Food Profile on Popcorn

Popcorn was the subject of my first food blog and now it is the subject of my food profile because...well I love popcorn! In this food profile I will cover the history of popcorn, the significance of popcorn in American culture, the nutritional snapshot as well as the unfortunate side of popcorn. To gain inspiration while writing this food profile I need to make popcorn...well actually I just want popcorn but it's a good excuse to indulge in my favorite snack. I am very systematic when it comes to eating popcorn. I like to eat the fullest part of the popped kernel and then eat the rest. I also remove any part of the kernel that could get stuck in my teeth. For the amount of popcorn I eat it's important to remove this extra bit of kernel, I've had plenty of these slivers stuck in between my teeth. So let's get going on this food journey of what I believe should be the number one snack in America.

Popcorn is part of the cereal family and is a grass. The scientific name of popcorn is Zea Mays Averta.

Below is a picture of what popcorn looks like before it is popped.
Popcorn can be many different colors. What you find in the grocery store is typically yellow and white corn but you can also find blue and red popcorn. They all pop white though. Popcorn pops because water is trapped inside and when the kernel is heated the water begins to boil and then steams. The steam expands the kernel and then POP, the kernel explodes but remains in tact. Popcorn is fluffy and delicious. I've found the more oil used the less fluffy it seems to be.

The oldest known popcorn was discovered in bat caves that were known to house cave dwellers in New Mexico. The corn found is believed to be 5600 years old and can still be popped today! Popcorn has been depicted on burial urns dating back to 300 AD and was also used in ceremonial headdresses, jewerly, etc. "In American Indian folklore, some tribes were said to believe that quiet, contented spirits lived inside of each popcorn kernel. When their houses were heated, the spirits would become angrier and angrier, shaking the kernels, ad when the heat became unbearable, they would burst out of their homes and into the air in a disgruntled puff of steam." (http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PopcornHistory.htm). According to Wikipedia it was believed "that the popping noise was that of an angry god who escaped the kernel." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn. There is also speculation that popcorn was involved in the first Thanksgiving but this has never been proven. Native Americans would bring popcorn to the early colonists "as a token of good will during peace negotiations." Popcorn was even consumed as cereal back before it became a popular snack item. "Colonial housewives served popcorn with sugar and cream for breakfast." http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PopcornHistory.htm Popcorn did not take off as a popular American snack until the 1890's with the advent of the first popcorn machine in 1885. Popcorn continued to be a popular snack through the great depression when popcorn was one of the few luxuries families could afford. I haven't found anything on why specifically popcorn has become the food of choice at movie theatres but I do know that when the first popcorn machines were springing up they soon became vendors at fairs and other social events. I imagine that this is also when they started showing up at movie theatres. When television was invented there was a drop off of popcorn consumption as people stayed home more rather than going out to the movies. Popcorn sales again rose when the microwave became a household fixture. Today Americans "consume 17 billion quarts of popped popcorn each year. The average American eats about 54 quarts. (http://www.popcorn.org/encyclopedia/epmdhist.cfm)

As I mentioned before popcorn sales rose greatly when the microwave was invented and microwave popcorn was introduced. I prefer the "old fashioned" way of heating oil on the oven. I use olive oil which gives a nice flavor and then salt with popcorn salt. There is also the air popper that is the healthiest way to eat popcorn as no oil is used, but what fun is there in that? In China they use "an equally ingenious popcorn-making device [that] can still be seen on the streets of some Chinese cities today. The corn is poured into a large cast-iron canister that is then sealed with a heavy lid and slowly turned over a curbside fire in rotisserie fashin. When a pressure gauge on the canister reaches a certain level, it is removed from the fire, a large canvas sack is put over the lid, and the seal is released. With a huge boom, all of the popcorn explodes at once and is poured into the sack." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn)

Popped popcorn, yumm!Popcorn is a relatively low calorie snack and high in fiber, two very good things, right! Unfortunately plain popcorn can be somewhat bland and most americans add sugar or butter to their popcorn and of course salt which makes the calorie count go up. According to wikipedia a "small popcorn from Regal Cinema Group (the largest theater chain in the United States) still contains 29g of saturated fat as much as three Big Macs and the equivalent of a full day and a halfs reference daily intake." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn#Nutritional_value)

The unfortunate side of popcorn is that some microwaveable popcorns were made with an artificial flavoring that may cause respiratory ailments. The chemical used is diacetyl and is "hazardous when heated and inhaled over a long period." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diacetyl). After this discovery I have been much more hesitant to eat microwaveable popcorn and still swear by the old fashioned way.

There are lots of different ways to prepare popcorn and fun seasonings that can be added to enhance the flavor. I've attached a few recipes.

Cheesy corn

2 tablespoons garlic flavored or vegetable oil
½ cup popcorn kernels
1 tablespoon melted butter, optional
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast or brewer’s yeast (found at health food stores, adds a cheese-like flavor without the calories or fat)
1 teaspoon curry powder, optional

• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot (with a lid), place oil and about 3 popcorn kernels. Heat over medium-high heat until a kernel pops. Add remaining popcorn; cover.
• Once corn begins to pop, shake pot constantly over heat. When popping slows, remove pot from heat and transfer popcorn to a serving bowl. Pour butter over popcorn, if desired, and toss. Sprinkle yeast and curry powder, if desired, over popcorn and toss to distribute evenly. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container.

Yield: 10 cups

Chili Corn

4 quarts popped popcorn
3 small dried red chilies
1 package (6 3/4 ounce) peanuts
6 tablespoons margarine
1 package (3 1/4 ounce) roasting pepitas (little peppers)
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Heat popped popcorn in oven if it is cold. Cook chilies and peanuts in margarine over low heat for 5 minutes; remove chilies. Add pepitas and pour over hot corn; season with garlic salt.

Here is a link to more fun popcorn recipes. http://www.popcorn.org/nutrition/recipes/rprgchil.cfm