Taking its Place in History

It is believed that the first use of wild and early cultivated corn was popping. Though popcorn probably originated in Mexico, it was grown in China, Sumatra and India years before Columbus discovered America. The oldest known corn pollen is scarcely distinguishable from modern corn pollen, judging by the 80.000-year-old fossil found 200 feet below Mexico City. Excavations in the Bat Cave of West Central New Mexico turned up popcorn ears nearly 5.600 years old. In tombs on the east coast of Peru, researchers uncovered 1.000-year-old grains of popcorn so well preserved they still pop.

By the time Europeans began settling in the "New World", popcorn was an important food for the Indians in North and South America, who also used it as decoration for ceremonial headdresses, necklaces and ornaments on statues of their gods.

The first methods of popping popcorn were on hot stones over a fire, heating the kernels in hot sand or in pottery vessels. Upon their arrival in America, the European colonists were introdu-ced to popcorn. The natives offered popcorn as a welcome gift or tried to exchange it. While colonial housewives quickly put popcorn to practical mealtime uses and improved greatly on the Indians' popping methods, popcorn remained primarily an at-home treat until the late 19th century.

The first popcorn "machine" was invented in 1885 making it possible to sell fresh pop-corn directly at the festivals and in theatres. Around 1925, the first electric popcorn machines began to appear and soon after, popcorn began going to the movies.

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.

Today, microwave popcorn has become a staple in the lives of consumers. A bag full of warm, fresh popcorn is one of the most popular snacks worldwide.