Popcorn Celebrated
in California on Popcorn Day
Costa Mesa, CA--Free Popcorn at OC Market
Place Jan 16 & 17, 2010
All Orange County Market Place shoppers will
be treated to FREE Popcorn from 10-3 on
Sat., Jan 16 and Sun., Jan 17 during its
Third Annual National Popcorn Day
Celebration Weekend. Popcorn balls will be
juggled and there will be comedy and magic
performed by the legendary Kaptain Kernel,
"the King of Korn." There even will be a
Stilt-Walking Popcorn Bag.
More than 17 billion quarts of popcorn are
consumed by Americans every year, according
to industry analysts. About 58 quarts are
eaten by the average American.
To find our more about his "crunching"
event, go to ocmarketplace.com. The fun is
at the swap meet, located at the OC Fair and
Event Center in Costa Mesa.
According to the latest Census of
Agriculture (Census) data, domestic
production of popcorn totaled over 996
million shelled pounds in 1997. Popcorn is
grown in 25 States. According to the Census,
the top five major popcorn-producing States
in 1997 were Nebraska (27 percent), Indiana
(21 percent), Illinois (13 percent), Ohio (9
percent), and Missouri (6 percent).
U.S. exports of popcorn totaled 206 million
pounds in 1999 (down from 219 million pounds
in 1998), with a value of $58 million (down
$8 million from 1998). Popcorn was exported
to over 90 countries. The two largest export
markets in 1999 were Mexico (with 17 percent
of the poundage exported) and Canada (with
14 percent). Other major destinations for
U.S. popcorn included Sweden, the United
Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, Thailand,
the Republic of Korea, Denmark, the
Philippines, and Japan.
Nearly all of the world's popcorn production
is in the United States, and imports are
usually minimal. In 1999, only 0.3 million
pounds were imported from all countries.
Normally, small amounts are imported from
Canada and Argentina
# Popcorn is a type of maize (or corn), a
member of the grass family, and is
scientifically known as Zea mays everta.
# Of the 6 types of maize/corn—pod, sweet,
flour, dent, flint, and popcorn—only popcorn
pops.
# Popcorn is a whole grain. It is made up of
three components: the germ, endosperm, and
pericarp (also know as the hull).
# Popcorn needs between 13.5-14% moisture to
pop.
*
* In 1945, Percy Spencer discovered that
when popcorn was placed under microwave
energy, it popped. This led to experiments
with other foods, and the birth of the
microwave oven.
Why Popcorn Pops
Each kernel contains a small drop of water
inside a circle of soft starch surrounded by
the hard outer surface. As the kernel heats,
the drop of water expands and pressure
starts to build up. When the hard surface
eventually gives way, the popcorn explodes.
During the explosion, the soft starch inside
the kernel inflates and bursts, turning the
entire kernel inside out.
Varieties of popcorn are grown to pop into
two distinctive shapes: "snowflake," the
large popcorn sold in theaters and ball
parks; and mushroom, the smaller variety
used in popcorn candies and snacks.
Popcorn has 30 calories per cup when
air-popped.
When oil-popped,
it contains only 55 calories.
Buttered popcorn has 90 to 120
calories per cup.
Popcorn is a whole grain
food which makes it a high-quality
carbohydrate source that is not only low in
calories, but high in fiber. This means it
takes longer to chew and makes you feel full
longer.
1. One of the earliest methods of
popping popcorn involved:
a. Wrapping kernels in layers of animal fat
and placing in a clay pot over an open flame
b. Placing kernels in a covered pot in the
hot sun to warm for several hours
c. Wrapping heated stones and kernels
together in an animal skin
d. Mixing unpopped kernels with extremely
hot sand
2. “Zea Mays Everta” is what?
a. The motto (in Latin) of Popcorn
University meaning “Long Live Popcorn”
b. Popcorn’s scientific name
c. The name of the woman who discovered
popcorn
d. What Native Americans used to call
popcorn
3. The world’s first mobile popcorn
machine weighed 400 to 500 pounds
and was often pulled by a…
a. Young boy
b. Large dog
c. Tractor
d. Circus elephant
4. Popcorn explodes when ….
a. The water inside is superheated and turns
the starch to a gelatinized goop
b. The gelatinized goop reaches about 347 degrees
c. The pressure inside the kernel reaches
about 135 pounds per square inch
d. All of the above
5. Popcorn grows on a stalk, which has
several WHAT growing on it?
a. Eyes
b. Ears
c. Heads
d. Arms
6. How big are popcorn kernels after
they pop?
a. 2–3 times the original size
b. 10 times the original size
c. 20 times the original size
d. 35– 40 times the original size
7. Long before the advent of the corn
flake, Ella Kellogg ate popcorn ground
with milk or cream for breakfast.
a. True
b. False
8. There are six types of corn:
a. Popcorn, sweet, dent, flint, pod
b. Popcorn, sweet, ground, field, Indian,
dent
c. Popcorn, sweet, dent, flint, flour, pod
d. Popcorn, sweet, field, ground, flint, pod
9. Popcorn kernels need HOW MUCH
moisture to pop?
a. 10–12% water
b. 13.5–14% water
c. 18.5–20% water
d. 20% water
10. If you dry kernels of sweet corn, they
will pop just like popcorn when heated.
a. True
b. False
11. Popcorn is a…
a. Carbohydrate
b. Fiber source
c. Whole grain
d. All of the above
12. In 1945, an engineer named Percy
Spencer used popcorn in his efforts
to develop the:
a. Television
b. Popcorn popper
c. Microwave oven
d. Air freshener
13. Air-popped popcorn has how many
calories per cup?
a. 31 calories
b. 41 calories
c. 51 calories
d. 61 calories
Answers
1. d (Supposedly, this method is still used
in India today. Surprisingly, the sand
doesn't stick to the popcorn. A little
shaking and it's ready to eat.)
2. b
3. a
4. d
5. b
6. d (On average, popped popcorn takes up
37 times more room than unpopped
popcorn. If you covered the state of
Oregon with a layer of kernels and then
popped them, it would cover the entire
United States.)
7. a (Ella and her husband, John Harvey
Kellogg, both thought popcorn was an
“excellent” food and easily digestible
and to the highest degree wholesome,
presenting the grain in its entirety, and
hence superior to many denatured
breakfast foods which are found in
the market.)
8. c (The three most common are
dent/field, sweet, and popcorn. Flint,
also known as Indian corn, and pod are
commonly used as decoration.)
9. b (Without this amount, popcorn will
not pop.)
10. b (The hull of sweet corn is too soft and
would not withstand the pressure of
being heated long enough to allow the
corn to pop.)
1
1. d
12. c (After WWII, Spencer was looking for
ways to use microwave technology. He
supposedly had a chocolate candy bar in
his pocket which melted during his
experiments with microwaves. On a
hunch, he took popcorn kernels, placed
them in the microwaves, and watched
them pop. The rest is history.)
13. a (Popcorn is low in fat and calories,
contains no artificial colors,
preservatives or added sugar. Even oil
popped popcorn contains only 55
calories per cup.)
The Popcorn Board , popcorn.org
Answers
The corn you see growing during the summer
throughout the Midwest is probably field corn,
also know as dent corn. Millions of acres are
planted each year as compared to (roughly)
200,000 acres of popcorn and (roughly)
100,000 acres of sweet corn. All three types
of corn have very specific uses.
Did you know?
Field Corn
81,000,000
Popcorn
213,157
Sweet Corn
113,400
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