Indians.
According to historical data, the discovery of popcorn (from the English popped — “to burst with a crack,” corn — “corn”) belongs to ancient Indians who discovered a special variety of maize capable of “self-exploding.”
The secret of this “explosiveness” lies in the unique structure of the grain, which contains a droplet of starch with water. When heated, the water turns into steam, which ruptures the grain's shell, causing it to open up and increase in volume.
Hernán Cortés, who arrived in 1519 with his companions in Mexican lands, witnessed the preparation of this exotic dish for Europeans. The Indians either placed the corn cobs whole in hot oil or threw individual grains into special baskets and held them over the fire, shaking them evenly.
The “modern” history of popcorn began in the second half of the 19th century. The first mentions of it can be found in various agricultural documents from the United States, dated 1880. In 1885, Charles Cretors began the implementation of the first compact and mobile popcorn-making machine.
The idea of linking popcorn with cinema belongs to entrepreneur Samuel Rubin, who during the Great Depression began selling corn in bags in movie theaters.
