The History of Popcorn

Podcast Transcript

Almost everyone has had popcorn and some of you have even probably had some recently.

Popcorn can be made at home, can be purchased pre packaged in stores, and has been tightly associated with movie theaters.

Yet, despite seeming like a rather modern snack, popcorn has actually been around for thousands of years. It exists because of a unique attribute of corn.

Learn about the history of popcorn and how it has become one of the most popular snacks in the world on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

To understand popcorn, we first have to understand where popcorn comes from: corn.

Corn and the popcorn kernel are unique among most other grains due to the outer hull of the kernel. The hull can be viewed as the outer “shell” of the seed, protecting the internal part known as the endosperm.

The inside of the seed holds a lot of starch and also contains both oil and water. This gives the inside of the seed a moisture level of roughly 14-20%.

When the kernel is heated, the moisture inside the seed turns into steam. The steam causes the starch to become softer and gelatinized. As the pressure of the steam builds up, the hull of the kernel will break.

The hull breaking allows the kernel to expand forcefully, as the starch and proteins turn into a foam. As the foam cools, it turns into starch and then into popcorn.

Popcorn kernels are typically sold dry, as having too much moisture within the seed results in the expansion of popcorn being too low. Additionally, there is a risk of mold if the seeds are not dried out, This why we see hard textured of popcorn kernels.

Not all corn makes for good popcorn. There are types of corn specifically cultivated to be used for popcorn. The most common type of corn used is known as flint corn.

Flint corn can also be known as ‘Indian Corn,’ or ‘Calico Corn.’ This variant of corn contains less of the softer forms of starch than other types of corn. The lack of soft starch causes the corn to not have dents between each kernel.

Additionally, the outer layer or the “hull” is very hard and can be likened to flint, giving ‘Flint Corn’ its name.

Historically, flint corn was cultivated by Native Americans, first starting in Mexico and the American Southwest around the year 1. The variant then spread through North America by the year 1500.

Flint corn is unique from other types of corn in a few key ways. One way is that it contains less water, making it less susceptible to the cold and able to survive longer in freezing temperatures.

Additionally, the coloration of Flint corn is not the stereotypical white and yellow that we tend to think of. Rather, flint corn is multi-colored, having colors of red, yellow, orange, white, blue, and black.

There is a science to popping the perfect bowl of popcorn. If popcorn is heated at too fast a rate, the hull can burst too quickly, preventing the starch from having time to gelatinize. If the starch doesn’t gelatinize in time, the kernel will only be partially popped and have a hard center.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, popping too slowly will also cause issues. When heated too slowly, the steam can leak out of the tip of the popcorn kernel, preventing enough pressure from building up and leaving you with an unpopped kernel.

If you pop popcorn at the perfect temperature, you will still find that some kernels didn’t pop. This is a result of the kernels not having enough moisture inside to expand. In the industry, these pieces are known as “old maids.” You can actually solve this non-popping issue by re-moisturizing the kernel.

Selling popcorn depends based on several variables. Popcorn can come in different colors, shapes, and sizes, so it is important for sellers to know what appeals to consumers.

Though the kernel of the popcorn can vary in color, the resulting “pop” will typically be either yellow or white and is considered either “rice” type or “pearl” type.

Pearl type is rounded, typically yellow in color, and is the most sold type commercially. Meanwhile, “rice” type popcorn is longer, pointed on both ends, and typically white.

For sellers, pearl popcorn sells better because the pop is larger. Because pearl-type popcorn is typically yellow, yellow popcorn also sells better..

Popcorn is one of the oldest snack foods, with its origin dating back thousands of years to the early Americas.

If you remember back to my episode on the subject, corn is believed to have been domesticated about 9,000 years ago in Central Mexico. Many experts believe that corn was developed through the crossbreeding of different wild grasses.

The oldest evidence of popcorn was found in the Bat Cave, which is part of Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. These ears can be dated back 5,600 years. Other early instances of popcorn can be found in Peru and Utah, dating back 1,000 years.

Popcorn actually had a place in Mezoamerican culture, being used in worship ceremonies by the Aztecs as decoration on head dresses, ornaments, and necklaces.

Europeans were first introduced to popcorn when they traveled to the Americas. The first recorded instance of Europeans finding popcorn comes from the French around 1612.

The French were exploring the Great Lakes Region of North America and came across the Iroquois, who were popping corn using heated sand and a pottery vessel.

Popcorn was embraced by the French, who quickly adapted the food into their diet. Many colonialists began placing popcorn in a bowl with milk, which became a precursor to modern cereal.

Entering into the 19th century, popcorn began to be used as holiday decorations due to its low cost. Popcorn could be strung on thread to create a cheap type of garland.

The kernels were initially sold in the 19th century under the names of “pearls” or “nonpareil” on the East Coast of the United States.

The word “popcorn” was officially be documented in John Russell Barlett’s Dictionary of Americanisms in 1848.

Popcorn became more accessible to the general public after Charles Cretors created the popcorn maker in 1885.

Cretors had owned a bakery and confectionery shop in Decatur, Illinois. One of the main things Cretors sold was freshly roasted peanuts. Cretors had purchased a machine to roast the nuts, but was unsatisfied with how it worked. In his frustration, he redesigned the machine to work better.

