When the outer shell has reached its pressure point it bursts, releasing the soft inner flake and creating what we recognize as popcorn. The popcorn variety of maize was domesticated by Pre-Columbian indigenous peoples by B. It is a small and harder form of flint corn, most commonly found in white or yellow kernels.
The stalks produce several ears at a time, though they are smaller and yield less corn than other maize varieties. Popcorn likely arrived in the American Southwest over years ago, but was not found growing east of the Mississippi until the early s due to botanical and environmental factors.
Its popularity quickly began to spread throughout the South and by the s popcorn had started to gain a foothold in America. One of the earliest recipes for popping corn came from Daniel Browne during the s. Hold the pan over a fire so as constantly to stir or shake the corn within, and in a few minutes each kernel will pop, or turn inside out. The problem with this method was that butter tended to burn before reaching a high enough temperature and lard produced popcorn that was soaked with grease.
Poppers offered several benefits, including the ability to contain the popped kernels while also keeping hands away from an exposed flame. Over the years, many improvements were made to the original popper prototype, which made the snack even more accessible to the masses.
As popcorn grew in popularity, it began to appear in all sorts of variations. Louis Ruckheim came up with the first version of Cracker Jack, made from popcorn, peanuts and molasses, during the late s.
Surprisingly, theater owners were not on board with popcorn sales in the beginning. They thought it might create an unnecessary nuisance in addition to requiring expensive changes, like installing outside vents to rid the building of smoky popcorn odors.
Hawkers, seeing the potential in popcorn sales, took matters into their own hands and began selling popcorn and Cracker Jack while walking up and down the theater aisles. The Depression eventually changed the minds of theater owners, and they began to view it as a small luxury that patrons could afford.
Unlike most treats, popcorn sales actually rose during the Depression. Instead of installing indoor concession areas, theaters charged outside vendors a dollar a day to sell popcorn from outdoor stands. In Glen W. Dear Dr. Universe: How was popcorn discovered? It gives you some good time to think and wonder: How did humans first start doing this?
To find out where popcorn originated, I visited my friend Erin Thornton , an archaeologist at Washington State University. Archaeologists study how humans lived in the past — including the things they ate. To learn the story of popcorn, we have to trace the history of maize. Maize is another word for what you think of as corn. Humans grow it all over the world today, but it all started in Mexico nearly 9, years ago.
Long before maize, there was a plant called teosinte tay-oh seen-tay. But over time, ancient people selected teosinte plants with softer and larger numbers of kernels.
Over many generations, this resulted in the plant we know as maize. Many scientists think all the first corn was popping corn. It was very important to the people who made it. These kernels have since been carbon dated and shown to be approximately 5, years old! Additionally, there is evidence of popcorn in Peru, Mexico, and Guatemala, as well as other places in Central and South America.
Aztecs used popcorn for decorating clothes and ceremonial embellishments on top of eating! There is also evidence of popcorn consumption with Native Americans throughout North America.
On top of the popcorn discovered in the bat cave in New Mexico, popcorn which dates back to nearly 1, years was found in a cave in Utah. The cave was thought to be inhabited by Pueblo Indians.
Furthermore, French explorers who traveled to the new world discovered popcorn being made by the Iroquois Native Americans in the Great Lakes region. As colonists moved around North America, and as the United States of America came to be, people adopted this snack more and more. As the popularity of popcorn grew, so did the ways in which popcorn was created. Before the popcorn machine was created, people made popcorn in their houses, on the stove or fireplace.
When was the first popcorn machine invented? In , however, Charles Cretors invented the first commercial, large-scale popcorn machine, which increased the opportunity for the production of popcorn. Since the machine was mobile, the invention also increased the amount of people who had access to popcorn and thus the popularity of the snack in America.
During the Great Depression, popcorn and its popularity grew exponentially due to its cheap price which could be afforded by all.
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