FoodReference.com Logo

Food Trivia & Facts Section: FoodReference.com

  Home   ][   Food Articles   ][   FOOD TRIVIA & FOOD FACTS   ][   Cooking Tips   ][   Recipes   ][   Today in Food History   ][   Food Quotes   ][   Who Who's   ][   Videos   ][   Crosswords   ][   Food Trivia Quizzes   ][   Food Poems   ][   Cookbooks   ][   Gardening   ][   Free Magazines   ][   Food Posters   ][   Gourmet Tours & Schools   ][   Key West   ][   Food Festivals  

You are here > Home >

 FOOD TRIVIAPINEAPPLE to PORT >  Popcorn >
 

 

Food Trivia &
Food Facts

  PINEAPPLE to PORT
  Pineapples
  Pineapple Upside Down C
  Pink Beans
  Pinto Beans
  Pistachio Nuts
  Pizza
  Pizza Hut
  Plantains
  Planter's Nuts
  Plastics & Food
  Plum Pudding
  Plums
  Pluots
  Poblano Peppers
  Polar Bear
  Polish Sausage
  Pomegranate
  Pomello
  Pommes Souffles
  Pond Lily
  Pone
  Pop
  Popcorn
  Popeye
  Popover
  Poppy Seeds
  Pop Rocks
  Popsicle
  Population
  Porcini Mushrooms
  Pork
  Pork & Beans
  Pork Ribs
  Porterhouse Steak
  Portion Control
  Portobello Mushrooms
  Portuguese Cuisine


Free Food Magazine Subscriptions

 

POPCORN, POPCORN TRIVIA

Popcorn pops because water is stored in a small circle of soft starch in each kernel. As the kernel is heated, the water heats, the droplet of moisture turns to steam and the steam builds up pressure until the kernel finally explodes to many times its original volume.

January 19 is National Popcorn Day

Corn was first grown about 7000 years ago in the highlands of central Mexico, and by the first century B.C. was a staple crop of all the agricultural peoples in the Americas. One of the first uses of corn kernels was for popping.

The oldest ears of popping corn were discovered in a bat cave in New Mexico; they are over 5,500 years old.

A shortage of baking flours after World War II forced breadmakers to substitute up to 25% of wheat flour with ground popped popcorn. Over the years, popcorn also has been used as an ingredient in pudding, candy, soup, salad and entrees.

Americans consume 1.12 billion pounds of popcorn a year. That's is about 17 billion quarts of popped popcorn each year.

Americans ate over 68 quarts of popcorn per person last year.

Some Native American tribes popped corn right on the cob, by spearing the corn cob with a stick and holding it near the fire. The kernels would pop and stay attached to the cob.

Popcorn was actually the first food to be microwaved deliberately.  In 1946 Dr. Percy Spencer of the Raytheon Corporation was experimenting with a magnetron (a new type of vacuum tube) when he noticed that the chocolate candy bar in his pocket had melted.  He was curious, so he placed some popcorn kernels next to the magnetron and turned it on - the popcorn popped.  After experimenting with various other food items (including an egg that exploded!), he and Ratheon realized they were on to something and continued on to develop the first microwave oven.

 

 

  About Us & Contact   ][   Chef James Bio   ][   Bibliography   ][   Food Timeline   ][   Other Links  


Please feel free to link to any pages of FoodReference.com from your website.

For permission to use any of this content please E-mail: james@foodreference.com

All contents are copyright © 1990 - 2012 James T. Ehler and www.FoodReference.com unless otherwise noted.
All rights reserved.

You may copy and use portions of this website for non-commercial, personal use only.

Any other use of these materials without prior written authorization is not very nice and violates the copyright.
Please take the time to request permission.
 





 



 Search FoodReference.com



 


POPULAR PAGES

 Recipe Contests
 Local Food Festivals
 Witty Food Poems

 Food History Calendar
 Food History Articles
 Janet’s Garden