Popcorn(also calledpopped corn,popcorns,orpop-corn) is a variety ofcornkernelwhich expands and puffs up when heated. The term also refers to thesnackfood produced by the expansion. It is one of the oldest snacks, with evidence of popcorn dating back thousands of years in the Americas. It is commonly eaten salted, sweetened, or with artificial flavorings.
| Popcorn | |
|---|---|
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| Unpopped corn | |
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| Popped corn | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Panicoideae |
| Genus: | Zea |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | Z. m. everta
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Zea mays everta | |
A popcorn kernel's stronghullcontains the seed's hard, starchy shellendospermwith 14–20% moisture, which turns to steam as the kernel is heated. Pressure from the steam continues to build until the hull ruptures, allowing the kernel to forcefully expand, to 20 to 50 times its original size, and then cool.[1]
Somestrainsof corn (taxonomizedasZea mays) are cultivated specifically as popping corns. TheZea maysvarietyeverta,a special kind offlint corn,is the most common of these. Popcorn is one of six major types of corn, which includesdent corn,flint corn,pod corn,flour corn,andsweet corn.[2]
History
The examples and perspective in this articlemay not represent aworldwide viewof the subject.(March 2023) |
Corn was domesticated about 10,000 years ago, in what is nowMexico.[3]Archaeologists discovered that people have known about popcorn for thousands of years. Fossil evidence fromPerusuggests that corn was present there as early as 4700BCE,and popped there over 1000 years ago.[4][5][6]Between 2007 and 2011, evidence, as early as 4700 BCE, for popping corn, as macrofossil cobs, were discovered at the Paredones andHuaca Prietaarchaeological sites on the northern coast of Peru.[7] In 1948 and 1950, evidence, as early as 3600 BCE, for popping corn, as ears of popcorn, were discovered by Harvard anthropology graduate student Herbert W. Dick[8]and Harvard botany graduate student Claude Earle Smith, Junior (1922–1987),[9][10]in a complex of rock shelters, dubbed the "Bat Cave", inCatron County,[11]west-central New Mexico, and attributed to theAncestral Puebloanpeoples, who maintained trade networks with peoples in tropical Mexico.[4][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
Through the 19th century, popping of the kernels was achieved by hand, on stove tops over flame. Kernels were sold on theEast Coast of the United Statesunder names such asPearlsorNonpareil.The termpopped cornfirst appeared inJohn Russell Bartlett's 1848Dictionary of Americanisms.[19][20]Popcorn is an ingredient inCracker Jackand, in the early years of the product, it was popped by hand.[19]
Popcorn's accessibility increased rapidly in the 1890s withCharles Cretors' invention of the popcorn maker. Cretors, a Chicago candy store owner, had 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.[21]
During theGreat Depression,popcorn was fairly inexpensive at 5–10 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 and entrepreneurs, including the Redenbacher family, namesake of theOrville Redenbacher'spopcorn brand. DuringWorld War II,sugarrationsdiminishedcandyproduction, and Americans compensated by eating three times as much popcorn as they had before.[22]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. Dickinson Sr. installed popcorn machines in the lobbies of his Dickinson theaters. Popcorn was more profitable than theater tickets, and at the suggestion of his production consultant, R. Ray Aden, Dickinson purchased popcorn farms and was able to keep ticket prices down. The venture was a success, and popcorn soon spread.[19]The rise of television in the 1940s brought lower popcorn consumption as theater attendance fell. The Popcorn Institute (a trade association of popcorn processors) promoted popcorn consumption at home, bringing it back to previous levels.[23]
In 1970,Orville Redenbacher's namesake brand of popcorn was launched. In 1981,General Millsreceived the first patent for amicrowave oven popcornbag; popcorn consumption saw an increase.[21]
At least six localities (all in theMidwestern United States) claim to be the "Popcorn Capital of the World;":Ridgway, Illinois;Valparaiso, Indiana;Van Buren, Indiana;Schaller, Iowa;Marion, Ohio;andNorth Loup, Nebraska.According to theUSDA,specific corn for popcorn is grown mostly inNebraskaandIndiana,and increasingly inTexas.[24][25]As the result of anelementary schoolproject, popcorn became the official state snack food ofIllinois.[26]
Popping mechanism
