Have you ever noticed how you have to eat corn on the cob in a row, like typing on a keyboard? It’s because the kernels are arranged in neat, geometric spirals called rows.
Most ears have 16 to 20 rows. If you bite randomly, you get a messy face. If you bite in a line, you get a clean, satisfying “pop-pop-pop” sound. It’s the most satisfying percussion instrument you can eat.
Ever get a kernel stuck in your teeth? That’s because the outside is a tough little shell called the pericarp. It’s designed to protect the seed through a winter of hibernation. Your teeth are just nature’s way of breaking that lock.
