Long before movie goers discovered that popcorn and movies go together like Bogie and Bacall, popcorn was being enjoyed by our cave dwelling ancestors.
Imagine eating a snack that's well over 5,000 years old!
Eatin' Popcorn In A Cave
Way back when, someone was apparently munching some popcorn in a cave in what is now New Mexico. They didn't finish their snack and some 5,600 years later, what might be the world's oldest popcorn was discovered.
But while 5,600 years is old indeed, it can't begin to compare to the oldest corn pollen ever found. After digging for long forgotten goodies some 200 feet below Mexico City, archaeologists unearthed fossilized corn pollen dating back some 80,000 years. Apparently the ancient corn pollen looked almost exactly like modern corn pollen.
1000 Years Fresh?
And a single kernel of popped popcorn believed to be around 1,000 years old was discovered in cave in Utah. Did you know that popped popcorn can still look fresh after a very long period of time... But it would probably taste stale, right?
The Original Popcorn Vendors
Most experts agree that popcorn originated in the Americas with explorers learning about popcorn from Native Americans.
Quadequina of the Wampanoag tribe brought popcorn to the first Thanksgiving for colonists in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Indians not only ate popcorn by itself, they also made popcorn soup and popcorn beer.
Native Americans also wore head dresses adorned with popcorn and wore popcorn jewelry... Would you like your necklace plain or with salt and butter?
During the late 1800's, popcorn was being sold in the United States by vendors on the street, in parks at Carnivals and Fairs.
Movies And Popcorn
Some years later, when street vendors started setting up outside movie theatres, they were not welcome, at least as far as the theatre owners were concerned. They thought the vendors were a distraction.
But movie goers didn't agree. They went out on the sidewalk in droves to buy bags of yummy popcorn before going back inside to see the movie.
The Movie Snack Bar Is Invented
Movie theatre owners have always had a keen eye for profits. So a few of the smarter ones asked the vendors to come inside and split whatever they made from their popcorn sales with the theatre. Of course it wasn't long until the theatre owners realized they could set up their own popcorn popper and send the vendor packing... And that's apparently how the movie snack bar came to be.
The United States Is The Popcorn Center Of Planet Earth
Today, popcorn continues to be an American favorite, with most of the popcorn in the world coming from Nebraska and Indiana. Ohio, Illinois and Missouri also grow their fair share followed by 20 other states.
We Love Our Tasty Popcorn
Americans now consume over one billion pounds of popcorn every year... That's about 70 quarts a year for every American!
Have you had your popcorn today?