Each kernel of popcorn contains moisture and oil. Unlike most other grains, the outer hull of the popcorn kernel is strong and impervious to moisture, and the starch inside consists almost entirely of a hard type.[27]
As the oil and water in the kernel are heated, they turn into steam. Under these conditions, the starch inside the kernelgelatinizesand softens. The steam pressure increases until the breaking point of the hull is reached; a pressure of approximately 930 kPa (135 psi)[1][27]and a temperature of 180 °C (356 °F). The hull ruptures, causing a sudden drop in pressure inside the kernel and a corresponding rapid expansion of the steam, which expands the starch andproteinsof the endosperm into airyfoam.As the foam rapidly cools, the starch and proteinpolymersset into the familiar crispy puff.[27]
Special varieties are grown to improve popping yield. Though the kernels of some other types will pop, the cultivated strain for popcorn isZea mays everta,which is a variety offlint corn.[citation needed]
Cooking methods
Popcorn can be cooked with butter or oil. Although small quantities can be popped in a stove-topkettleor pot in a home kitchen, commercial sale employs specially designed popcorn machines, which were invented inChicago, Illinois,by Charles Cretors in 1885. Cretors introduced his invention at theColumbian Expositionin 1893. At that fair, F. W. Rueckheim introduced amolasses-flavored "Candied Popcorn", the firstcaramel corn;his brother, Louis Ruekheim, slightly altered the recipe and introduced it asCracker Jackin 1896.[28]
Cretors's invention was the first patentedsteam-drivenmachine that popped corn in oil. Previously, vendors popped corn by holding a wire basket over an open flame. At best, the result was hot, dry, and unevenly cooked. Cretors's machine popped corn in a mixture of one-thirdclarified butter,two-thirdslard,andsalt.This mixture can withstand the 232 °C (450 °F) temperature needed to pop corn and produces little smoke. A fire under aboilercreated steam that drove a small engine to drive gears, shaft, and the agitator that stirred the corn, and also powered a small puppet, "The Toasty Roasty Man", an attention-getting amusement to attract business. A wire connected to the top of the cooking pan allowed the operator to disengage the drive mechanism, lift the cover, and dump popped corn into the storage bin beneath. Exhaust from the steam engine was piped to a pan below the corn storage bin and kept freshly popped corn warm. Excess steam was also used to operate a small, shrill whistle to attract attention.[29]
A different method of popcorn-making involves the "popcorn hammer",a largecast-ironcanister that is sealed with a heavy lid and slowly turned over a fire inrotisseriefashion.
Expansion and yield
Popping results are sensitive to the rate at which the kernels are heated. If heated too quickly, the steam in the outer layers of the kernel can reach high pressures and rupture the hull before the starch in the center of the kernel can fully gelatinize, leading to partially popped kernels with hard centers. Heating too slowly leads to entirely unpopped kernels: the tip of the kernel, where it attached to the cob, is not entirely moisture-proof, and when heated slowly, the steam can leak out of the tip fast enough to keep the pressure from rising sufficiently to break the hull and cause the pop.[30]
Producers and sellers of popcorn consider two major factors in evaluating the quality of popcorn: what percentage of the kernels will pop, and how much each popped kernel expands. Expansion is an important factor to both the consumer and vendor. For the consumer, larger pieces of popcorn tend to be more tender and are associated with higher quality. For the grower, distributor and vendor, expansion is closely correlated with profit: vendors such as theaters buy popcorn by weight and sell it by volume. For these reasons, higher-expansion popcorn fetches a higher profit per unit weight.[citation needed]
Popcorn will pop when freshly harvested, but not well; its high moisture content leads to poor expansion and chewy pieces of popcorn. Kernels with a high moisture content are also susceptible to mold when stored. For these reasons, popcorn growers and distributors dry the kernels until they reach the moisture level at which they expand the most. This differs by variety and conditions, but is generally in the range of 14–15% moisture by weight. If the kernels are over-dried, the expansion rate will suffer and the percentage of kernels that pop will decline. Old popcorn tends to dry out, lowering the yield.[citation needed]
