corn was the wheat of the Americas; the starch root of the diet, of anything bread-like. Cheap and easy to grow plentifully, a good carb source of energy for working folk, and an important dietary foundation; while one needs fruits, veggies and proteins too, starch foods keep populations alive during hard times.
Corn, wheat, rice and the potato (another starch of the Americas) have all played comparable roles in this regard; at least one of these has almost always been present and been indispensable components of the diet, anywhere that humans thrived.
