent corn, which is the quintessential yellow corn with which we’re all so familiar; and sweet corn, which has smaller, sweeter kernels than the dent variety.

Whatever corn you put on your plate, one thing’s for sure: It’s not the same corn on which your ancestors noshed. Just ask the history books. While there are many myths surrounding corn and the American dinner plate, popular history suggests that Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas, helped John Smith and the colonists grow corn successfully in Jamestown around 1608. Other stories, meanwhile, bring corn to the table at the harvest feast of 1621, in which the pilgrims at Plymouth finally reaped the rewards of Squantos’ advice to fertilize their fields with fish.

While both myths contain a “kernel” of truth, the reality is that we don’t really know when, exactly, corn became American settlers’ favorite food. What we do know with some certainty, however, is that corn was first cultivated over 5,000 years ago in areas of Mexico and Central America, and that it wasn’t until the discovery of the New World that it made its way to Europe.

That means that if you ever come across the term “corn” in English literature predating the voyage of Christopher Columbus, it’s probably not the same kind that now flourishes in the Midwest. In fact, it’s probably something far less appetizing, because the word “corn” was not actually a prescient reference to corn on the cob. Instead, in England - and in the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare - “corn” was once a generic term for any type of grain or wheat. Gruel, anyone?

Still, the British were on to something, as the corn that indigenous Americans shared with European settlers did, ironically, grow originally as a type of grass - like wheat - that was cultivated over thousands of years into the domestic vegetable we grill today.

Speaking of grilling, it’s almost corn season here in the United States. Of the five varieties we previously mentioned, two of the most common kinds of corn are sweet corn - with small, sugary kernels — and yellow corn - with larger, more buttery kernels. While only the yellow type gives you Vitamin A, both types give you protein, fiber and Vitamin C, and therefore make for a delicious and nutritious hot-off-the-grill treat.

While you can get frozen corn throughout the year, the freshest corn is available during corn season from May through September, which also happens to be grilling season! If you’re lucky enough to get un-husked corn, try grilling it just like that, with the husk on. Just be sure that the corn is fresh. Fresh corn recently picked has tight and pure green husks without any brown edges. The corn silk should be a medium brown to yellow color and look fresh to the eye without any significant dryness. Also good to know: if there are larger kernels near the ends of the cob, that’s a sign of a corn past its prime.

Fresh corn, picked and cooked the same day, is the absolute best. A way to preserve its freshness if you plan to serve it within two or three days is to husk the corn, gently remove the silk from the surface, roll the ear in a plain paper towel and dampen it with water, then place the ears in a sealed clear food storage baggie for storage in the refrigerator. The results are an amazingly fresh tasting ear.

If it’s still too cold for grilling where you live, try cooking the corn by placing it in a large pot of boiling water with a pinch of sugar for three to eight minutes, depending on the size of the ear and its kernels. Slather it with butter, salt and pepper, and enjoy an early taste of summer!