Untitled Document
 I’m
sure many of you like watching fun movies. But watching a movie without
popcorn is not fun! Yes, popcorn is a movie’s best friend. But how
much do you know about it? Did you know that popcorn has a long history?
And do you know how popcorn is made? If you want to know more about
popcorn, keep reading and learn some interesting facts about popcorn!
Popcorn was invented in Mexico in 1519.
At that time, the Aztecs used popcorn as food and decor. Some Native Americans
used it for jewelry. Today, popcorn is
still a popular decoration for the Christmas holiday season. People
make garlands with it.
After World War II, people started
eating popcorn as breakfast cereal by adding sugar and milk. Over
the years, people also used popcorn as an ingredient in pudding, candy,
soup, and salad. This was because popcorn provided the body with energy
like other grains.
Popcorn can be found all over the world. But almost all of the popcorn
in the world is grown in America. The country produces 498,000 tons of
popcorn every year. The state of Ohio even has the world’s only popcorn
museum. In the state of Illinois,
popcorn is its official snack food.
Today, popcorn is the most popular snack food in America.
In fact, Americans eat a lot of popcorn. They eat
17.3 billion quarts of popcorn each year.
This means the average American eats about 68 quarts! But don’t worry.
Popcorn is low in calories, compared to most snack foods.
It has only about 55 calories per cup.
 So how
does popcorn pop? Only specific corn can become popcorn. It must contain about 14% water to
pop. Each kernel of popcorn has a small
drop of water stored inside a circle of
soft starch. The soft starch is
surrounded by the kernel’s hard outer surface. As the kernel heats
up, the water begins to expand. Then, pressure builds against the hard starch.
As the steam inside the kernel is
released, the popcorn pops!
A popped piece of popcorn is called
a flake. Surprisingly, popcorns can
pop up to 90 centimeters in the air! |
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