POPCORN

Also known as popped corn, introduced at the beginning of the 16th century in Aztec ceremonies; Bernardino de Sahagun wrote of women performing a dance based on popping corn with wreaths made of popcorn. In 1919 Hernan Cortes had his first contact with popcorn upon entering Mexico and seeing for the first time how the Aztecs used it as an important nutritional source in addition to its ornamental value: it was even used for the sphinx of the god of corn, rain and fertility, Tlaloc. In recent history, the Great Depression brought on a surge in consumption of this popular product and yet another rise during World War II when sugar production was almost exclusively sent to the troops, which meant children had to give up candy in favor of a different type of snack, namely popcorn. A perfect complement to the cinema experience ever since the 1950s and a convenient household product when cooked in microwave ovens, which appeared in 1940 in the United States.

POPCORN