The record for “most popping popcorn caught with both hands in one minute” was briefly held by Joe Alexander of Germany, who caught 26 airborne kernels last January. (You can watch this impressive feat on video.) He was later surpassed by Ashrita Furman of the USA, who caught 34 pieces in one minute in New York in February.
The world’s largest popcorn ball was made in 2006 by employees of The Popcorn Factory in Lake Forest, Illinois, and weighed 3,423 pounds.
Two French scientists determined in 2015 that starch inside heated popcorn kernels “forms a leglike appendage.” When that leg comes into contact with ground (i.e. the bottom of a pan or bag), it releases like a spring, sending the kernel somersaulting into the air. “It’s quite similar to when we humans jump because we also compress our muscles and release them,” says co-author Emmanuel Virot, an École Polytechnique engineer involved with the study.
Provided you don’t drown it in butter and salt, home-popped popcorn is actually a healthy snack: A 2012 study showed that one serving of popcorn had as many antioxidants as a day’s serving of fruit and vegetables.
The “secret ingredient” that makes movie popcorn taste different from at-home popcorn is a product called Flavacol, a powder made up of salt, artificial butter flavor and yellow coloring. A Food52 writer tried to re-create it, without much luck.
Best local movie popcorn? Back in the day I would have said the Harvard Exit, whose popcorn for some reason just tastes fresher — but that’s just a sweet memory now. Some swear by the chocolate popcorn at Cinerama; not me, I’m a purist. (A purist who, way too often, has popcorn for dinner. In my defense, I skip the butter.) The Rose in Port Townsend has awfully good popcorn, but that’s a bit of a jaunt for more of us. You tell me — where’s the best popcorn in town?