When the popcorn has finished popping, sometimes unpopped kernels remain. Known in the popcorn industry as "old maids",[31]these kernels fail to pop because they do not have enough moisture to create enough steam for an explosion. Re-hydrating prior to popping usually results in eliminating the unpopped kernels.[citation needed]
Popcorn varieties are broadly categorized by the shape of the kernels, the color of the kernels, or the shape of the popped corn. While the kernels may come in a variety of colors, the popped corn is always off-yellow or white as it is only the hull (or pericarp) that is colored. "Rice" type popcorn have a long kernel pointed at both ends; "pearl" type kernels are rounded at the top. Commercial popcorn production has moved mostly to pearl types.[32]Historically, pearl popcorn were usually yellow and rice popcorn usually white. Today both shapes are available in both colors, as well as others including black, red,mauve,purple, andvariegated.Mauve and purple popcorn usually have smaller and nutty kernels. Commercial production is dominated by white and yellow.[33]
Terminology
In the popcorn industry, a popped kernel of corn is known as a "flake". Two shapes of flakes are commercially important. "Butterfly" (or "snowflake" )[34]flakes are irregular in shape and have a number of protruding "wings". "Mushroom" flakes are largely ball-shaped, with few wings. Butterfly flakes are regarded as having bettermouthfeel,with greater tenderness and less noticeable hulls. Mushroom flakes are less fragile than butterfly flakes and are therefore often used for packaged popcorn orconfectionery,such ascaramel corn.[33]The kernels from a single cob of popcorn may form both butterfly and mushroom flakes; hybrids that produce 100% butterfly flakes or 100% mushroom flakes exist, the latter developed only as recently as 1998.[33]
Consumption
Popcorn is a popularsnack foodat sporting events and inmovie theaters,where it has been served since the 1930s.[35]Cinemas have come under fire due to their highmarkupon popcorn; Stuart Hanson, a film historian at De Montfort University in Leicester, once said, "One of the great jokes in the industry is that popcorn is second only to cocaine or heroin in terms of profit."[36]
Traditions differ as to whether popcorn is consumed as a hearty snack food with salt (predominating in the United States) or as a sweet snack food with caramelized sugar (predominating in Germany).[citation needed]
Popcorn smell has an unusually attractive quality for human beings. This is largely because it contains high levels of the chemicals6-acetyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridineand2-acetyl-1-pyrroline,very powerfularoma compoundsthat are also used by food and other industries either to make products that smell like popcorn, bread, or other foods containing the compound in nature, or for other purposes.[citation needed]
Popcorn as abreakfast cerealwas consumed by Americans in the 1800s and generally consisted of popcorn with milk and a sweetener.[37]
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 traditionalHalloweentreat.Cracker Jackis a popular, commercially produced candy that consists ofpeanutsmixed in withcaramel-covered popcorn.Kettle cornis a variation of normal popcorn, cooked with white sugar and salt, traditionally in a large copper kettle. Once reserved for specialty shops and county fairs, kettle corn has recently become popular, especially in themicrowavepopcorn market. Thepopcorn makeris a relatively newhome appliance,and its popularity is increasing because it offers the opportunity to add flavors of the consumer's own choice and to choose healthy-eating popcorn styles.[citation needed]
Poppedsorghumis popular as a snack in India. The popped sorghum is similar to popcorn, but the puffs are smaller. Recipes for popping sorghum by microwave, in a pot, etc., are readily available online.
Nutritional value
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1,598 kJ (382 kcal) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
78 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dietary fiber | 15 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water | 4 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendationsfor adults,[38]except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation fromthe National Academies.[39] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Air-popped popcorn (no salt or other additives) is 4% water, 78%carbohydrates(including 15%dietary fiber), 12%protein,and 4%fat(table). In a 100 gram reference amount, popcorn provides 382caloriesand is a rich source (20% or more of theDaily Value,DV) ofriboflavin(25% DV) and severaldietary minerals,particularlymanganese,phosphorus,andzinc(36–45% DV).B vitaminsand other minerals are in appreciable amounts (table).
