Blue corn is a variety of corn (Zea mays) with indigo-blue kernels, long cultivated by Indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States and Mexico, including the Hopi, Navajo, and Zuni. It holds cultural significance for these communities beyond its use as food.
Blue corn is most often ground into a coarse flour or meal used for breads, tortillas, tamales, and other cornmeal-based foods; the flour has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor and produces a crisper texture than yellow or white cornmeal when baked or fried. Whole kernels keep their color when cooked and are used in soups, stews, and casseroles, or as a colorful coating for fried or baked chicken, fish, or vegetables.
Blue corn is higher in anthocyanin antioxidants than yellow or white corn, and somewhat higher in protein and fiber. It's now grown commercially across the American Southwest and sold as whole kernels, flour, meal, and tortilla chips, though it remains most closely tied to Southwestern and Mexican cooking.