Zea Mays Everta is popcorn's scientific name. Popcorn is a member of the grass family. It is a type of maize or corn. There are 5 types of corn. They are Flour, Dent or Field, Flint, Sweet and popcorn. The moisture in the kernals makes it pop. That level of moisture is between 13 to 15 percent.

Popcorn comes in two different types. One type is Mushroom and the other is Snowflake. Most concession poppers use the Snowflake. The Snowflake pops out fluffier and looks better. Most candy makers use the Mushroom variety. This type holds the candy coating better. Popcorn comes in 700 varieties.

Kettle corn was first introduced in the early 1700's. The Settlers would pop the popcorn in large cast iron kettles. They would use rendered lard and whatever sweetner they had on hand. Many times it was 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.

Microwave popcorn was discovered in 1945 by Percy Spencer. Mr. Spencer discovered that popcorn would pop when energized by microwaves.This development led to the first microwaves.

The oldest known popcorn was discovered in the Bat cave of west cental New Mexico from 1948 to 1950. The ears of popcorn ranged from smaller than a penny to almost 2 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 when the T.V. became popular in the 1950's. Movie theater attendance dropped off too. The consupmtion of popcorn dropped too when the public started making popcorn at home. Home poppers were introduced in 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 ate popcorn at the first Thanksgiving feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was brought as a gift by the chief's brother. The colonists ate the popcorn with milk and sugar. This is the first known breakfast cereal.

The American Dental Association lists popcorn as a sugar free snack. Popcorn is low in calories along with pears, apples, cheese, nuts and plain yougurt.

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.

The unpopped kernals are called "old maids" or "spinsters". Good popcorn should produce less than 2 percent of "old maids". Popcorn kernals will start popping at the temperature of 347 degrees. Popcorn can pop as high as 3 feet.

Popcorn has more protein, phosphorus and iron than potato chips, an ice crean cone, pretzels or soda crackers.

Popcorn comes in many different flavors in different parts of the world. Germany,Luxemburg, Switzerland and Belgium love sweet popcorn. The rest of Europe prefers salty popcorn. Americans love it with salt and butter and a host of sweet coatings. The japanese eat their popcorn with seaweed or shrimp flavorings.