Who doesn't love popcorn, it’s the perfect snack for any occasion. Watching a movie? A show? A party with some friends? Doing nothing? Popcorn always helps.
While enjoying your favourite flavour of popcorn have you ever wondered how popcorn became a staple in the entertainment industry, or about the history of this tasty snack.
Popcorn has a weirdly fun history. Let’s take a look at some interesting facts about our favourite snack
Popcorn- rags to riches
Source: scroll
Today popcorn is the real highest grossing blockbuster for movie theatres. They make more money from selling popcorn than their actual business, that is selling movie tickets. But popcorn was bafflingly banned from movie theatres in the early 1900’s because of how noisy of a snack it is, and how it ruined the floor of theatres, until theatre owners realised how much money they could make by selling their own snacks.
Too dry to pop
Source: whatthepopcorn
Old maid actually means a single woman who is considered too old for marriage, but what does it have to do with popcorn? Well, did you know the unpopped kernels sitting at the bottom of your bowl are referred to as old maids. As the unpopped kernel fails to pop, the parallel is made with an old maid who remains unmarried beyond the usual age.
Haunted popcorn
Source: historymyths
The folklore of some Native American tribes talked about spirits which lived inside the kernels of popcorn. These spirits were happy and content to live on their own, but grew angry if their houses were heated. The hotter their homes became, the angrier the spirits would become. These spirits would shake endlessly under the heat and anger of the spirits until finally they burst out of their homes as an aggrieved whiff of mist, or in simpler words they were cooking popcorn.
Popcorn or Pop-CON
Source: boingboing
We all know that popcorn is a must have snack at movie theatres, and theatres have been selling them since 1912. Popcorn makes a lot of money for movie theatres, not because it's overpriced (which is definitely part of the reason) but it makes the consumer thirsty, and consequently, they buy sodas and water as well.
Literal butterflies in your stomach
Source: popkarma
There are 2 types of popcorn, each serving different purposes. Butterfly/snowflake popcorn is the most common, it has an irregular shape with fragile wings sticking out from all sides. Its non uniform shape makes it easier to fill up buckets with less product, maximising profits.
Mushroom popcorn on the other hand is compact and round shaped, its larger, denser and sturdier than the butterfly variant. It is suitable for gourmet applications where caramel, chocolate, cheese and other coatings are applied to the popcorn.
A bucket of popcorn a day, keeps the doctor away
Source: glamour
Popcorn is actually the most protein-rich grain in the entire world and even has more protein than quinoa and other types of healthy grains. It is loaded with important nutrients and offers plenty of benefits. It contains fibre, protein, vitamins, minerals and it is low in fat and sugar with no cholesterol.
