The origins of popcorn seem somewhat elusive to most of us. Where does it come from? Who discovered it? What makes it a Focus Rooms favourite conference snack? When was the first kernel popped? And how did it become so popular? We consulted our inhouse popcorn popping expert to get the history of this a-maize-ing crunchy snack.
Mexico, home of Tequila and Nachos
Is also home to one of the oldest known corn pollens. At almost 80,000 years old, “cave people” just below Mexico City most likely enjoyed this healthy snack. However, it’s central New Mexico that boasts the oldest known popped corn which is thought to be around 5,600 years old.
Like pizza today, popcorn was a highly important part of life in the ancient Americas. So important in fact, that in Mexico, a god embellished with a headdress made of delicious popcorn was painted on a funeral urn 1,700 years ago.
Fast forward to the late 19th century and you will see popcorn appearing as an easy and affordable street food in the United States sold in parks and specifically near theatres. It was only until World War II when sugar was rationed, that popcorn became increasingly ‘pop’-ular. People needed to find alternative snack foods to those made with sugar and popcorn was the perfect crunchy solution!
Today, the average person eats roughly 150 cups of popcorn a year. While the most popular place to eat popcorn is the cinema, we guesstimate that the second most popular place to eat it is definitely Focus Rooms.
With popcorn made daily in our three main foyer areas, when you smell the freshly made popcorn, you’ll want to hurry out to get yours! Pop-in to discuss how you can add this experience to all your conferences and training!
