Science, History and Nutrition of Popcorn
          People have been fascinated by popcorn for centuries. Popcorn is scientifically known as Zea mays everta. It’s a type of maize, or corn, and is a member of the grass family. Popcorn is a whole grain and is made up of three components: the germ, endosperm, and pericarp (or hull). Of the 4 most common types of corn—sweet, dent (also called field), flint (also called Indian corn), and popcorn—only popcorn pops! Popcorn differs from other types of corn in that its hull has just the right thickness to allow it to burst open.
          Each kernel of popcorn contains a small drop of water stored inside a circle of soft starch. Popcorn needs between 13.5-14% moisture to pop. The soft starch is surrounded by the kernel's hard outer surface. As the kernel heats up, the water begins to expand. Around 212 degrees the water turns into steam and changes the starch inside each kernel into a superhot gelatinous goop. The kernel continues to heat to about 347 degrees. The pressure inside the grain will reach 135 pounds per square inch before finally bursting the hull open. As it explodes, steam inside the kernel is released. The soft starch inside the popcorn becomes inflated and spills out, cooling immediately and forming into the odd shape we know and love. A kernel will swell 40-50 times its original size!
Early Popcorn History
·           Biblical accounts of "corn" stored in the pyramids of Egypt are misunderstood. The “corn" from the bible was probably barley. The mistake comes from a changed use of the word "corn," which used to signify the most-used grain of a specific place. This is similar to how we use the word cereal. In England, "corn" was wheat, and in Scotland and Ireland the word referred to oats. Since maize was the common American "corn," it took that name -- and keeps it today.
·          It is believed that the first use of wild and early cultivated corn was popping. The oldest ears of popcorn ever found were discovered in the Bat Cave of west central New Mexico in 1948 and 1950. Ranging from smaller than a penny to about 2 inches, the oldest Bat Cave ears are 4,000 years old.
·Popcorn was integral to early 16th century Aztec Indian ceremonies. ·In 1519, Cortes got his first sight of popcorn when he invaded Mexico and came into contact with the Aztecs. Popcorn was an important food for the Aztec Indians, and decoration with popcorn for ceremonial headdresses, necklaces and ornaments on statues of their gods, including Tlaloc. ·An early Spanish account of Aztecs reads:
". . . momochitl, a kind of corn which bursts when parched discloses its contents and makes itself look like a very white flower". ·Around 1612, early French explorers through the Great Lakes region noted Iroquois popped popcorn with heated sand in a pottery vessel. Writing of Peruvian Indians in 1650 the Spaniard Cobo says, "They toast a certain kind of corn until it bursts. They call it pisancalla, and they use it as a confection." The use of the moldboard plow became commonplace in the mid-1800s and led to the widespread planting of maize in the United States.
Recent Popcorn History
          Popcorn was very popular from the 1890s until the Great Depression. Street vendors used to follow crowds around, pushing steam or gas-powered poppers through fairs, parks and expositions. ·During the Depression, popcorn at 5 or 10 cents a bag was one of the few luxuries down-and-out families could afford. While other businesses failed, the popcorn business thrived. ·During World War II, sugar was sent overseas for U.S. troops, which meant there wasn't much sugar left in the States to make candy. Thanks to this unusual situation, Americans ate three times as much popcorn as usual. ·
          Popcorn went into a slump during the early 1950s, when television became popular. Attendance at movie theaters dropped and, with it, popcorn consumption. When the public began eating popcorn at home, the new relationship between television and popcorn led to a resurgeance in popularity. ·Microwave popcorn -- the very first use of microwave heating in the 1940s -- has already accounted for $240 million in annual U.S. popcorn sales in the 1990s. ·Americans today consume 17 billion quarts of popped popcorn each year. The average American eats about 54 quarts at home, movies, carnivals, backyard parties, state fairs, school events, the circus, boardwalk, malls, conventions, corporate functions, cafeterias, fund raisers, theaters, slumber parties, and zoos!
Nutritional Information
          It's hard to believe a snack food that tastes so good can actually be good for you! With suggestions from organizations such as the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Dietetic Association (ADA), there's no doubt popcorn is a perfectly sensible snack to fit into any meal/fitness plan. Source; Popcorn Board Education Exchange www.popcorn.org The USDA National Agricultural Library and Air Castles And Slides