How to Make Popcorn

They say the oldest known popcorn to have been discovered, was in the Bat Cave, located in New Mexico. Tombs situated in Peru also show remains of kernels of popcorn, that were well-preserved and still fresh looking, and surprisingly able to pop. The United States is the central hub of popcorn-making and distribution. The main distributors that supply popcorn worldwide are Indiana and Nebraska. The average American consumes about 70 quarts of popcorn a year, which is a staggering amount per individual American. It's available in all sorts of flavorings and add-ons, with new ones being made up and concocted everyday.

A popcorn kernel is a seed like any other, and inside of it sits an embryo which is tucked into starch like matter. This fuels the seed to take form and grow into a plant, being in its early stage. The shell outside it which is amber brown, is what protects its inside. There's a little water content packed into the seed, and when heated at an extremely high temperature, pops into what we see as the white, fluffy, crunchy outside, where the kernel turns the starchy matter inside out.

Easy-to-make Popcorn Recipe

Now that the history of popcorn has sunk in, we move on to a lip-smacking recipe that I'm sure you'll be itching to try out once you're done here.

Pistachio and Chocolate-Caramel Covered Popcorn

What You'll Need:

• 1 packet of popcorn kernels (plain, popped)
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup of finely chopped pistachios
• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup corn syrup (white)
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of melted chocolate and caramel (use a chocolate that is caramel centered)
• Spatula
• Ice cream scooper

Method of Preparation:

Use a shallow saucepan, mixing in your butter, water, chopped pistachios and white corn syrup. Using a candy thermometer for help, let this mixture reach a temperature of about 280°F. Once it reaches that degree of hotness, place a bowl over a pot of boiling water (halfway filled) where the opening is smaller than the bowl's sphere. Melt in your chocolate and caramel gradually, with indirect heat from the boiling water beneath it. Don't put it on high; keep the flame on low at all times. Once this melts, add this to the saucepan mixture and blend well with a spatula, adding your vanilla extract last.

To pop the popcorn, you need a deep bottomed dish, to give it enough space to erupt. Place the kernels inside and on medium flame let the heat build up within the dish. Keep the lid slightly ajar to let steam escape. Then when they start to pop, turn down the flame to low heat until they're done. Wait to hear a five second gap between each pop, signaling that it's almost done. Lift the dish up with two hands, and give it a brief shake to let any unopened kernels reach the bottom of the dish and pop as well.

Once that is done, pour this mixture into a big deep dish, and quickly drop in your freshly popped popcorn. Using an ice cream scooper, scoop in balls of the popcorn and lay it out on a tray. Once you make pop as many popcorn balls as possible (say a packet or more), let this cool down. Once it sets and hardens in room temperature, it's chow down time.

The best way to make popcorn is always to include what you think will make its taste 'pop' using a flavorful popcorn recipe. There's no harm in experimenting with different syrups, food colorings, nuts and the infamous salty, butter mixes. There's a whole platform out there for popcorn lovers to try a hand at, whilst coming up with something that is both different and yummy, that will really bring out the best in popcorn. So the next time you have guests over for a movie, try your skills out with some great popcorn add-on mixes, to give your friends or family a night of popcorn eating to remember.