kaffircorn, noun

/ˈkæfəkɔːn/
Forms:
caffer-corn, caffre-cornShow more Formerly also caffer-corn, caffre-corn, caffree-corn, kafir corn.
Origin:
South African DutchShow more Probably translation of South African Dutch kafferkoring, kaffer (see kaffir) + koring wheat.
obsolescent, offensive
sorghum sense 1. Also attributive.
1785 G. Forster tr. of A. Sparrman’s Voy. to Cape of G.H. II. 10The kind of corn which they sow, is..known to yield abundantly. The colonists call it caffer-corn.
1795 C.R. Hopson tr. of C.P. Thunberg’s Trav. I. 294Caffre-corn (Holcus caffrorum)..grew to the height of a man, bearing large clusters of flowers.
1802 Truter & Somerville in G.M. Theal Rec. of Cape Col. (1899) IV. 382Dinner was served, consisting in roast beef and in holcus, or Caffer corn, boiled in milk.
1803 J.T. Van der Kemp in Trans. of Missionary Soc. I. 438The Caffree corn is, as I think, a kind of millet, but grows from seven to ten feet high...The corn..is eaten boiled..; they also bruise it between two stones, and make unleavened bread of it; they likewise malt it, after which it is boiled, and the decoction fermented. This drink they call tjaloa.
1835 W.B. Boyce in A. Steedman Wanderings II. 266A large earthen pot of beer made from Caffer corn, which is not very bad, considering all circumstances.
1852 A.W. Cole Cape & Kafirs 157The Kafir can do without us; he drinks pure water; he eats bruised Kaffir corn and milk.
a1867 C.J. Andersson Notes of Trav. (1875) 221Indigenous to the country..the so-styled Caffir corn (Holcus Suluceni), a flattened, roundish seed of a reddish yellow colour.
1882 W.R. Ludlow Zululand & Cetewayo 73Corn maas is made from the Kaffir corn, or millet.
1894 E. Glanville Fair Colonist 80Breakfasting off a dish of kaffir corn boiled in milk, and home-made brown bread.
1903 E.F. Knight S. Afr. after War 140Here the farmer, without any irrigation, raises not merely his summer crops of mealies, Kaffir corn, side oats and potatoes, but also his winter crop of wheat, barley, [etc.].
1911 L. Cohen Reminisc. of Kimberley 288Gallons of native beer, made from Kaffir corn..were drunk..I imbibed some with unfortunate results.
1925 D. Kidd Essential Kafir 57This beer is made..from Kafir corn, which is soaked and allowed to sprout; it is then dried and powdered up and soaked in water; sometimes special roots which contain a ferment are added to help the process.
1936 Cambridge Hist. of Brit. Empire VIII. 769Kaffir corn is..apparently indigenous to South Africa, and still forms in native agriculture an important grain and forage crop.
1941 C.W. De Kiewiet Hist. of S. Afr. 81From the time of the..Frontier War of 1850–1 may be said to date the monotonous and insufficient diet of maize and Kafir corn porridge.
1955 A. Delius Young Trav. in S. Afr. 50The kaffir-corn porridge was a dark-brown colour.
1966 L.G. Berger Where’s Madam 80In Lily’s skokiaan-making days..the recipe consisted of twenty cents worth of brown sugar, two loaves of brown bread mixed with warm water, two packets of yeast and twenty cents worth of crushed, sprouted kaffir corn.
1972 Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. VI. 265Kaffir-corn and sweet-stemmed sorghums..from Natal and other regions roused considerable interest in the U.S.A.
1973 D. Jacobson Through Wilderness (1977) 158Some kaffircorn malt which he used to brew his own beer.
1985 Cape Times 10 Oct.Sorghum — ‘kaffircorn’ they still call it —..sold at the time for nearly £4 a bag.
1991 B. MacKenzie (tr. of F.P. Van den Heever) in Best of S. Afr. Short Stories 56Three times a day it was Kaffir corn and ground acorn coffee; the Kaffir corn however boasted some trifling variations: first Kaffir corn porridge, then stamped Kaffir corn, and finally extra stiff Kaffir corn porridge.
1994 M. Roberts tr. of J.A. Wahlberg’s Trav. Jrnls 1838–56 34The following plants are cultivated by the Kaffers:..Kaffir-beans, Kaffir-corn, and Kaffir-manna.
sorghum sense 1. Also attributive.
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obsolete or obsolescent
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Kaffir-bread, nounn.kaffir dog, noun phrasen. phr.
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