National Popcorn Day: origin and curiosities of the creation of popcorn
The oldest popcorn ears have been found in the Bat Cave in New Mexico.
Photo: Keegan Evans / Pexels
Popcorn is one of the most popular snacks among Americans. They are such an acclaimed sandwich that the 19 January is National Popcorn Day. Popcorn is one of the oldest snacks, they have been popping and captivating people for thousands of years.
The origin of popcorn is located in America
The National Autonomous University of Mexico, it is believed that the first use that was given to wild corn and cultivated corn, was to pop it to make popcorn.
The oldest popcorn cobs ever found were discovered in the Cave of bats in west central New Mexico, in 1948 Y 1950. The oldest cobs found in the Cueva de Bats are around 4, years old with sizes starting as small like a nickel, up to about 2 inches.
Popcorn was part of the Aztec ceremonies
According to the accounts of Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, popcorn was an important food for the Aztecs and an integral part of the ceremonies to the gods, which included Tlaloc, the god of rain and fertility.
Food was not only offered; Also it was common to make flower necklaces from ears of corn and popped corn – popcorn – which they called momochtli.
In a story taken up by The Popcorn Board, Fray Bernardino de Sahagún writes: “And also a number of young women danced, having done so, a popcorn dance Thick as ears of corn were their popcorn garlands.”
In 1519, Cortés first saw popcorn when he invaded Mexico and came into contact with the Aztecs.
An ancient Spanish account of a ceremony honoring the Aztec gods who watched over the fishermen say that they spread momochitl “it looks like a very white flower; they said they were hailstones given to the god of water”.
Why does popcorn explode
The corn shell bursts under high pressure inside the grain. Photo: Pixabay/Pexels
Popcorn comes from a variety of corn that we know as “palomero”, which pops or explodes when temperature rises.
Each popcorn kernel contains a small drop of water, inside a circle of starch. As the grain heats up, the water begins to expand and turns into steam. Proteins and starch soften.
Profeco’s laboratory in Mexico explains that when the temperature reaches 190 degrees centigrade, the cover bursts because the pressure inside the grain is seven times higher than the outsider.
Then the mixture of proteins and starch that was inside solidifies again when the temperature drops immediately and is left in the form of a crunchy white flower.
Popcorn is naturally healthy… the ones sold at the cinema would not be so
When air-popped and lightly seasoned, popcorn is an efficiently healthy snack. Popcorn contains fiber and few calories.
In addition to fiber, popcorn is also a good source of polyphenols, which are bioactive antioxidant compounds with antioxidant capacity. Puffed corn contains levels of polyphenols that exceed 190 milligrams in a serving, focusing on the brown husk where fiber is also concentrated.
The calories in popcorn can increase when other ingredients or condiments are added to their preparation, which make them less healthy, such as sugars, salt, fats or oils .
Movie popcorn has significant calories and is very high in salt. The American Heart Association (AHA) notes that a tub of movie theater popcorn can hold up to 1,090 calories and 2,650 milligrams of sodium.
It is best to prepare them without fat or with a few drops of olive oil.
It may interest you: –7 Best Snacks That Help Lower Your Cholesterol –Popcorn, the new business of AMC cinemas: it will sell it as a separate product and outside its theaters –Who invented tacos and how did they become so famous in the United States
