Popcorn: A Superfood with a Twist
Popcorn has long been associated with cinema, but it also boasts a reputation as a superfood, thanks to its high fibre and polyphenol content. Longevity expert Dan Buettner recently described popcorn as the best snack for living to 100, noting it is very high in fibre and complex carbohydrates, with more polyphenols than many vegetables.
Humans have consumed popping corn for at least 4,000 years, but its modern popularity traces back to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. There, inventor Charles Cretors introduced the first mobile steam-powered popcorn machine, and two brothers launched a molasses-coated popcorn and peanut mix later known as Cracker Jack, often considered America's first junk food.
Healthy and Spiced Variations
The British Heart Foundation offers a simple spiced popcorn: for 50g of kernels, use half a teaspoon of smoked paprika and a quarter-teaspoon of ground cumin, popped with sunflower oil. Guardian reader Rachel Kelly suggests a spiced salt with chilli and lime, while Nigel Slater recommends fennel seed and pancetta popcorn popped in butter and bacon fat.
Sweet and Savory Combos
Yotam Ottolenghi's spicy popcorn features a caramel made from butter, sugar, salt, chilli, and dried shrimp, baked for an hour and mixed with plain popcorn. For a simpler toffee popcorn, butter and muscovado sugar suffice. Susanna Booth offers a dairy-free version that can be adapted to margarita (lime and salt) or coffee flavour. Liam Charles's honey-caramel popcorn mimics Cracker Jack, inspired by a cinema collision of toffee popcorn and honey-roasted nuts. A homemade cracker jack from Brown Eyed Baker is a decent approximation.
Snack Bars and Indulgent Treats
The Popcorn Board, a nonprofit funded by US popcorn processors, promotes popcorn granola snack bars combining popcorn, peanuts, granola, honey, and peanut butter. For a less sticky version, try Bombay popcorn mix with peanuts, sultanas, and crispy chickpeas. Tom Kerridge's popcorn bars are fused with chocolate and marshmallows. Salted caramel and popcorn crumble choux buns, filled with toffee popcorn cream, are far from superfood territory.
Popcorn in Bread, Coatings, and Salads
Popcorn can be ground into powder for bread recipes, like the popcorn bread from Australian Better Homes and Gardens. It also works as a coating for fried fish, such as popcorn and mushroom-crusted tilapia from Big Popcorn. Two popcorn salad recipes exist: one from The Kitchn combines popcorn with carrots, celery, spring onions, water chestnuts, cheddar, bacon, mayonnaise, and ranch dressing. Another from Three Many Cooks is a simple rocket and onion salad with vinaigrette, using popcorn as a crouton alternative.
Popcorn Soup
Popcorn soup recipes typically blend and sieve the soup for a smooth texture, with a few popcorn pieces as garnish. A recipe from A Food Lover's Kitchen, inspired by a Seattle restaurant, uses fresh corn on the cob: kernels are stripped, and the cobs make corn stock. The soup includes popcorn, celery, carrot, onion, and cream, resulting in a smooth chowder with buttery corn taste.
