The popping facts about popcorn on National Popcorn Day

WORLAND – Today is National Popcorn Day, meaning it’s the day of the year to eat one of the most popular snacks in America. However, there may be some questions about popcorn, some that you were too busy eating to ask.

According to popcorn.org, popcorn is a whole grain maize product that originates from a wild grass. The kernel is the seed of this grass and is made up of three parts, the endosperm, germ and pericarp. The pericarp may also be known as hull or bran.

Popcorn is grown in the “Corn Belt” of the United States. This is where the majority of popcorn sold worldwide is grown.

There are four basic types of corn that all have distinguishing traits and uses. These include dent corn, flint corn, popcorn and sweet corn.

Dent corn is also called field corn. It’s the most widely grown corn in the U.S. and is used mostly for livestock feed.

Flint corn may also be known as Indian corn. It has a hard outer shell and can be distinguished by its wide variety of colors. Flint corn is most commonly used for decoration.

Sweet corn is the type of corn one considers the classic “corn on the cob.” Sweet corn is grown locally. It has more sugar in it than other types of corn.

Popcorn is a certain type of flint corn with its own shape, size, starch level and moisture content. It has a hard shell and a soft center. When heated, the moisture inside the kernel turns to steam and builds up enough pressure to eventually explode.

General popcorn is non-genetically modified organism (GMO), whole grain, gluten free, low fat, low calorie and is sugar free. Microwavable popcorn contains no added diacetyl, no added perfluorooctaonic acid (PFOA), no carcinogens and is safe and FDA approved, according to popcorn.org

Popcorn is considered the granddaddy of all snack foods. It was discovered in the Americas thousands of years ago and has captivated people for centuries with its mythical and magical charm. Through the ages, popcorn remained relatively unchanged.

It’s possible that popcorn’s popularity comes from the fact that the taste appeals to so many people and brings up memories of good times spent with loved ones.

Popcorn became associated with movies in the late 1920s with the “talking picture” advent that had movie theaters popping up all over the U.S. The theaters were widely popular and quickly started to sell popcorn in order to raise profits.

Sooner after came the Great Depression. Bags of popcorn priced at 5 or 10 cents apiece were one of the small amounts of luxuries that middle class families could afford. Seeking distraction and an escape from everything going on around them, families headed to the movies, resulting with the popular tradition that’s still around today.

According to popcorn.org, Americans consume 14 billion quarts of popcorn annually. This equals to 43 quarts a person. But why should we eat it?

Popcorn is extremely healthy. It’s 100-percent unprocessed with no additional additives, hidden ingredients or GMOs. Popcorn is naturally low in fat, and calories. Air popped popcorn only has 30 calories per cup and oil popped popcorn only has 35 calories a cup. Popcorn has a number of necessary, essential vitamins and contains fiber, which provides roughage the body needs in its daily diet. Some other healthy things about popcorn includes that popcorn provides energy-producing carbohydrates, has no artificial additives or preservatives and is sugar-free.

Whatever time of year you eat the most popcorn, whether it be stovetop, microwaved or ready to eat, 14 billion quarts of this wholesome whole grain is consumed a year.