Six Popcorn Myths Debunked

Myth: Popcorn is junk food.
Fact: Popcorn is a whole grain, which makes it a good carb choice. Whole grains contain fiber, providing the roughage needed in a daily diet. Popcorn has no artificial additives or preservatives and is sugar-free.

Myth: Popcorn is high in fat and calories.
Fact: Popcorn is naturally low in fat and calories. Air-popped popcorn has only 30 calories per cup; oil-popped popcorn has only 35 calories per cup.
Myth: Popcorn is GMO.
Fact: There has never been, nor is there currently, any Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) popcorn or popcorn seed for sale in the world.
Myth: Popcorn contains gluten.
Fact: Popcorn does not contain wheat, rye, or barley gluten—the types of gluten most associated with gluten disorders. Note: Other ingredients in ready-to-eat or microwave popcorn may contain gluten, so consumers should read labels carefully if they are concerned; however, the popcorn kernel itself does not contain gluten.
Myth: Microwave popcorn contains diacetyl.
Fact: The flavoring additive diacetyl has not been used in microwave products since 2007. Diacetyl is a manufactured ingredient that also is found naturally at low concentrations in a wide variety of foods such as dairy, beer, coffee, honey and fruits. In food manufacturing, diacetyl is added to a wide range of foods: butter, cheese, milk, flour mixes, cookies, crackers, candy and confectionery products, chocolate and cocoa products, shortening, food oils, margarines, flavored syrups, potato chips, corn chips, ready-to-mix desserts, prepared frosting, and gelatin desert preparations.

Myth: Microwave popcorn contains PFOA.
Fact: PFOA, or perflourooctanoic acid, is sometimes used in grease-resistant coatings for paper, such as fast food wrappers, candy wrappers, and pizza box liners. Bag manufacturers have been addressing the issue of removing PFOAs since 2006, and confirm that the grease resistant coating in the majority of microwave popping bags is not produced with PFOA.

Nine Old Snack Foods

Marshmallows have been around since ancient Egypt, and were often used to soothe sore throats By the 19th century, French confectioners began whipping the marshmallow to the shape we know.

Pretzels are widely considered to be the world’s oldest snack food It is believed the modern pretzel’s predecessor was first made in the 6th century by an Italian monk, who used it as a treat to reward his youngest church attendees. The word “pretzel” is from the Latin word “pretzola,” which loosely translates to “little reward.”

Archeologists reporting finding popcorn ears that they can date all the way back to being snacked on some 5,600 years ago. Native Americans would throw popcorn ears right on a fire, in order to pop out kernels. ( I bought popping corn ears at Bass Pro and popped in microwave. Fun to watch the thing fill up with popcorn and spill out when the door was opened.)

Necco Wafers were first manufactured in 1847 and Oliver Chase invented a cutting machine that allowed the slices to be made so thin.

Cracker Jack most likely began in 1871 Chicago, IL when German immigrant Frederick William Rueckheim started cooking up and selling his own type of popcorn. By 1896, Cracker Jack was being produced for commercial sales.

In 1897, Pearle Bixby Wait trademarked the powdered gelatin dessert, called Jell-O.

Triscuits were first invented in 1903 in Niagara Falls, NY. Triscuits were originally larger, but shrunk down to their current size in1924.

The first Sunshine Hydrox cookie was made in 1908 and was followed by its Oreo competitor in 1912. The difference between Hydrox and Oreo is that Hydrox is a bit more crispy and less sugary, and the original Hydrox was Kosher.  Hydrox are supposed to become available again this year, but have yet to find them for sale.

Origins of Popcorn

The Aztecs who inadvertently introduced popcorn to the world as a result of the Spanish invasion. When Columbus first interacted with the Arawak tribe, he was given a popcorn corsage. Believed to be a key component in the foundation of their empire, popcorn played a large role in Aztec culture. It was often made into necklaces or headdresses, and it was commonly used to decorate religious statues. One Aztec ritual involved throwing a whole ear of un-popped popcorn into a fire as a sacrifice to the gods. They referred to the kernels which came out as 'hailstones'.

Some archaeologists believe that popcorn was actually the first form of corn ever cultivated, with evidence of its existence dating to the Anasazi tribe of Utah, who arose around 350 B.C. Using seed selection, an agricultural process to determine the healthiest future crop, Native Americans are thought to have developed the crop almost 5,000 years ago.

Top Three Markups

According to Reader's Digest, here are the largest markups for the things we buy.

Bottled water: 4,000 percent markup - Come on, it's just water

Text messages: 6,000 percent markup.  A typical text message costs you 20 cents and the phone company 0.3 cents to transmit.

Movie theater popcorn: 1,275 percent markup - Lots of greasy phony butter and salt makes up for it

Bacon Flavored Popcorn

It is better than you might think. When we were growing up, our mother always had a jar of bacon grease on the stove. She used it to cook many things and also to pop popcorn (the old fashioned way, in a pan) and it gave the popcorn a hint of bacon flavor. 

Now you can buy microwave popcorn with the bacon flavor already in it. Wow, I know she would approve.