Kyle Fakhoury, Claire Rew, Paloma Hack, Bobby Fetters Mrs.

Whitakar English 11 21 October, 2011 The Kernel As I walked into my house, I could smell the buttery aroma of the popcorn my mom was making. I could hear the kernels popping as I got closer to the kitchen. Behind my mom, I could see the golden petals of heaven that my taste-buds craved. As I reached into the bowl, the steaming buttery pieces were soft and crinkly to the touch. I quickly devoured them; the taste of the salty goodness was the best thing I had ever tasted. Over the years, popcorn has been loved by many people. The buttery taste we know today has been prepared many different ways with many different brands and flavors. Of course, eating popcorn in the movie theater is something many enjoy, but how do they make it and what makes it so delicious? We all enjoy popcorn, even by people as far back as 80, 000 B.C.E. Its believed to have been first discovered by cavemen when maize kernels that were accidentally left by a fire, miraculously exploded into the white fluffy treat that we know it as today. Popcorn was widely endorsed by many Native Americans and was even technically developed through the use of herbs and spices. It is believed that Native Americans brought popcorn to the first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts. Popcorn was introduced to the American public in the late 1800s through carnivals and state fairs, and in 1912 it was served for the first time in movie theaters. At first, theater owners were skeptical about the selling of popcorn because they claimed it could distract the viewers from the movie. They soon realized, however, that popcorn was going to be lucrative. Modern movie theater often make more money from popcorn sales than from the actual ticket sales. This is due to the addictive and traditional nature of popcorn. Movie theaters also mark the price of popcorn up by

about 900% of what it costs them to make it. Popcorn also makes viewers thirsty which leads them to buy expensive sodas. Popcorn was very popular during the Great Depression and World War II because it is cheap to make and was one of the few treats that families could afford. It sold for about five or ten cents a bag. During World War II sugar was sent over seas so Americans bought popcorn instead of candy. In the early 1950s, popcorn sales drastically declined because of the invention of the television. The introduction of television caused many people to stop seeing cinema in theaters and just see it at home. Theaters were and are the largest distributor of popcorn. Popcorn gradually became more popular with invention of home-made popcorn makers such as jiffy pop and the microwave. Today Americans consume about 17.3 billion quarts of popped popcorn a year. Popcorn comes from the Zea Mays Averta variety of corn and is the only type that pops. When the corn is ready to harvest, the kernels are removed from the stalks. The kernels are then stored and are partially dehydrated. After the seeds are clean, filtered, and polished, they are packaged up to sell as popcorn seeds. The seeds begin to pop at 400 degrees F, which causes the water in the endosperm to turn into steam. The endosperm is the jelly-like substance that surrounds the living part of the seed. The starchy part of the endosperm starts to explode and turn inside out which creates the amazing fluffiness of popcorn. The kernels that fail to pop are called old maids. The kernels were too dry for them to pop. The Zea Mays Averta is the only kernel that can pop because of its hard, tough outer coating that can refrain the pressure of the steam long enough for the kernel to pop. Years ago, popcorn was made differently than it is often made today. Mrs. Milburn says she used to eat Jiffy Pop. To fix it she would put an aluminum pie pan on the stove and move it back and forth to make it pop. She used to own a small, electrical popcorn maker when she was younger, that only used oil and popcorn kernels. Caramel popcorn is Mrs. Milburn's favorite flavor. I have to be in the mood, she says, Like when I'm watching a movie or want a nighttime snack.

Like Mrs. Milburn, Mrs. Lewis also used to make jiffy pop. Through the years she used a couple of different methods, as an electric popper and now a microwave. Her favorite type of popcorn is original with salt and a little bit of butter. The thing about popcorn that irritates Mrs. Lewis is the price that movie theaters charge for it. It is as common as dirt and very cheap, however they charge so much for it. It has ruined a couple of her fillings over the years, but she still eats it a lot! Like Mrs. Milburn and Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Laxton also used to eat the popcorn brand, Jiffy pop. Mrs. Laxton says it is healthier than the brands we often eat today. Today she eats Orville Redenbacher brand popcorn and enjoys the naturally salty kind. She says she hates when kernels get stuck in her teeth and throat. She used to own an air popcorn machine that had a fan motor to power it. She was first introduced to popcorn at home and enjoys it at the movies. Mrs. Fakhoury mainly eat popcorn boiled in a pot with a little bit of oil when she was a child and still does to this day. Her favorite type is movie theater popcorn because they use a fake butter The only thing she dislikes about popcorn is that it only tastes good if its high in calories. The consensus among these experienced popcorn eaters is that the most popular early homemade popcorn was Jiffy Pop. According to them, there have been many different methods of cooking popcorn, including the use of pots, electric popcorn makers, and microwaves. Apart from small annoyances such as getting hulls stuck in their mouths, these four women love popcorn. There are several ways popcorn can be cooked at home. You can take a house hold pan and cook kernels in it with a teaspoon of oil to make a delicious patch of popcorn. This might be the simplest way, considering it does not require any special equipment. Make sure you keep a lid on it, however, or else you're going to have a kitchen filled with popcorn and mom might not be too happy about it. Another popular method is using a disposable, covered, aluminum pan with the kernels, butter and salt prepackaged into it. The most popular (no pun intended) of these is known as Jiffy

Pop. The word Jiffy refers to the fact that it is made quickly. Jiff Pop was especially popular in the seventies. The most popular current popcorn making method is through microwaves. Using a microwave is easy, simple and does not create any mess. To make it, one simply buys a prepacked paper popcorn package and sticks in the microwave for a minute or two. Much like Jiffy Pop, these can be found in almost every store that sell groceries. Popcorn is a very popular snack, enjoyed by all ages. It is a favorite treat to many and can be found almost anywhere. Talking to all these people has informed us on how popular popcorn actually is. Also the history of popcorn is incredible, we learned how it came here and how it has been prepared over the years.