A lot of the stories that are told about popcorn in history – particularly in North America – are incorrect. Popcorn has been around for a very long time, though its rise to popularity as a snack has accelerated in recent years.

Research:

“Ancient Popcorn Discovered in Peru.” Smithsonian. Jan, 20, 2012. https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/ancient-popcorn-discovered-peru
com Editors “Orville Redenbacher.” Biography.com. April 2, 2014. https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/orville-redenbacher
Butler, Stephanie. “ A History of Popcorn.” History.com. Dec. 6, 2013. https://www.history.com/news/a-history-of-popcorn
Delgado, Michelle. “The History of Popcorn: How One Grain Became a Staple Snack.” Serious Eats. May 7, 2023. https://www.seriouseats.com/popcorn-history-movie-theaters
Dell’Amore, Christine. “Ancient Popcorn Found—Made 2,000 Years Earlier Than Thought in Peru.” National Geographic. Jan. 21, 2012. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/120119-national-popcorn-day-corn-peru-archaeology-food-science
Geiling, Natasha. “Why do we eat popcorn at the movies?” Smithsonian. October 3, 2013. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-do-we-eat-popcorn-at-the-movies-475063/
Goodspeed, T. H. “Plant Hunters in the Andes.” University of California Press. 1961. https://archive.org/details/planthuntersinan0000good
Grobman, Alexander, et al. “Preceramic maize from Paredones and Huaca Prieta, Peru.” January 17, 2011. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1120270109
Meyers, F.J. “IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-POPPERS.” Patent No. 171,032. Dec. 14, 1875. https://patents.google.com/patent/US171032A/en?q=(pop-corn)&q=(corn-popping)&sort=old
“MICROWAVE KEY TO POPCORN WAR.” New York Times. June 22, 1987. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/22/business/microwave-key-to-popcorn-war.html
Mola, Roger A. “Then and Now: Pass the Popcorn.” Smithsonian. March 2008. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/then-amp-now-pass-the-popcorn-13027292/
“PopCorn: Ingrained in American’s Cultural History.” USDA National Agricultural Library. https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/popcorn/early-history
The Popcorn Board. “All About Popcorn.” https://www.popcorn.org/All-About-Popcorn/History-of-Popcorn
“Popcorn Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (RTE, Microwave), By Distribution Channel (B2B, B2C), By Region (Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, MEA), And Segment Forecasts, 2022 – 2030.” Grandview Research. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/popcorn-market-report
Smith, Andrew F. “Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn in America.” University of South Carolina Press. 1999.
“Sugar: The First and Last Food Rationed on the World War II Home Front.” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/sugar-the-first-and-last-food-rationed-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm

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Stuff You Missed in History Class