10 Poppin’ Facts That You Didn’t Know About Popcorn
Popcorn: putting the “pop” in popular!
Cozying up on the sofa for a movie night in? The films just don’t feel right without a big bucket of popcorn. The crunchiness, the fluffiness, the buttery finish - popcorn is the real MVP of the snack world.
We thought what better way to show our love for this snack than by bringing you 10 amazing facts you might not have heard of.
1. Popcorn might just be the world’s oldest snack. The oldest known corn pollen, dating back 80,000 years, was excavated from Mexico City. Researchers have also dug up 1,000-year old grains in Peru that were so well-preserved, they still pop.
2. Popcorn wasn’t always allowed at the movies. We can’t imagine watching films without munching on our favourite popcorn but there was a time, in the 1920s, when the two didn’t go hand in hand. Popcorn was banned from most cinemas owing to its messy and noisy nature.
3. Popcorn is a real superfood. It’s rich in fibre, packed with antioxidants and contains vitamins B and E. Additionally, a single serving of popcorn is also rich in proteins, containing more iron than an egg. Because the popped kernels contain a lot of air, when eaten plain, you can eat a larger volume of popcorn than other snacks for the same number of calories.
4. The first automated popcorn machine was introduced in the 1890s in the USA. Charles Cretors, an American businessman, was responsible for inventing the first commercial popcorn machine in 1893 at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After that, popcorn quickly became a popular snack at fairs, events, as well as outside of movie theatres.
5. Who would’ve thought? Popcorn has its own language! In popcorn speak, a popped kernel is called a flake while the unpopped kernels are referred to as old maids. Good thing you don’t have to worry about the latter if you order quality stuff from VOX Cinemas.
6. Americans and their love for cereal. In the 1800s, they used popcorn for breakfast as cereal…with milk. Even today, Americans eat more popcorn than any other country.
7. Pop goes the kernel! A single kernel pops with such force that it can go as high as three feet in the air.
8. Movie-goers at VOX Cinemas consumed a whopping 1.18 million kg of popcorn in 2019 alone. That is approximately 1860 Hulks combined. Incredible!
9. A compact snack? There are approximately 1,600 kernels in a single cup of unpopped popcorn.
10. With popcorn, the possibilities are endless. It's available in seven different flavours at VOX Cinemas – salt, caramel, cheese, chocolate, pizza, Cheetos cheese and Cheetos spicy. And if that's not enough, popcorn can be used to make a variety of dishes – from salads to shakes. Don't believe us? Read it for yourself.
