Sweet corn is a variety of maize (Zea mays) grown and harvested specifically for its tender, sugar-rich kernels, as opposed to field corn, which is left to dry in the husk and used mainly for animal feed, starch, and processed products. It arose from natural mutations in maize, first domesticated in Mexico and Central America, that slow the conversion of sugar to starch, keeping the kernels sweet and juicy. Because sugars keep converting to starch after harvest, fresh, recently picked corn has the best flavor; it's typically boiled, grilled, or roasted, and used in dishes like corn chowder, succotash, and salsas, or cut from the cob for salads and tacos.