# Popcorn questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2002, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809 "2002-05-19T11:22:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cronopio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@cronopio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cronopio)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/1 "2002-05-19T11:22:24Z")
I have read popcorn pops because of a special moisture trapped in the kernel. What is that moisture made of?, how is it put on the kernel?, why does this moisture react with heat? Are there any differences between “microwave popcorn” and “clasical popcorn”? And the last one, when and who made the first popcorn of history? ---
**Author:** ![dp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@dp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dp)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/2 "2002-05-19T13:37:44Z")
some educated guesses here: the moisture is water, it is put the kernel by mother nature, when the water gets hot, it turns to steam, expands, and pops the kernel. i dont know about differences between micro wave and conventional popcorn, i would think that they are the same. the corn plant, in all of its varieties , is native to the americas. they originated in mexico or central america. the indians that lived there have known about and have eaten it for thousands of years. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/3 "2002-05-19T14:44:27Z")
Microwave and conventional popcorn are the same. My question is, is popcorn a vegetable? They always shove it into the bread and cereals category on the Food guides. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/4 "2002-05-19T15:05:06Z")
The Indians made popcorn 5000 years ago, so no exotic modern process is involved: [http://okok.essortment.com/whatisthehist\_rsdt.htm](http://okok.essortment.com/whatisthehist_rsdt.htm) The moisture in question is a drop of water held captive by the kernal when the corn is dried. It is “special” in that only certain varieties of corn develop it in a way suitable for popping. A blurb on corn varieties: [http://www.cyberspaceag.com/cornvarieties.html](http://www.cyberspaceag.com/cornvarieties.html) ---
**Author:** ![jsleek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8dc957/32.png) [@jsleek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsleek)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/5 "2002-05-19T16:01:22Z")
When a kid I planted popcorn out of the can. It grew and the result was more popcorn. (Being a kid, I was expecting sweet corn.) The surprise was that some of it popped on the ear. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/6 "2002-05-19T18:37:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dr\_Paprika \* > \*\*Microwave and conventional popcorn are the same. My question is, is popcorn a vegetable? They always shove it into the bread and cereals category on the Food guides. \*\* Usually [“fruits” refers to the matured ovary of a flower](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mveggie.html), and “vegetables” are other edible parts of the plant. Since popcorn kernels, like its other corn cousins, are seeds, they qualify as vegetables. But, the technical qualifications of a particular food don’t always mean much to the Food Pyramid people. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/7 "2002-05-19T20:30:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dr\_Paprika \* > \*\*Microwave and conventional popcorn are the same. My question is, is popcorn a vegetable? They always shove it into the bread and cereals category on the Food guides. \*\* Believe it or not, the late Orville Redenbocker had his home phone number listed in the phone book. He lived in the San Diego area. I was wondering the same thing many years ago so I called him. He told me that “regular” and microwave popcorn were exactly the same. It was the packaging that made them pop in the microwave. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Etherman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@Etherman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Etherman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/8 "2002-05-19T20:42:20Z")
[here is a recipe](http://www.foodtv.com/foodtv/recipe/0,6255,15195,00.html) for using “regular” popcorn in the microwave, so it is the same. Really there is nothing special about the packaging, other than to contain the popped corn. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/9 "2002-05-19T22:11:35Z")
I use a microwave popcorn popper to pop corn in my microwave. It’s a big plastic bowl with a lid. There’s a material within the bottom of the bowl to concentrate the energy. You can buy several varieties of such devices at the usual well stocked home stores. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/10 "2002-05-19T22:24:13Z")
In a related vein, if microwave and regular popcorn are the same, how come microwave popcorn _tastes_ different than regular popcorn? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/11 "2002-05-19T22:38:05Z")
Probably because of the funky “shelf-stable” oil they use. That was the big obstacle to overcome in making pre-packaged popcorn for the microwave: developing an oil that’s essentially solid at room temperature. I guess I’m one of the few old farts around who remembers the earliest microwave popcorn (from Pillsbury, I believe) that had to be stored in the refrigerator to keep the oil solid. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/12 "2002-05-20T01:55:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Torque \* > \*\*Probably because of the funky “shelf-stable” oil they use. That was the big obstacle to overcome in making pre-packaged popcorn for the microwave: developing an oil that’s essentially solid at room temperature. I guess I’m one of the few old farts around who remembers the earliest microwave popcorn (from Pillsbury, I believe) that had to be stored in the refrigerator to keep the oil solid. \*\* Developing Crisco was a big obstacle? ---
**Author:** ![Yeah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/dbc845/32.png) [@Yeah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeah)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/13 "2002-05-20T02:24:02Z")
It’s not just Crisco: Check out the MMWR for April 26, 2002 / 51(16);345-7: Fixed Obstructive Lung Disease in Workers at a Microwave Popcorn Factory — Missouri, 2000–2002 at [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5116a2.htm](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5116a2.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/14 "2002-05-20T02:57:31Z")
The article refers to diacetyl; that’s a flavoring. The oil they were using was soybean oil. My point was that “solid oil” is also called _fat_, and when you make it from unsaturated vegetable oil, it’s called _shortening_. ---
**Author:** ![Yeah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/dbc845/32.png) [@Yeah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeah)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/15 "2002-05-20T04:51:56Z")
And my point was it’s not just Crisco. ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/16 "2002-05-20T07:01:44Z")
Popcorn… the _fun_ food! Here is a [popcorn history site](http://www.rossonhousemuseum.org/body_popcorn_history.html) that has popcorn facts and other links. How about a Popcorn Omelet?? > [@](#): > > Pop Corn Omelet > > Nelson’s pop corn makes a delicious addition to the breakfast omelet. Put enough popped corn through a meat grinder to make a cupful and add to it a quarter of a cupful of milk, allow it to soak a few minutes, and then add two well beaten eggs (whipped separately), half a teaspoonful of salt, and a few grains of paprika and a teaspoon of chopped parsley. Melt one tablespoonful of butter in an omelet pan, turn in the mixture and cook with moderate heat until firm. Fold, turn out upon a hot platter and garnish with crisp bacon and a generous sprinkling of the unground popped corn. - from Pop Corn Recipes, by Mary Hamilton Talbot, Sam Nelson Jr., Company, 1916. Come on… Who’s brave enough to try it??? Eh?? Brought to you from the [Popcorn Board](http://www.popcorn.org/index.cfm) … There is quite a lot of fun and interesting facts on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popcorn-questions/109809/17 "2002-05-20T07:09:54Z")
Oooh, sorry, just found this nifty sight from Pop Weaver - one of the largest popcorn companies in the US (that I can remember anyway). Their site is very well done. Check out the [What’s Poppin’](http://www.popweaver.com/) section.