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[[Image:Popcorn02.jpg|thumb|250px|Popcorn popped]] |
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'''Popcorn''' or '''popping corn''' is a type of [[maize]] which puffs up when it is heated in oil or by dry heat. Special varieties of corn are grown to give improved popping yield. Some wild types will pop, but the cultivated strain is ''Zea mays L. subsp. mays (Everta Group)'', which is a special kind of ''flint corn''. Popcorn was first developed by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] thousands of years ago. In 1948, popcorn ears dating back 5,600-years were discovered in bat caves in New Mexico. |
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Popcorn was introduced to the Europeans in the late 15th Century when [[Christopher Columbus]] noted that the Native Americans made popcorn corsages and popcorn headdresses which they sold to Columbus' sailors. French explorers, around the year 1612, in the Great Lakes region documented use of popcorn by the [[Iroquois]] who popped corn in pottery using hot sand. They also reported that during an Iroquois dinner, popcorn soup and popcorn beer were consumed. |
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Popcorn has become a popular [[snack food]] all over the world. Early North American colonists loved popcorn so much, that they actually served it for breakfast with sugar and cream. This represents the first puffed [[breakfast cereal]]. |
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In [[Europe]] and the [[United States]], popcorn is particularly common in [[movie theater]]s. It is often served with [[butter]] and [[salt]] or butter flavored soy extract. It is also sometimes flavored with [[sugar]] (especially in the [[United Kingdom]], [[Germany]] and parts of Asia<--needs to be more specific-->), [[nutritional yeast]], or spices. In the United States it is sometimes served with sugar and [[vinegar]]. |
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Popcorn balls (popped kernels stuck together with a sugary "glue") were hugely popular around the turn of the 20th century, but their popularity has since waned. Popcorn balls are still served in some places as a traditional [[Halloween]] treat. [[Cracker Jack]] is a popular, commercially produced candy that consists of [[peanut]]s mixed in with [[caramel]]-covered popcorn. [[Kettle corn]] is a variation of normal corn, cooked with white sugar in a large copper kettle. Once reserved for specialty shops and county fairs, kettle corn has recently become popular, especially in the [[Microwave oven|microwave]] popcorn market. |
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Some popular brands of popcorn in the United States are [[Orville Redenbacher's]], [[Act II]], [[Jiffy Pop]] (all three of which are brands of the [[ConAgra Foods]] conglomerate), [[Pop Secret]], [[Jolly Time]], [[Aussie Crunch]] and [[Black Jewell]], a premium brand. |
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== How popcorn pops == |
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As with all [[cereal]] grains, each kernel of popcorn contains a certain amount of moisture in its [[starch]]y [[endosperm]]. Unlike most other grains, the outer hull, or [[pericarp]], of the popcorn kernel is thick and impervious to moisture. |
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As the kernel is heated past the boiling point, water in the kernel begins to turn to steam, generating an internal pressure of about 9 ATM. In kernels of other grains (and in damaged kernels of popcorn), this steam escapes as fast as it forms, but in the tightly sealed popcorn kernel, the steam is held tight by the pericarp and the pressure starts to build until the pericarp suddenly ruptures, causing a small explosion. The force of the explosion turns the kernel inside out. More importantly, because the moisture is evenly distributed throughout the starchy endosperm, the sudden expansion turns the endosperm into an airy foam which gives popcorn its unique texture. |
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Two explanations exist for kernels which do not pop, known in the popcorn industry as "old maids," after being exposed to high temperatures. The first is that unpopped kernels do not have enough moisture to create enough steam for an explosion. The second explanation, according to research led by Dr. Bruce Hamaker of [[Purdue University]], is that the unpopped kernel may have a leaky hull. |
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==Trivia== |
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*[[Indiana]] produces more popcorn than any other state in the US. |
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*Popcorn has been served in movie theaters since [[1912]]. |
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*Buttered popcorn sells twice as well as plain popcorn. |
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*The first popcorn, made by Native Americans, was flavored with dried [[herb]]s & [[spice]]s. |
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*The average popping temperature for popcorn is around 347°[[Fahrenheit|F]] (175°[[Celsius|C]]) |
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*The commercial popcorn machine was invented in [[Chicago, Illinois]] by [[Charles Cretors]] in 1885. |
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*Stringing popcorn to hang on a tree is a popular Christmas Tradition in some parts of North America. |
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*At least four localities claim to be the "Popcorn Capital of the World": [[Marion, Ohio]], [[Ridgway, Illinois]], [[Schaller, Iowa]], and [[North Loup, Nebraska]]. |
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* In Spanish, Pop-Corn's name vary by region, resulting in more than 10 names difering by country. (For more information, see Spanish Wikipedia, article: [http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palomitas_de_ma%C3%ADz] |
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==See also== |
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*[[kettle corn]] |
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*[[caramel corn]] |
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*[[Cracker Jack]] |
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*[[Popcorn bag]] |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.popcorn.org/ Popcorn Board (U.S.)] |
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*[http://www.siouxcityhistory.org/commerce/more.php?id=14_0_8_0_M American Popcorn Company history] |
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{{Commons|Popcorn}} |
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[[Category:Snack foods]] |
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[[Category:Popcorn| ]] |
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[[ca:crispeta]] |
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[[de:Popcorn]] |
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[[eo:Krevmaizo]] |
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[[es:Palomitas de maíz]] |
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[[fi:Popcorn]] |
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[[fr:Pop-corn]] |
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[[he:פופקורן]] |
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[[is:Poppkorn]] |
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[[it:Pop corn]] |
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[[ja:ポップコーン (食品)]] |
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[[nl:Popcorn]] |
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[[pt:Pipoca]] |
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[[sv:Popcorn]] |
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[[th:ข้าวโพดคั่ว]] |
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[[zh:玉米花]] |
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Revision as of 04:46, 27 May 2006
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