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Although popcorn is
still well loved today its history dates back
many centuries. It is believed that popcorn
originated in Mexico, with the oldest ears of
corn ever found coming from a Bat Cave in west
central Mexico in 1948. Here Cachise Indians
dating back to 2,500 B.C. are thought to have
grown and eaten popcorn. A funeral urn also found
in Mexico from 300 A.D. shows a picture of a
maize god with some form of primitive popcorn
head-dress. Popcorn kernels have also been found
in tombs on the east coast of Peru, some of which
still pop after 1,000 years.  By
the time Europeans began to settle in America
popcorn had spread to almost all Native American
tribes. The English colonists were introduced to
popcorn at the first Thanksgiving feast in
Plymouth, Massachusetts, where one of the chief's
brothers arrived with a goodwill gift of popped
corn in a deerskin bag. After their introduction
the colonists had the idea of eating popcorn with
milk and sugar and so was born the breakfast
cereal. At this point there were more than 700
varieties of popcorn.
When Columbus first arrived in
the West Indies he found the natives eating
popcorn as well as using it for decoration.
Cortes also discovered, after invading Mexico in
1519, that popcorn was just as important to the
Aztecs, who used it for decorating their
ceremonial head-dresses, necklaces as well as for
food.
One of the earliest ways
to pop corn was to toast it over an open fire or
even to throw the cob directly into the fire
until it began to pop. American
Indians would pierce the centre of the cob with a
sharp stick then spread oil over the corn and lay
it near a fire, causing the kernel to pop
attached to the ear. Another way was to use a
clay or metal cooking pot containing oil held
over a fire, much like today. It wasn't until the
18th century when popping in oil really began to
take off as the results and taste produced were
far superior to that of toasted popcorn.
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