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Celebrate Our Love Affair with Popcorn

Oh that golden maize. The smell makes mouths water, it's tied to generations of memories at family hot spots, and its addictive crunch has been the soundtrack for millions of movies.

While its origins are still debated, popcorn's history is as rich as its flavor, and it's celebrated every October for National Popcorn Poppin' Month.

• The oldest known corn pollen was discovered in an 80,000-year-old fossil found 200 feet below Mexico City.
• Researchers found evidence dating from 3,000 to 6,700 years ago that inhabitants on Peru's northern coast made popcorn.
• The oldest ears of popcorn are about 5,600 years old and were discovered in the Bat Cave of New Mexico. The ear sizes range from smaller than a penny to about 2 inches.
• A 1,000-year-old popped kernel was found in a southwestern Utah cave that was occupied by Pueblo Native American predecessors.
• In 1612, French explorers noted the Iroquois popped corn in heated sand to make soup.
• Colonial families ate popcorn with sugar and cream for breakfast.
• Street vendors in the 1890s used steam or gas-powered poppers.
• Popcorn's popularity exploded during World War II when sugar rationing and the 24-hour/day movies brought popcorn to the forefront.

Now people eat more than 16 billion quarts of popped corn each year --- and that's just in America! So get ready to pop up the fun with this delicious snack! How will you celebrate National Popcorn Poppin' Month?