"popcorn" news and stories

Happy National Popcorn Day!

Popcorn is one of the oldest snacks around; in fact, dried corn has been popped for more than 6,000 years. The preparation might have changed a little, with today's prominence of stovetop and microwave varieties, but popcorn still tastes delicious standing alone, needing only a dusting of salt to boost its natural flavor.

The typical movie theater fare is standard -- butter, salted to taste -- but popcorn seems to work as a canvas for any flavor palate, be it spicy, sour, sweet or even exotic. Take a look at the popcorn photos featured in our Slashfood Flickr pool for inspiration -- or get adventurous with the spices and oils in your own pantry.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured on the site.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

• If you recorded PBS' showing of Food, Inc. last night, watch it with the perfect pairing -- popcorn!
• Eat a healthy treat on Earth Day with coconut pineapple loaf cake.
• Don't even think about saving Mother Nature anything on an empty stomach.
• Test your tasty-bits system know-how.
• Take a bite of out a Greek salad on a toothpick.
• Who says you can't drink your Sunday Best?
• Recycle your beef -- Japanese style -- with this tataki recipe.

Happy National Caramel Popcorn Day!

On the heels of yesterday's National Caramel Day, today's food holiday is a slightly more savory twist on the typically saccharine treat. Caramel popcorn is an easy alternative to the usual salty-buttery palate, coating the kernels with a thin, pleasantly sweet crust.

We vouch for this caramel popcorn recipe from blogger Coconut & Lime, who coats the popped popcorn in a mix of brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and baking soda before tossing the mixture in the oven for a crispy glaze. Promises Rachel, "It has a good caramel taste and it's so easy, it's a great (low fat) alternative to just eating buttered popcorn on movie night."

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured on the site.

A Virginia entrepreneur is marketing a product he's begun to describe as "like popcorn, only better." According to Dan Gadra, popped sorghum doesn't have any hulls, so snackers don't have to worry about anything getting stuck in their teeth. "It's smaller than corn so it's easier to eat," he adds. "It's nuttier-tasting, and it has a little bit more fiber."

Sorghum – also known as milo, millet and broomcorn -- is the grain of choice in hot, dry places where corn won't grow. But Americans have used the grain primarily for syrup and livestock feed since industrial producers started pushing wheat. "It's just one of those legacy grains that went out of style with Wonder Bread," Gadra says.

But sorghum didn't completely fade from the culinary scene: Gadra got his start in the popped sorghum business after hearing the grain was something every dedicated foodie had to try. He met plenty of fellow gourmands with the same marching orders, and was soon making "popghum" in flavors including berbere, curry, adobo and caramel sea salt. The varieties, he explains, were inspired by places where sorghum's a standard grain.

Happy National Popcorn Day!

Enjoy a bowl of the (relatively!) healthful treat any way you like: air-popped or oil-popped; yellow, red, white or blue; and flavors that span the rainbow -- butter, kettlecorn and caramel are barely the tip of the iceberg.

Blogger Erin Cooks reminisced about a popcorn mecca by the name of Bean's Corner Popcorn, which served whimsical bowls of "super sugary, brightly colored and uniquely flavored popcorn varieties," divulging her favorite flavor to be watermelon bubblegum. In an equally visual rendition, pictured here, her "Pretty Pretty Princess Pink Party Popcorn" uses white chocolate and red food coloring to create this fanciful snack.

What's your favorite flavored popcorn? Place your vote and share your corn-based creations in the comments.