Popcorn - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Popcorn is a type of corn that expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Popcorn is able to pop like
amaranth grain, sorghum, quinoa, and millet. When heated, pressure builds within the kernel, and a small
explosion (or "pop") is the end result. Some strains of corn are now cultivated specifically as popping corns.
There are various techniques for popping corn. Along with prepackaged popcorn, which is generally intended to
be prepared in a microwave oven, there are small home appliances for popping corn. These methods require the
use of minimally processed popping corn.
A larger-scale, commercial popcorn machine was invented by Charles Cretors in the late 19th century.
Unpopped popcorn is considered nonperishable and will last indefinitely if stored in ideal conditions.
Depending on how it is prepared and cooked, some consider popcorn to be a health food, while others caution
against it for a variety of reasons. Popcorn can also have non-food applications, ranging from holiday
decorations to packaging materials.

Corn was first domesticated in Mexico 9,000 years ago. The oldest specimen of popcorn was found in New
Mexico, and is about 5,600 years old.[1] It is speculated that popcorn was introduced to the pre-Columbian
North America by the Iroquois, with the process being observed by European settlers on the eastern part of the
continent.[2] Popping of the kernels was achieved manually through the 19th century, being sold on the east
coast under names such as 'Pearls' or 'Nonpareil'. The term 'popped corn' first appeared in John Russell Bartletts
1848 Dictionary of Americanisms.[3][4] Popcorn was an ingredient in Cracker Jack, and in the early years of the
product, it was popped by hand.[3]
Popcorn's accessibility increased rapidly in the 1890s with Charles Cretors' invention of the popcorn maker.
Cretors, a Chicago candy store owner, created a number of steam powered machines for roasting nuts, and
applied the technology to the corn kernels. By the turn of the century, Cretors had created and deployed street
carts equipped with steam powered popcorn makers.[2]
During the Great Depression, popcorn was fairly inexpensive at 510 cents a bag and became popular. Thus,
while other businesses failed, the popcorn business thrived and became a source of income for many struggling
farmers, including the Reddenbacher family, namesake of the famous popcorn brand. During World War II,
sugar rations diminished candy production, and Americans compensated by eating three times as much popcorn
as they had before.[5] The snack was popular at theaters, much to the initial displeasure of many of the theater
owners, who thought it distracted from the films. Their minds eventually changed, however, and in 1938 a
Midwestern theater owner named Glen W. Dickson installed popcorn machines in the lobbies of his theaters.
The venture was a financial success, and the trend soon spread.[3]
In 1970, Orville Redenbacher's namesake brand of popcorn was launched. In 1981, General Mills received the
first patent for a microwave popcorn bag, with popcorn consumption seeing a sharp increase by tens of
thousands of pounds in the years following.[2]
At least six localities (all in the Midwestern United States) claim to be the "Popcorn Capital of the World;":

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