# Does "regular corn" pop like popcorn? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 7, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828 "2010-11-07T22:51:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/1 "2010-11-07T22:51:56Z")
If I go to the store and get some ears of dried corn and shell them, will they pop when placed in oil and heated, the same way that popcorn does, or is popcorn a specific thing? If it does pop, would I recognize it as what we know as popcorn today? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/2 "2010-11-07T23:04:05Z")
You may get a few kernels to pop. But nothing like the corn that is grown for popcorn. Wikipedia mentions some wild corn will pop. > [@](#): > > Special varieties are grown to give improved popping yield. Some wild types will pop, but the cultivated strain is Zea mays averta, which is a special kind of flint corn. > **[Popcorn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn)** > > Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns, or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated. The term also refers to the snack food produced by the expansion. It is one of the oldest snacks, with evidence of popcorn dating back thousands of years in the Americas. It is commonly eaten salted, buttered, sweetened, or with artificial flavorings. > A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the seed's hard, starchy shell endosperm with 14–20% moisture, which turns to s... more about Zea mays everta. [http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/1302](http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/1302) ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/3 "2010-11-07T23:22:19Z")
If you dry it completely, yes, but very poorly. How would I know? As my brother always says, “If your front yard was a corn field, you grew up on a farm, even if it was only 1 acre.” I have _ **extensive** _ experience with home-grown corn :rolleyes:. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/4 "2010-11-07T23:25:20Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > I have _ **extensive** _ experience with home-grown corn :rolleyes:. Growing up next to a corn field, I also discovered there is a big difference between field corn and sweet corn. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/5 "2010-11-08T00:02:06Z")
Well dried field corn’s pretty tasty IMHO. Parch it thus- remove from cob and toast in hot oil, much like popping corn on top of the stove. Some will pop a little. Don’t over cook it. Salt, cool, eat. There is a brand called Corn Nuts that is sold as a snack food. [http://www.planters.com/cornnuts/](http://www.planters.com/cornnuts/) Home made’s better. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/6 "2010-11-08T00:02:21Z")
Oh, you children of the corn! What other mischief did you get into? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/7 "2010-11-08T00:40:33Z")
I’ve thought about including a row of popcorn in my garden. It would be a treat for the kids to eat popcorn they watched grow. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/8 "2010-11-08T00:44:27Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Well dried field corn’s pretty tasty IMHO. Parch it thus- remove from cob and toast in hot oil, much like popping corn on top of the stove. Some will pop a little. Don’t over cook it. Salt, cool, eat. There is a brand called Corn Nuts that is sold as a snack food. > [http://www.planters.com/cornnuts/](http://www.planters.com/cornnuts/) > Home made’s better. Corn Nuts were always my go-to food for staying awake on cross-country trips. I defy anybody to fall asleep while chewing those. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/9 "2010-11-08T01:18:17Z")
Several of my South Dakota friends really like to eat field corn. Deer love it. ---
**Author:** ![compassionate\_warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8edcca/32.png) [@compassionate\_warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/compassionate_warrior)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/10 "2010-11-08T06:21:11Z")
Popcorn is a different subspecies. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/11 "2010-11-08T13:31:13Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Oh, you children of the corn! What other mischief did you get into? That tall corn was great for hiding your car off road and out of sight; great spot for working on mysteries without any clues. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/12 "2010-11-08T13:40:47Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ve thought about including a row of popcorn in my garden. It would be a treat for the kids to eat popcorn they watched grow. Corn is wind pollinated. You need to plant at least 4 rows to get a good set. You can plant shorter rows if you don’t want to give up that much space. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/13 "2010-11-09T03:26:30Z")
I remember these two doofuses I used to work with back when I worked in an office. One of them somehow got a hold of a cob of dried corn. It was that decorative stuff, that’s got mixed kernels, some brown, some yellow. So they decided that since it was dried, it must be poppable. They put the whole cob in the microwave. The cob ended up in flames. The fire department showed up because the smoke set off the fire alarm in the 60-story high rise. The stink didn’t leave the floor for a week. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/14 "2010-11-09T06:48:19Z")
There was this one time back in Texas when it got so hot that the corn in the garden started popping. The chickens all thought it was snowing so they froze to death. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-regular-corn-pop-like-popcorn/559828/15 "2010-11-09T07:30:21Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > There was this one time back in Texas when it got so hot that the corn in the garden started popping. The chickens all thought it was snowing so they froze to death. And then the Eskimos came rushing in thinking global warming had ended, and they melted to death.