Popcorn is the best snack of all time. That is a hill I will proudly die on. Not only is it a superb and superior snack, it is also great for lunch and dinner. And guess what, even breakfast. Yes. I have had popcorn for breakfast. I had recently gotten on an air pop kick and decided that it was time to test the popcorn waters to find the best kernel of corn.
We found our popcorn at Sunrise Orchards in Gays Mills, Wisconsin.
Help us sustain our podcast and keep us trying foods like these!
Which wonderful, delicious, amazing popcorn kernels are we trying today?
These are all Fireworks Heirloom Popcorn and the strains of popcorn are…
Autumn Blaze
Sunset Fire
Orange Blossom
Red River Valley
Savannah Gold
Wisconsin White Birch
Who is on this seasonal quest?
Kris, care for dinner and a movie?
Nate, a Salisbury steak guy.
Matt, aka: Manilla T.
Amy, friends with popcorn royalty.
And of course, our subscribers! Thanks to our small, yet coveted group. We appreciate the support. You too can join us on this food journey. All you need to do is… SUBSCRIBE!
The History of Popcorn
While you may automatically think of movie theaters, air poppers, or stove tops, popcorn dates back thousands of years. Corn was probably cultivated as a domesticated crop around 9,000 years ago, but it wasn’t until 2012 that archaeologists unearthed the first evidence of popcorn in Peru; 6,700-year-old cobs studded with puffed kernels.
While maize was grown throughout Mesoamerica, South America, and North America, it was also a very important cultural staple for some tribes. Popcorn was integral to early 16th century Aztec tradition. Aztec Indians used popcorn as decoration for ceremonial headdresses, necklaces, and ornaments on statues of their gods, including Tlaloc, the god of rain and fertility.
Early popcorn likely resembled parched corn, which is made by cooking dried kernels in a frying pan. It would be thousands of years of careful cultivation of a few different strains of corn before we would be chowing down on the fluffy kernels we love today.
One invention that would ensure the survival of popcorn was the steel plow in the mid-1800s. Soon after this invention, corn became such an important cash crop in Nebraska, Iowa, and Indiana, that it was dubbed “prairie gold.” With all this “prairie gold” came innovation on how to pop the corn. Inventions such as corn-popping devices that had a stay-cool handle burst onto the popcorn scene. And in 1885, Charles Crestors invented a lightweight electric machine that popped corn in oil, allowing vendors to travel and to make bank.
Popcorn has been a cheap snack for a long time, but to these vendors, it was an excellent source of income. And nothing boosted that income more than movie theaters. When the first wave of theaters opened in the 1920s and 30s, popcorn wasn’t allowed however. Actually, no foods or drinks were allowed in an effort to keep the theaters clean and pristine. As the industry grew, and technology advanced, going from silent movies to audible movies, movie theaters shifted their stances to help bring in more patrons and money. Movie theaters started renting portions of their lobbies to popcorn and snack vendors. There are depression-era stories of farmers and vendors who made thousands of dollars during the great depression, which is quite a feat.
Some other fun facts about this delicious snack…
Iowa actually is an important place when it comes to popcorn. The first commercial popcorn brand started here. Iowa’s Albert Dickinson Co. sold popcorn under the names of Big Buster and Little Buster in the 1880s.
Popcorn was once a popular breakfast food. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, popcorn was eaten just as we eat cereal today. You may remember the history of John Harvey Kellogg and his Battle Creek Sanitorium health spa… Well Kellog praised popcorn as being “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.”
During World War II, sugar was sent overseas for U.S. Troops which meant American’s ate three times as much popcorn as usual.
The first microwave popcorn was released in 1981. It contained perishable butter and required refrigeration. In 1984 shelf-stable versions hit stores and in 1986 Americans bought $250 million worth of popcorn.
And the final tidbit of information I will give you comes from the Tiny but Mighty Popcorn Company, in Shellsburg, Iowa. This is directly from their website…
It’s only fair we warn you this heirloom popcorn can be addictive. We feel lucky to be able to share it with you, since this one-of-a kind seed was nearly lost forever. It was discovered by Samuel Kelty in Shellsburg, Iowa in the 1850s, and kept in the Kelty family for over 100 years.
Fast forward three generations to Richard Kelty, Samuel’s great, great, great, grandson, discovering his mother about to pop the last remaining kernels. He grabbed the small jar of seeds, rescued a few handfuls for planting, and allowed his mom to pop the rest.
Richard kept planting, with the dream of sharing this amazing popcorn with the rest of the world. Having trouble with the yield of this rare seed, at the time called K&K popcorn (for Kelty & Kramer), he hired a farmer and soil consultant to help. That farmer was Gene Mealhow, current caretaker of the Tiny But Mighty Popcorn. Never genetically modified or hybridized to become something that it isn’t, this little heirloom, full of mighty flavor, has captured hearts and taste buds across America and beyond.
And the reason I bring up this specific brand because… Shout out to Loraine, our most cherished producer of this podcast, and of course Brett, her husband, and son of Richard Kelty, the founder of the K&K Popcorn business which is now Tiny but Mighty popcorn! We are friends with popcorn royalty!
As of 2020, the most popular brands of popcorn in the U.S. are…
Orville Redenbacher - consumed by 63.59 million Americans
Pop Secret - Consumed by 49.16 million Americans
Act II - Consumed by 47.2 million Americans
Store Brand - Consumed by 45.36 million Americans
Cracker Jack - Consumed by 17.27 million Americans
Jiffy Pop - Consumed by 16.86 million Americans
Smartfood - Consumed by 15.01 million Americans
Jolly Time - Consumed by 14.9 million Americans
The Results
**SPOILER ALERT!**
Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!
6th Place: Wisconsin White Birch
Amy - 6
Kris - 5
Matt - 5
Nate - 7
5th Place: Sunset Fire
Amy - 9
Kris - 5
Matt - 5
Nate - 6
4th Place: Red River Valley
Amy - 9
Kris - 6
Matt - 5
Nate - 6
3rd Place: Autumn Blaze
Amy - 9
Kris - 7
Matt -6
Nate - 5
2nd Place: Orchard Blossom
Amy - 8
Kris - 6
Matt - 7
Nate - 7
1st Place: Savannah Gold
Amy - 10
Kris - 8
Matt - 7
Nate - 9
There you have it. Savannah Gold receives the Quest for the Best seal of approval.
Here is the link to the Sunrise Orchard where we purchased this popcorn. They have other foods and gifts as well.
https://www.sunriseapples.com/
You can also find this popcorn on Amazon and various websites!
Thank you all for joining us on this episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Does anybody else out there love popcorn as much as I do? We would love to hear your rating!
Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.
And of course, remember to subscribe to hear the latest episodes. And chip in on the podcast! Whatever value you get out of this entertainment, send it back our way. We thank you for the support!
SHOW NOTES:
https://www.seriouseats.com/popcorn-history-movie-theaters
https://www.popcorn.org/All-About-Popcorn/History-of-Popcorn
https://www.statista.com/statistics/277155/us-households-most-eaten-brands-of-popcorn-products/
Popcorn, the ultimate snack food.