High in fiber , downcast in fat , and a tiny spirit in every kernel – here are 20 things you did n’t recognize aboutpopcorn .

1 . Popcorn ’s scientific name iszea mays everta , and it is the only type ofcornthat will pop .

2 . People have been enjoying popcorn for thousands of years . In 1948 , pop kernels around 5,000 class quondam were discovered in cave in New Mexico .

3 . It is believed that the Wampanoag aboriginal American federation of tribes bring in Zea mays everta to the colonists for the firstThanksgivingin Plymouth , Massachusetts .

4 . Traditionally , Native American tribe flavor popcorn with dry herb and spiciness , possibly even chili con carne . They also made popcorn into soup and beer and made Zea mays everta headgear and corsages .

5 . Some Native American kin group believe that a spirit live inside each inwardness of popcorn . The spirits would n’t usually bother humans , but if their home was heated , they would jump around , get angrier and angrier , until finally they would burst out with a pop .

6 . Christopher Columbus allegedly introduced popcorn to the Europeans in the previous fifteenth century .

7 . The first commercial popcorn machine was formulate by Charles Cretors in Chicago in 1885 . The business enterprise he founded still manufactures popcorn machine and other speciality equipment .

8 . American vendors set out selling popcorn at carnivals in the late 19th century . When they began to sell outside movie dramatics , theater owners were initially annoyed , fearing that popcorn would unhinge their patrons from the moving-picture show . It took a few years for them to realize that popcorn could be a style to increase tax income , and popcorn has been served in movie theatre since 1912 .

On the next page , you ’ll see the rest of our list of thing you did n’t know about Zea mays everta .

Facts About Popcorn, 9-20

In this segment of our list on thing you did n’t know about Zea mays everta , you ’ll observe unique name for unpopped centre and how much popcorn Americans ware each year .

9 . Nowadays , many movie theaters make a greater profit from popcorn than they do from tag gross sales , since for every dollar sign pass on popcorn , around ninety cents is pure profit . Popcorn also makes motion-picture fan thirsty and more likely to buy expensive sodas .

10 . What makes popcorn pappa ? Each kernel hold back a modest amount of moisture . As the heart is heated , this pee turns to steamer . Popcorn take issue from other grains in that the nitty-gritty ’s case is not body of water - permeable , so the steam can not escape and pressure builds up until the kernel at last explode , turning at heart out .

11 . On intermediate , a kernel will pop when it reaches a temperature of 347 degress Fahrenheit ( 175 point Celsius ) .

12 . Unpopped kernels are phone " old amah " or " spinster . "

13 . There are two possible explanation for old maiden . The first is that they did n’t contain sufficient moisture to create an explosion ; the second is that their outer covering ( the Kingston-upon Hull ) was damaged , so that steam escaped step by step , rather than with a pop . Good Zea mays everta should produce less than 2 pct old maids .

14 . Ideally , the wet subject matter of Zea mays everta should be around 13.5 percent , as this results in the fewest old housemaid .

15 . Zea mays everta is course high in fiber ; lowly in calories ; and sodium- , sugar- , and fat - free , although oil is often added during preparation and butter , sugar , and saltiness are all democratic toppings .

16 . Americans consume 17 billion quart of popped Zea mays everta each yr . That ’s enough to replete theEmpire State Building18 meter !

17 . Nebraska bring out more Zea mays everta than any other State Department in the country – around 250 million Cypriot pound per year . That ’s about a after part of all the Zea mays everta produced annually in the United States .

18 . There are at least five contenders claiming to be the " Popcorn Capital of the World " due to the grandness of popcorn to their local economic system , and only one of them is in Nebraska . They are Van Buren , Indiana ; Marion , Ohio ; Ridgway , Illinois ; Schaller , Iowa ; and North Loup , Nebraska .

19 . Popped Zea mays everta amount in two basic shapes : snowflake and mushroom . Movie dramaturgy prefer snowflake because it ’s bigger . Confections such as buff corn use mushroom because it wo n’t crumple .

20 . harmonize to theGuinness Book of World Records , the world ’s largest popcorn ball measure 12 base in diam and demand 2,000 pounds of corn , 40,000 pounds of refined sugar , 280 gallon of corn sirup , and 400 gallon of piddle to create .

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Helen Davies , Marjorie Dorfman , Mary Fons , Deborah Hawkins , Martin Hintz , Linnea Lundgren , David Priess , Julia Clark Robinson , Paul Seaburn , Heidi Stevens , and Steve Theunissen