popcorn
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- University of Minnesota Extension - Growing popcorn in home gardens
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Popcorn: critical temperature, jump and sound
- PBS - The History Kitchen - Popcorn: A “Pop” History
- U.S. Department of Agriculture - NAL Special Collections Exhibits - Popcorn: Ingrained in America's Agricultural History
- Verywell Fit - Popcorn Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits
- DigitalCommons at University of Nebraska - Lincoln - Popcorn Production
- Healthline - Popcorn Nutrition Facts: A Healthy, Low-Calorie Snack?
- The University of Vermont - Popcorn, An American Original
- IOPscience - IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science - Nutritional Value and Quality Standard of Popcorn Cooked by Microwave and Conventional Heating (PDF)
- WebMD - Health Benefits of Popcorn
- University of Wisconsin Extension - Corn Agronomy - Popcorn Production and Marketing (PDF)
- The Popcorn Board - All About Popcorn - History of Popcorn
popcorn, a variety ofcorn (maize), the kernels of which, when exposed to heat or microwaves, are exploded into large fluffy masses. The corn used for popping may be any of about 25 different varieties ofZea mays; the two major types are rice popcorn, in which the grains are pointed at both base andapex, and pearl popcorn, in which the grains are rounded and compact. A popcorn kernel has an extremely hard hull and hard outer endosperm, and within there is a mass of moist, starchy, white endosperm. The moisture is optimally about 13.5 percent. When such kernels are heated to about 400 °F (about 200 °C), the moisture in the starch turns into steam and builds uppressure until the kernel explodes inside out into a white fluffy, irregular mass, about 20 to 40 times the original size.
Popcorn is native to theWestern Hemisphere. Thousand-year-old kernels of popcorn have been found by archaeologists in Peru and Utah. The first European explorers of the New World described the toasting of popcorn by the Indians forfood, for scattering in religious ceremonies, and for wearing as decoration in the hair. Today theUnited States grows almost all the world’s popcorn.
As a snack food, popcorn is commonly buttered and salted. It may instead be glazed with variously flavoured and colouredcandy syrups that harden, or be mixed with peanuts or almonds, or be coated with melted cheese.
