Ancient agricultural practices improved maize’s digestibility over centuries.

Evidence

The easy digestibility of modern maize is thanks to the selective breeding of the crop by generations of farmers, each choosing seeds from the ‘best’ plant to cultivate for the next crop. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 180

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 180
• XREF: connects to: Ancient diets included substances hard for us to digest, requiring adaptation. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 167; Cooking maize is essential to release its nutrients. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 180; Teosinte is the ancestral plant from which maize is derived. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 179 (+2 more)

Library Connections

• Cooking maize is essential to release its nutrients. #expands (0.85) — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 180

Broader Connections

• Teosinte is the ancestral plant from which maize is derived. #expands (0.75) — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 179