We all know that popcorn is one of the most popular snacks – and why not? It’s relatively cheap, easy to make, and popcorn consumption is universal. Here are some lesser-known popcorn facts for the popcorn lovers out there:
1- Popcorn is said to originate from Mexico. The ancient Indians used it not only as food but also for decorative purposes on head-dresses. In fact, corn was a staple and had, therefore, lots of uses and methods of preparation. The traditional way of popping corn was, at that time, throwing the kernels on hot stones and, when they popped, trying to catch them. The reward of the game was that the winner got more snacking pleasure.
2- Corn flakes, the popular breakfast cereal, are actually a derivative of popcorn. When the English arrived in Massachusetts a few centuries ago, they mixed it with milk and sugar.
3- The pop in the popcorn is often a very forceful procedure. The starch and liquid in the corn heat up very quickly and the hull of the kernel cannot contain the pressure – kind of like a pressure cooker that explodes if there is no safety release. A kernel can jump up to 3 feet high when that pop occurs.
4- Popcorn is not only a tasty snack; it is responsible for an enormous amount of money exchanging hands. The modern way of making popcorn – by using a microwave oven – is, by itself, responsible for $250 billion per year. And that’s only the microwavable one!
5- The average American eats about 70 quarts of popcorn per year. When you calculate this, we arrive at an astonishing 17.5 billion quarts yearly. In other words, if you would take all the popcorn eaten yearly by the Americans, you would be able to fill more than 36,000 average-sized American homes, from ceiling to roof!
6- Popcorn makers were originally designed to be dragged and pushed around on carnivals, to movie theaters and festivals. It wasn’t until 1925 that people started getting popcorn machines for home-use. At that time, after the depression and the First World War, not many could afford them, though.
7- The Papago Indians in Arizona still make popcorn the old-fashioned way. They use clay pots, some of which have a diameter of up to 8 feet. Apparently this tradition is more than 1,500 years old.
8- In October 2006, the world’s largest popcorn ball was unveiled. This happened in Lake Forest, IL. The huge ball measured 8 feet in diameter and weighed 3,415 pounds.
Interesting, isn’t it, how deep the tradition of popcorn has its roots. It makes it all the tastier for me.