What is National Popcorn Day?
National Popcorn Day is back on the scene on January 19th, with a crunch we all love to enjoy! Any day or night, the annual celebration honors a treat that delights munchies.
This time-honored snack can be sweet or savory, caramelized, buttered, or plain, molded into a candied ball, or tossed with nuts and chocolate, or sprinkled with nuts and chocolate. However, it is enjoyed, so enjoy it on National Popcorn Day, January 19th.
In Old English, the word "corn" meant "grain" or, more specifically, the most common grain grown in a region. When Native Americans introduced their most common grain, maize, to early Europeans, they aptly used the term "corn."
The Aztecs used popcorn in headdresses worn during ceremonies in honoring Tlaloc, their god of maize and fertility, as early as the 16th century. Early Spanish explorers were fascinated by the corn that burst into what seemed to be a white flower.
Popcorn first became popular in the United States in the middle 1800s.. The popular snack wasn't until Charles Cretors, a candy-store owner, invented a machine for popping corn with steam that the delectable treat became more popular. He had horse-drawn popcorn wagons roaming Chicago's streets by 1900.
