Kettle Korn History

According to one tale, around 150 years ago the concept was developed by a Missouri farmer who, along with German immigrants, used to pop corn in their large cast iron kettles after a long day of rendering lard from hogs. They would add a sweetener, such as honey, molasses or sugar to the popcorn to achieve a special flavor. This method had pretty much disappeared until 15 years ago or so when a Midwestern farmer remembered how his grandparents used to pop this wonderful popcorn. About to lose his farm to the local bank, he revived the kettle korn tradition at local events.

Another tale has an Amish derivation. One of the favorite stories comes from someone who moved to California from rural Indiana. She told of how an Amish family would pull up each weekend in front of the local Walmart in their buggy, unload their kettle, and start popping. People stood in line to sample the sweet/salty taste of kettle korn and the business grew.

The real story? Who knows? It seems like kettle korn goes back a couple of hundred years. Beyond that, the history gets somewhat muddled. Maybe you have your own historical
version. If so, send it in. We will be happy to put it on our website.

Popcorn Trivia

Popcorn is the oldest of three main types of corn: field corn, sweet corn, and popcorn.

Popcorn pops because the heart of the kernel is moist and pulpy and is surrounded by a
hard shell. When heated, the moisture in the heart expands until it “pops.”

Popcorn was discovered by the Indians. One of the first things Columbus saw in San
Salvador was Indians selling popcorn and wearing it as jewelry.

Archeologists found some popcorn in a bat cave in New Mexico that was 5,000 years old.

1,000 year old popcorn kernels were found in Peru that would still pop.

Indians used to popcorn by holding an ear of corn on a stick over an open fire (even
then they knew that the best way to pop corn was “open.”

Indians also popped corn by throwing a handful of kernels right into the fire.

French explorers saw Indians in 1612 popping corn in clay pots filled with sand. They
would fill the pots with hot sand, throw in some popcorn, and when it popped, it would
come to the top.

The Iroquois Indians liked popcorn soup.

Indians coming to the first Thanksgiving dinner brought popcorn in a deerskin pouch.

The Colonists were so in love with popcorn that they ate it for breakfast with cream
and sugar, thus the original “Corn Pops.”

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