Sweet corn is probably what most people think of as “corn.” It is a very small percentage of the corn you see growing, but it’s the only corn that you will ever eat whole. It is very versatile. You can eat it as loose corn, corn-on-the-cob, creamed corn, scalloped corn, corn fritters, corn chowder, corn pudding, etc. And they’re all delicious.
Botanically, each individual kernel is its own fruit and the cob is very nearly a separate fruit. However, sweet corn is a vegetable. It is called sweet corn because it is sweet, but it is not culinarily a fruit. It’s not that sweet.
Sweet corn’s vegetabliness contrasts with dent corn’s graininess. Sweet corn is not considered a grain since it is picked before drying and eaten like a vegetable. It is often eaten on the cob, it is never eaten dried, and it’s never ground up. It is usually just a compliment to other foods and is not eaten as a staple. These all point to it being a vegetable. This is commonly understood, as corn is a hallmark of vegetable medleys.