The History of Popcorn

Popcorn is loved by young and old today. Popcorn itself dates back many centuries. It is believe by many historians that popcorn first came from Mexico. The oldest ears of corn have been found to come from a Bat Cave in west central Mexico around the year of 1948. It was here that Cachise Indians dating back to 2,500 B.C. are thought to have grown and eaten popcorn. History shows a funeral urn also found in Mexico from 300 A.D. that shows a picture of a maize god. The picture depicts this god holding some form of popcorn headdress. Popcorn kernels have also been found off the east coast of Peru as well. The surprising fact about popcorn is that it was introduced to the Europeans by many Native American tribes. These English colonists were introduced to popcorn at the first Thanksgiving feast. The natives presented the popcorn as a gift of goodwill to the English settlers. Another interesting fact is that after the Europeans were introduced to popcorn we see the creation of breakfast cereal as they had the idea to mix the popcorn with milk and sugar. Today there are a number of ways to pop popcorn. However, one of the earliest ways to make popcorn was to toast it over an open fire until it began to pop. The American Indians would pierce the center of the cob with something sharp then they would spread some form of oil over the cob and lay it almost in the fire. This would cause the kernel to pop attached to the ear. Today there are other ways of making popcorn. There is the older method of using a popcorn popper where the loose kernels are poured into an electric device that heats the kernels and pops them. Butter can be melted on top of the machine and then can be poured over the popcorn. The most common way of making popcorn today however is through the use of a microwave. Most popcorn companies are producing microwave popcorn. The popcorn itself is in a bag and placed in the microwave, as it is heated the kernels pop inside the bag. After about two to three minutes you have a bag full of great tasting popcorn.