Blue corn is a variety of corn from the Southwestern region of the United States with a bluish-purple color. Its kernels are often stone-milled into cornmeal and used to make tortillas and tortilla chips. With its natural color, blue corn can add a distinctive hue to a number of dishes. The ingredient is gaining traction on U.S. menus, growing by 27 percent over the past four years, and can be found at independent casual-dining restaurants as well as progressive fast-casual concepts.