During World War Two when sugar was rationed three times as much popcorn was ate (Hartman). When the T.V. took off sales dropped. Consumption in popcorn rose when the T.V. got popular. 19-20 century popcorn was available at theaters, parks, and street vendors.
Popcorn is a type of maize (Boyd). Unlike other maize, popcorn pops when heated or dry. The kind of maize most people pop is Zea mays L sups mays. The reason why other maize does not pop is because popcorn has a harder hull to not let moisture escape. Popcorn kernels are different from other corn (Sohn). In other types of corn, steam can escape as fast as it is formed. Steam can escape when stored or heated.
A popcorn kernel is a seed (Hartman). To pop properly kernels should have fourteen point five percent to fifteen percent of a kernels weight is water (Sohn).The outer hull is also called the pericarp. The hull of the kernel is made of several thin sheets of cellulose (Skloot). Cellulose is a compound of oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen (Sohn). Cellulose is a type of carbohydrate.Cellulose is found in plant cells. One-third of a kernels hull is cellulose. When cellulose heats up it changes structure (Skloot). When cellulose changes structure thin sheets become crystalline. The more crystalline a hull is the better. The more crystalline a hull is the less leaky it is. Popcorn strains whose hulls become most crystalline pop better. Popcorn kernels have embryo energy (Hartman). The embryo is a plant. The embryo is surrounded by a soft starchy material. The soft starchy material holds water. It has a hard glossy shell to protect the