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America consumes more than 16 billion quarts of popcorn. This well liked treat is whole grain and good for you too!This equals out to over 65 quarts for every man, woman and child. Popcorn is very low in calories. It has 55 calories per cup. Air popped has 31 calories per cup. Popcorn is a member of the grass family. It is known by it's scientific name as Zea Mays Everta. Popcorn is a type of corn or maize. There are 5 different types of corn. They are flour, dent or field, flint, sweet and popcorn. Only popcorn can pop. This due to the amount of moisture in the kernals.The moisture content is 13-15 percent. There are 2 different types of popcorn. They are Snowflake and Mushroom. The Snowflake is usually used in concession popcorn poppers. The Snowflake pops up soft and fluffy. The Mushroom variety is mostly used in candy making. It holds up to handling and takes candy coatings better. There are over 700 different types of popcorn. In the early1700's, kettle corn was introduced. It was popped in large cast iron kettles. The settlers would use rendered lard and whatever sweetner they had on hand. Mostly molasses, honey or sugar cane. The kettle corn that you see popped at fairs and farmers markets is one of the hottest ways to make money with popcorn. It has a very high profit margin and a very low overhead. You can usually recoup your initial investment in a few shows. Mr. Perry Spencer discovered microwave popcorn in 1945. He discovered that when popcorn was placed near a microwave it would pop. This led the way to the development of the microwave oven. Popcorn was discovered in Bat cave in west central New Mexico in 1948. This is the oldest known source of popcorn. The popcorn ears were smaller than a penny to almost two inches long. Popcorn became very popular from the 1890s to the great depression. Popcorn sold at 5-10 cents a bag. The street vendors would follow the crowds around pushing their steam and gas powered popcorn poppers for people to enjoy popcorn. This was one of the few luxuries people could afford. Many started their own thriving popcorn businesses to help make money for their families during the lean years. Popcorn sales dropped off in the early 1950s, when the t.v. became popular. Movie theater attendance also dropped too. So did popcorn consumption, when the public started eating popcorn at home. Home poppers were first introduced around 1925. January 19 is National Popcorn Day! April 7th is Caramel Popcorn Day! October is National Popcorn Popping Month! Native Americans learned to pop their popcorn on the cob. They would skewer a stick through the cob and hold it over an open flame causing the popcorn to pop right on the cob. The English colonists were the first to eat popcorn as a breakfast cereal. They ate it with milk and sugar. Popcorn was brought to the first Thanksgiving day feast as a gift from the chief's brother. Popcorn is low in calories along with apples,pears, cheese, nuts and plain yougurt. It is listed as a sugar free snack by the American Dental Association. Popcorn is used as a bread exchange for weight control by the American Diabetes Association. Popcorn helps contribute to the overall health of the body by aiding digestion and providing necessary roughage or fiber. Popcorn is third on the lists of the 11 things that don't cause cancer. One cup of popcorn provides 1.3 grams of dietary fiber. Popcorn can pop as high as 3 feet. Popcorn kernals will start popping at the temperature of 347 degrees. The unpopped kernals are called "old maids" or "spinsters". Good popcorn should produce less than 2 percent of "old maids". Popcorn has more phosphorus, protein, and iron than ice crean cone, pretzels, potato chips or soda crackers. Popcorn is enjoyed in many different flavors in different parts of the world. Sweet popcorn is loved by Germany,Luxemburg, Switzerland and Belgium. The rest of Europe prefers salty popcorn. Americans enjoy it with salt and butter and a host of sweet coatings. The japanese eat their popcorn with seaweed or shrimp flavorings. The rest of Europe prefers salty popcorn.
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