Make popcorn yourself like in the USA
On our travels through the USA and Canada we made many friends. During our visits we learned that popcorn plays an important role in their everyday lives. If acquaintances are guests, you sit down together in the living room. In addition, people like to put nibbles on the table. Unlike ours, however, these are rarely salty snacks or biscuits. Our friends would often put a bowl of popcorn on the table, from which everyone would take a handful over and over again. When the bowl was empty, the hosts hurried into the kitchen. A few minutes later there were supplies on the table. butter Making popcorn yourself is part of the skills of every housewife in America. We learned how easy it is during our visits. Here we show you how you can make popcorn yourself like in the USA.
Making popcorn yourself is easy
Sweet popcorn everyone can do it themselves. It is important which corn you use for the popcorn. Only popcorn is suitable for this. This is a special variety of corn whose kernels have a smooth, hard, and glassy husk. This bursts when heated. The cobs of popcorn corn are different colors. There are species that only develop one ear per stalk. In India there is popcorn, which forms several cobs on the stalk. The kind of corn that grows in our fields is not suitable for making popcorn.
What you need to make sweet popcorn yourself:
- 50 g puffed corn
- three tablespoons of sugar
- four tablespoons of oil
Which popcorn accessories are there?
You can easily make popcorn in a large saucepan. However, you have to make sure that the oil does not overheat, because oil ignites from 280 degrees Celsius. As soon as the oil starts to smoke, add a thin layer of corn and some sugar and put the lid on the pot. Be careful, the kernels start popping immediately. It is important that you shake the pot vigorously every 20 seconds. This will prevent the grains from sticking together. As soon as the popping subsides, you should transfer the popcorn to another bowl and let it cool down.
It's even easier (and safer) to make popcorn in a popcorn machine. These have been on the market for about 100 years. They are practical because you can keep the corn in motion using a crank. This reduces the risk of the grains sticking to one another. It comes with a practical lid because you can use it as a bowl after you've finished making the popcorn. Others are reminiscent of the popcorn street shops in the USA that are often found in fairgrounds. I really like the vintage popcorn machine from the XNUMXs.
How long has popcorn been known in America?
Whether for a movie night at home or at the cinema, a children's party or when you're hungry in between meals: popcorn is a popular snack. But where does this treat originally come from? And what makes it so healthy? How long has popcorn been known in America?
The Aztecs already knew popcorn
The natives of North and South America are said to have eaten the popped corn. But they also used it as jewelry, grave attachment and aids for ritual predictions of the future. With the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, the puffed corn came to Europe. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, popcorn was popular as a breakfast dish and was eaten like granola. At the beginning of the 1930s, it found its way into cinemas in the USA - and from there it conquered cinemas around the world. Only a special corn kernel, the so-called puffed corn, is suitable for making the snack. The particularly thick shell of the kernel allows the pressure of the heated water to spread until the kernel finally bursts.
Popcorn from the USA - a safe and natural product
Most of the popcorn is grown in the so-called "corn belt" of the USA. These are eight states from Michigan to Illinois to Nebraska. Only GM-free puffed corn is cultivated there. The 100 percent unprocessed whole grain does not contain any additives or hidden ingredients - making it a safe and natural product. Another advantage is that it is naturally sugar-free, low in fat and low in calories, so figure-conscious people can also enjoy the snack with a clear conscience. A handful of the air-popped corn kernels have just 30 calories. In addition, puffed corn is gluten-free, contains a lot of fiber, which will keep you full for a long time, and provides the body with valuable antioxidants and many minerals.
Sweet or salty?
Whether sweet or salty, covered with caramel or in savory versions with herbs: you can make many different kinds of popcorn yourself - recipe ideas from the USA are available at www.popcorn.org. The best known for the preparation of the snack is the butterfly popcorn, which pops up like wings when heated. This is perfect for adding sugar, salt or seasoning to popcorn, as the ingredients stick particularly well to the butterfly-like shape. Mushroom popcorn is ideal for caramelizing and covering toppings. The spherical shape makes it stable enough to stir while adding flavors and other ingredients. All types of popcorn from the USA are GMO-free.
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Source: own research and djd
Text: (c) Copyright Monika Fuchs and djd
Photos: (c) Public Domain