What is popcorn?

Popcorn is a favorite snack of Americans. It is eaten plain with salt and butter, or covered with caramel or white sugar.

Popcorn is indigenous to the Americas and was unknown in Europe before the discovery of America.

Almost all of the popcorn consumed throughout the world in grown in the United States.  Archeologists excavating in Peru, Mexico and the American Southwest have unearthed preserved cobs of popcorn dating back thousands of years.

To the early Native American, popcorn was a currency of trade and friendship, a symbol of hospitality and fertility.

The kernels of popcorn are smaller than flint corn. When heated rapidly, the moisture inside the kernel turns to steam and builds up a great pressure.

This pressure burst the outer shell and the entire inside of the kernel puffs into a mass of flaky starch.

The major trait that separates popcorn form all other types of corn is the formation of large flakes after the kernels explode in response to heating.

Upon popping, the volume is 25 to 30 times greater than original kernel.
What is popcorn?