During the redesign process, Cretors realized the machine could be used for more than just peanuts; it could also pop popcorn. Seeing success from the machine, Cretors moved to get a vendor’s license so he could sell the product in front of his shop. This led to the creation of the company, C. Cretors & Co., which still operates today.

The machine Cretors made automated the corn roasting process. Cretors continued to work on improving this process, eventually creating a steam machine that allowed him to roast the popcorn in a mixture of butter, lard, and salt.

This became the first machine to pop popcorn both uniformly and in seasoning. The success of the invention led Cretors to apply for a patent, which he received in 1893.

Cretors later took his invention to Chicago for the 1893 World’s Fair. At the fair he gave out samples of his warm, buttered popcorn and it became a massive hit.

At the same fair, Frederick Rueckheim introduced a new variation of popcorn. This popcorn was covered in molasses and marketed as “Candied Popcorn.” This is the first instance of caramel corn. In 1896, the recipe was taken by Rueckeim’s brother, Louis, and became know as “Cracker Jack.”

Cretors continued expanding the field of popcorn into the 1900s. One of the best examples of this was when he introduced “the Special which was a horse-drawn popcorn wagon. Its success led to more versions of the wagon being made.

Cretors further expanded his popcorn empire with the creation of the first popcorn machine operated with an electric motor. This method for popcorn took off because steam power was considered dangerous to use. This led to Cretors’ popcorn machine holding one of the oldest active Underwriters Laboratory numbers for electrical machinery.

Fast-forwarding to the end of the 1920s, the world entered the Great Depression. This period was disastrous for many businesses, but the popcorn industry thrived.

Popcorn was sold between 5 and 10 cents a bag, making it an affordable option during the Great Depression. Because of this, farmers and entrepreneurs were able to stay afloat by selling popcorn.

The popcorn industry continued to grow during World War II. Like many other industries, the candy industry diminished due to sugar rationing, and popcorn was used as a substitute. As a result, during World War II, popcorn consumption tripled.

If you remember back to my episode on the microwave, after engineer Percy Spencer discovered that microwaves could heat objects, the first food he purposely cooked with microwaves was popcorn.

Popcorn is most associated with the movie industry, but it wasn’t always that way. In fact, popcorn was initially banned from movie theaters.

A large reason for this was the mess popcorn created. Movie theaters were originally marketed as classy, with lush carpets aimed at wealthy clientele. They were fearful that the noisy popping and eating, as well as the aroma would distract from the film.

As the movie industry developed, films began incorporating sound. Simultaneously, the film industry became more accessible because people didn’t need to know how to read to enjoy a movie.

With this, attendance at movie theaters skyrocketed, prompting theaters to look for other ways to maximize profit. Snacks were starting to be viewed as an option, as the noise of the film would muffle the sounds of eating.

As previously mentioned, the Great Depression was a phenomenal time for the popcorn industry and also presented a good opportunity for the movie industry. As the movies were cheap and distracting from the current state of the world, people would simply go to the theaters. Yet, popcorn still wasn’t available for purchase inside most theaters.

Smart entrepreneurs saw this weakness and began investing in popcorn machines to sell popcorn just outside the movie theater, ensuring that those who wanted popcorn during the movie would have some.

As more and more people began to enter movie theaters with bags of popcorn in hand, owners began to change their opinion on their own concessions, seeing the financial opportunity.

However, there was still an issue. Many of the early theaters simply weren’t built to have a popcorn machine because they had improper ventilation.

To get around that, theater owners began to lease out their lobbies to popcorn vendors. This allowed vendors to sell popcorn either inside the lobby or on the street in front of the theater for a small daily fee.

However, movie theater owners knew that cutting the middleman and simply selling the product themselves would be way more profitable.

As the Great Depression continued into the mid-1930s, many movie theaters began to go out of business, usually if you weren’t selling popcorn.

World War II also played a part in cementing the connection between popcorn and movie theaters. As previously mentioned, popcorn wasn’t rationed like sugar, meaning that popcorn sales in theaters continued to grow.

By 1945, the marriage between popcorn and movie theaters was solidified. Over half of all popcorn consumed within the United States was done so in a movie theater.

Advertisements for concessions, promoting popcorn sales, were shown before and after the movie, demonstrating the industry’s embrace of the snack. Today, concessions are the most profitable part of the entire movie theater industry, and the most profitable product is popcorn.

In the 1960s, the popularity of television actually led to a decrease in sales of popcorn and movie theater tickets.

At this point in time, popcorn really wasn’t eaten inside the home because it was hard to make. To fill the void, EZ Pop was invented.

EZ Pop was marketed as a popcorn maker for everyone. You put the popcorn kernels over something hot, and BAM, you have popcorn flavored, and ready to be consumed.

EZ Pop, along with other brands like Jiffy Pop, helped popcorn become a popular snack inside the home as it was now easy to make. This was further aided when microwaves became a popular household appliance, allowing popcorn to be made in mere minutes.

Today popcorn is approximately a $6.5 billion dollar business globally and is estimated to reach $10 billion by the year 2030.

Overall, popcorn has cemented itself as an at-home snack and part of the theater experience. Throughout the world, you can find popcorn for sale at stores and in theaters, for immediate consumption or to make at home.

So the next time you sit down to enjoy some popcorn, take a moment to reflect on how you are eating something that was first created over 5,000 years ago.