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Do you like to munch on Zea mays everta? Many people do.​ Otherwise known as popcorn, the everta part is Latin for turned inside out. National Popcorn Day isn’t for another two months, but, like that first kernel that bravely pops before all the rest, we’ll get a head start on the celebration.

 

Here’s a question that you may have worried about once or twice. Or maybe never. What if the popcorn you’re popping explodes? What if all three hundred popcorn kernels pop at exactly the same time?

 

Not very likely say the experts, given the slight variations in size, shape, and water content of each kernel, as well as the uneven distribution of heat. But the chances are not zero, either. One can always hope.

 

In reality, the popping of a batch of popcorn generally follows a Gaussian distribution, a bell-shaped curve, with the most pops in the middle, sloping to one or two at the very beginning and end.

 

One piece of popped popcorn has roughly thirty to forty times the volume of an unpopped kernel. So, one cup of uncooked popcorn yields about forty cups of cooked popcorn. Don’t hesitate to refer to the handy popcorn calculator. There’s no need to count on your fingers and toes these days.

 

What makes popcorn pop? Popcorn kernels have between 16% and 20% water content when harvested. The kernels are dried until the average water content reaches the optimal 14%. Then, when popcorn kernels are heated at around 400 degrees for several minutes, the water inside turns to steam that is held in place by the strong covering, the pericarp. Then, when the pressure inside reaches 135 pounds per square inch, the kernel turns violently inside out, releasing gelatinous starch that solidifies upon cooling.

 

Americans eat 600,000 tons of popcorn per year. Popcorn is good as is, lightly salted. But the flavor varieties are endless.

If you are an adventurous cook, you might want to try these out: popcorn ice cream, popcorn omelet, popcorn soup.

 

But be careful as you munch your snack, though. Popcorn is on the list of top nine foods that people choke on. A good rule of thumb is chew first and then swallow.

 

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