With fair and festival season around the corner we thought about digging into popcorn. At Ohio University, many students enjoy eating popcorn in their houses near campus. Follow along while we discuss the magical word of popcorn.
Houses Near Campus
Popcorn is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion. A popcorn kernel’s hull contains the seed’s endosperm with 14–20% moisture. That turns to steam when heating the kernel. Popcorn can also grow to be 30 times its original size when it pops in houses near campus. Popcorn kernels come from actual corn, but not the type you eat for dinner! Only one variety creates the kernels which become the popcorn we all know and love. There are also two different shapes of popcorn the butterfly and the mushroom. The butterfly shape is best for powdery flavors such as white cheddar and buffalo nacho flavor, and the mushroom shape is most optimal for caramel flavors. The shape of mushroom popcorn holds heavy flavors like Apple Caramel quite well.
Popcorn Science
How do popcorns pop? The answer is simple: pressure. The pressure from the heat placed on popcorn kernels causes a failure in the kernel’s skin, which also results in the skin “popping”. The oldest known popcorn was found in New Mexico. The discovery of small heads of corn and several individual popped kernels was made by Berbert Dick and Earle Smith in 1948. These kernels carbon dated to be around 5,600 years old. Sometimes, after popcorn has finished popping a few unpopped kernels also remain. Some consider these kernels the least desirable in houses near campus. What do you think about them?
Some FYI
We cook popcorn with butter, oil, or air popped. Sometimes popcorn isn’t used only for consumption in your houses near campus! Try threading popcorn onto string as a fun wall or Christmas tree decoration. Nebraska grows the most popcorn, having over ¼ of the national production of popcorn. Other high popcorn-producing states include Ohio, Illinois, and also Missouri. In the 1800s, Americans consumed popcorn as a breakfast cereal. This meal consisted of popcorn with milk and sweetener. January 19th is National Popcorn Day. When freshly harvested, popcorn can pop, but not very well due to its high moisture content. This also leads to poor expansion and chewy pieces of popcorn yuck. The most ideal popcorn popping temperature sits between 400-460 degrees Fahrenheit. Will you be enjoying this sweet treat?