Saturated fat
Movie theaters commonly usecoconut oilto pop the corn, and then top it withbutterormargarine.[40]Movie theater popcorn contains large amounts of saturated fats and sodium due to its method of preparation.[40]
Phytochemicals
Sorghumgrains can be popped to form popcorn. All sorghums containphenolic acids,and most containflavonoids.[41]Sorghum grains are one of the highest food sources of the flavonoidproanthocyanidin.[42]
Health risks
Popcorn is included on the list of foods that theAmerican Academy of Pediatricsrecommends not serving to children under four, because of the risk ofchoking.[43]
Microwaveable popcorn represents a special case, since it is designed to be cooked along with its various flavoring agents. One of these formerly common artificial-butter flavorants,diacetyl,has been implicated in causing respiratory illnesses in microwave popcorn factory workers, also known as "popcorn lung".Major manufacturers in the United States have stopped using this chemical, includingOrville Redenbacher's,Act II,Pop SecretandJolly Time.[citation needed][44][45]
Other uses
Popcorn, threaded onto a string, is used as a wall orChristmas tree decorationin some parts ofNorth America,[46][47]as well as on theBalkan peninsula.[48]
Some shipping companies have experimented with using popcorn as abiodegradablereplacement forexpanded polystyrenepacking material. However, popcorn has numerous undesirable properties as a packing material, including attractiveness topests,flammability,and a higher cost and greater density than expanded polystyrene. A more processed form of expanded corn foam has been developed to overcome some of these limitations, formingstarch-based foam peanuts.[49]
See also
References
- ^abMichelle Higgins (5 May 2017)."How Popcorn Pops".Thoughtco.
- ^Linda Campbell Franklin, "Corn", in Andrew F. Smith (ed.),The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America.2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013 (pp. 551–558), p. 553.
- ^"The Evolution of Corn".University of Utah Health Sciences.Retrieved2 January2016.
- ^ab"Early History · Popcorn: Ingrained in America's Agricultural History ·".nal.usda.gov.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Retrieved16 January2024.
- ^Stromberg, Joseph,"Ancient Popcorn Unearthed in Peru",Smithsonian,retrieved1 January2021
- ^"Earliest popcorn".Guinness World Records.Guinness World Records Limited.Retrieved9 October2024.
The first evidence of popcorn has been radiocarbon-dated dates to as old as 6,700 years (c. 4700 BCE), based on macrofossil cobs unearthed between 2007 and 2011 at the Paredones and Huaca Prieta archaeological sites on the northern coast of Peru.
- ^Dick, Herbert W. (1961).Bat Cave.School of American Research.ISBN978-0-8263-0287-8.
- ^"C. Earle Smith Jr. papers".Smithsonian Institution.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^"Scientists Find 4000-Year-Old Corn".thecrimson | TheHarvard Crimson.11 April 1949.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^Dick, Herbert W. (1957).The Archaeology of Bat Cave, Catron County, New Mexico.Harvard University.
- ^"Copies of Herbert W. Dick photographs of excavations at Bat Cave | Collection: NAA.PhotoLot.R86-67".sova.si.edu.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^Smith, Erin."Friends celebrate completion of professor Dick's project".Pueblo Chieftain.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^"The Archaeological Evidence".Maize: Origin, Domestication, and its Role in the Development of Culture.Cambridge University Press: 118–220. 2013.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^"History of Popcorn".popcorn.org.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^"The History of Popcorn".KingKorn Gourmet Popcorn.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^Hammons, Suzanne (28 July 2014)."Shootouts, Cattle Drives and Model T's: a History of the Villages of Catron County".Voice of the Southwest.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^Warner, Nancy (23 February 2012)."Kettle Corn & Popcorn from the Bat Cave".Nancy Warner.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^abc"History of Popcorn | The History Kitchen".Pbs.org/food.29 October 2013.Retrieved21 January2016.
