The Portuguese imported large numbers of Africans to Brazil to work principally in the sugar and mining industries but also as domestic servants. Masters gave the enslaved corn as part of their rations. When they had the time and space, enslaved Africans cultivated subsistence gardens which they ate from and used to earn capital. Like allot of other street foods sold in slave societies, African entrepreneurs in Brazil most likely started selling corn grown in their gardens and grilled to a sweet perfection on street carts they made and rigged with grills. On Sundays especially, their day off, one saw Africans street venders selling milho verde (green corn) in heavily trafficked pedestrian sectors of urban centers. The only thing green about the corn was the husk it grows in. Thus over time, what started as slave rations became a popular street snack people of all complexions enjoyed and helped entrepreneurs gain capital, improve their lives, and purchase their freedom.
