The United States is the No. 1 producer and consumer of popcorn in the world. “Americans are estimated to eat 15 billion quarts of popcorn every year,” Foley said. “Very little popcorn is imported into the U.S. We produce and eat more popcorn than any other country.
According to the USDA Popcorn Board, Americans eat 14 billion quarts of popcorn annually. A 2023 popcorn report from market research firm Technavio showed that in 2021, North America had the largest ready-to-eat popcorn market in the world.
Nearly all of the world's popcorn production is in the United States, with 25 states growing the crop. Over one fourth of the national production is in Nebraska, and Indiana produces only slightly less. Other major popcorn-producing states are Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri.
Popcorn likely arrived in the American Southwest over 2500 years ago, but was not found growing east of the Mississippi until the early 1800s due to botanical and environmental factors.
Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion.
Many people mistake popcorn for junk food, but it can be a healthy snack depending on how it is prepared. Because it is high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, many people use popcorn as a healthy substitute for empty-calorie snacks.
Indiana has other claims to popcorn fame, including being the home for Orville Redenbacher and Weaver, two of the largest popcorn companies in the nation. Pulaksi County is also known as "Popcorn Capital of the U.S." The Duckworths harvest popcorn for a company called Preferred Popcorn in Palmyra, Indiana.
The oldest ears of popcorn ever found were discovered in the Bat Cave of west central New Mexico in 1948 and 1950. Ranging from smaller than a penny to about 2 inches, the oldest Bat Cave ears are about 5,600 years old.
According to this statistic, 63.59 million Americans consumed Orville Redenbacher in 2020.
Orville Redenbacher was the king of popcorn.
French explorers wrote of Iroquois popping tough corn kernels in pottery jars filled with heated sand. The Iroquois nation spread throughout the Great Lakes region, so it's likely that settlers to upstate New York, Vermont and Quebec were the earliest European-American popcorn makers.
Learn More. Weaver Popcorn Bulk is the largest bulk popcorn producer in the world, selling under the Pop Weaver brand as well as co-packing for both domestic and international customers. Learn More.
Charles Cretor of Chicago is often credited as the inventor of modern popcorn, thanks to his invention of the mobile popcorn cart in the 1880s. But the act of popping corn is much older.
Since popcorn comes from corn, specifically the zea mays everta variety, popcorn was never really “invented” by man, however there is evidence of popcorn all throughout the history of the Americas. The oldest popcorn known to date was found in New Mexico.
Popcorn Planting
Most of the world's popcorn is grown in the United States Corn Belt of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio. Each spring, farmers plant popcorn seeds about 11/2 inches deep and 6 inches apart in the soil. That's nearly 28,000 seeds per acre.
Plain, air-popped popcorn is safe for dogs to eat in small quantities. Buttered popcorn or popcorn with other toppings is not safe for your dog on a regular basis, although eating a few dropped pieces here and there probably won't hurt them.
What were the first flavors popcorn flavors people enjoyed? The first commercial popcorn may have been “sugared” or coated with molasses, but most was salted and buttered, much like the popcorn of today.
Popcorn wasn't always allowed at the movies.
We can't imagine watching films without munching on our favourite popcorn but there was a time, in the 1920s, when the two didn't go hand in hand. Popcorn was banned from most cinemas owing to its messy and noisy nature.
Iowa is full of roadside attractions, but Sac City's World's Largest Ball of Popcorn is one of the most unusual. While most giant food-themed attractions aren't actually edible, this one could be.
Other archeologists found popcorn dating back nearly 1,000 years in a cave in Utah which was thought to be inhabited by members of the Pueblo nation. Even more evidence of prehistoric popcorn can be found in Central and South America.
Amish Country Popcorn produces over 13 varieties of popcorn that are home grown in the rolling cornfields of Berne, Indiana.
Yup, popcorn is a whole grain and, therefore, a top snack for keeping your brain sharp. In one study that followed nearly 140,000 adults for six years, those above 80 who ate the fewest whole grains had the highest risk of memory loss.
Yes, popcorn is generally healthier than chips. Popcorn is a whole grain food that's high in fiber and low in fat and calories. Chips are generally fried in fat and heavily salted. There are unhealthy popcorn options like movie theater popcorn or caramel corn, and there are healthy chip options.