- ^"Dictionary of Americanisms, by John Russell Bartlett (1848)".Merrycoz.org.Retrieved21 January2016.
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- ^"Encyclopedia Popcornica: Recent Popcorn History".Popcorn.org.Retrieved4 August2019.
- ^"Popcorn Explosion · Popcorn: Ingrained in America's Agricultural History".nal.usda.gov.Retrieved6 May2022.
- ^1981 Popcorn Acreage and Production Up Sharply(PDF)(Report).US Department of Agriculture.15 January 1982. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 January 2013.Retrieved16 June2007.
- ^Fereira, John."ESMIS – View Document Info".Usda.mannlib.cornell.edu.Retrieved4 August2019.
- ^Office of the Governor: Rod R. Blagojevich – Governor (4 August 2003)."Governor Signs Official Snack Bill: School Project Becomes Law"(Press release). Illinois Government News Network. Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2007.Retrieved25 August2007.
- ^abcLusas & Rooney, p. 388.
- ^"Brief History".Frito-Lay.Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2011.
- ^"C. Cretors and Co".Wyandot Popcorn Museum. Archived fromthe originalon 26 February 2010.Retrieved21 November2008.
- ^Lusas & Rooney, pp. 388–389.
- ^"Preparing Perfect Popcorn (Saving 'Old Maids')".popcorn.org.The Popcorn Board.Archivedfrom the original on 6 August 2021.Retrieved6 August2021.
- ^Hallauer, p. 213.
- ^abcHallauer, p. 214.
- ^Cobb, Vicki.Junk Food.Minneapolis: Millbrook, 2006. 11. Print.
- ^Magazine, Smithsonian (3 October 2013)."Why Do We Eat Popcorn at the Movies?".Smithsonian Magazine.Smithsonian Mag.
- ^Dodds, Laurence (25 April 2016)."Why a trip to the cinema can cost up to £100".The Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2022.Retrieved25 November2018.
- ^Smith, Andrew F. (1999).Popped Culture: The Social History of Popcorn in America.Univ of South Carolina Press. pp. 57–59.ISBN1570033005
- ^United States Food and Drug Administration(2024)."Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels".FDA.Archivedfrom the original on 27 March 2024.Retrieved28 March2024.
- ^National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.).Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium.The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US).ISBN978-0-309-48834-1.PMID30844154.Archivedfrom the original on 9 May 2024.Retrieved21 June2024.
- ^abMann, Denise."Worst and Best Movie Snacks: Popcorn, Candy, Soda, and More".WebMD.Retrieved19 April2022.
- ^Dykes L, Rooney LW (2006)."Sorghum and millet phenols and antioxidants"(PDF).Journal of Cereal Science.44(3): 236–251.doi:10.1016/j.jcs.2006.06.007.ISSN0733-5210.
- ^Luca SV, Macovei I, Bujor A, Trifan A (2020). "Bioactivity of dietary polyphenols: The role of metabolites".Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.60(4): 626–659.doi:10.1080/10408398.2018.1546669.PMID30614249.S2CID58651581.
- ^"Prevent Your Child From Choking".Food and Drug Administration.Archived fromthe originalon 25 May 2009.Retrieved7 January2007.
- ^Geis, Sonya. "Flavoring Suspected in Illness: Calif. Considers Banning Chemical Used in Microwave Popcorn."The Washington Post,7 May 2007
- ^"Popcorn brands ban diacytel".Foodnavigator-usa.5 September 2007.Retrieved4 August2019.
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- ^"Real Popcorn as Packing Material".Abbey Newsletter.April 1992.
Further reading
- Hallauer, Arnel R. (2001).Specialty Corns.CRC Press.ISBN978-0-8493-2377-5.
- Lusas, Edmund W.; Rooney, Lloyd W. (2001).Snack Foods Processing.CRC Press.ISBN978-1-56676-932-7.
- Smith, Andrew F. (1999).Popped Culture: The Social History of Popcorn in America.University of South Carolina Press.ISBN978-1-57003-300-1.