It’s National Popcorn Day – Here’s How To Celebrate
Ya gotta love these online sites that tell you what you're supposed to celebrate every day. Without those I'd never have known that today, January 19th, is National Popcorn Day.
Finally, a day with the perfect reason to settle in with a big bowl of fluffy, salty, buttery goodness and no guilt.
Here are some interesting bits of popcorn history trivia you may not have known before. The corn we pop and the corn we eat at meals are both maize, but different varieties. If you tried to pop the kernels from the corn you eat at meals it probably wouldn't pop at all. The corn we pop is made of Zea mays everta. This type of maize has very small ears but when the kernels are exposed to dry heat they explode into what we call popcorn.
We've been enjoying popcorn for a long, long time. Back in 1948 Herbert Dick and Earle Smith were exploring a bat cave in New Mexico and came upon some small heads of Zea mays everta. The maize heads ranged from about the size of a penny to a couple inches in length. They also found some popped kernels. The ears were estimated to be about 4,000 years old but the kernels are said to be about 5,600 years old! There is evidence of popped kernels in Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, and several other Central and South American locations.
The Aztecs also used popcorn to decorate their clothing, create ceremonial embellishments, and they ate it.
It seems popcorn is pretty popular with people in general as 92% say they like it. It's no surprise that our favorite flavor is buttered, and our favorite brand seems to be Orville Redenbacher. You can see more popcorn stats on NationalToday.com.
If you're wondering just what you can do to celebrate National Popcorn Day here are some ideas.
You can make a popcorn necklace for your friends or for yourself.
Plan a movie or TV series marathon and load up on popcorn while you watch.
If the boss is cool with it you could even stage your own Popcorn Olympics at the office with Popcorn Basketball or any other games you can come up with.
Or you could simply go to a movie and order a big tub from the concession stand. Cinemark is celebrating National Popcorn Day all week with $2 off any sized popcorn, and if you're not quite ready to venture into the theater yet, they also offer Cinemark Pack-a-Pop to-go for just $10.
I'll be tossing a bag into the microwave and settling down in front of the TV set when I get home this evening.