The surprising story behind one of America’s favorite snacks
Picture this: It’s almost 7,000 years ago in South America. A woman is cooking over a hot fire. All of a sudden, a noise fills the air.
Pop! Pop! POP!
Recognize that sound? It’s popcorn!
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A Long History
Popcorn is made from dried corn seeds, called kernels. Thousands of years ago, corn was an important plant in the Americas. Native people, like the Muscogee and the Maya, used corn during special celebrations and in everyday life. Shoes and toys were made from its leaves. And people heated up the kernels to make a snack called popcorn.
In the 1400s, people from Europe came to the Americas. They’d never seen corn before. They soon learned that it was easy to grow and healthy to eat. Europeans began cooking popcorn too. They served it with milk and sugar as a tasty breakfast treat!
A Buttery Snack
C. Cretors & Company
Charles Cretors
In 1885, popcorn turned into the popular snack we love today. How? With a popcorn machine! A man named Charles Cretors invented a machine that could pop kernels quickly and easily. It cooked the kernels in salt and butter. Yum! People went wild for the tasty new recipe. Popcorn was soon sold on street corners and at fairs and sporting events.
Today, you don’t need a popcorn machine. Just toss a bag into the microwave. And when you take a buttery bite, remember the thousands of years of popping that brought you this delicious treat.
FACT FINDER
Can't Miss Teaching Extras
For another short history of a popular treat, share the Mini Read “A Sweet Mistake,” which tells the story of how popsicles were invented by an 11-year old boy.
Your students will love learning about another food inventor, George Crum. We can thank this inventor for creating the potato chip! Crum is featured in the Mini Read article from September 2021, “Chomp! The History of Potato Chips.”
Fun fact: When native people started making popcorn in the Americas, corn didn’t grow anywhere else in the world!
