Popcorn is perhaps the all-time easiest food in the world to make, even before we had those microwavable envelopes, making yourself popcorn is about as difficult as boiling pasta. Personally thoughI find plain salted popcorn a little bland. Even with butter it’s never something I’m so excited for. Now caramel corn is a whole other story. Simultaneously fluffy and sticky, salty and sweet, it is, in my mind the perfect snack.
While Popcorn is certainly a new world Food, the truth is that it’s history probably goes farther back than anything else I’ll put on this blog. Corn was first domesticated in Mexico over 9,000 years ago and we know that people have been popping it’s kernels for at least 5,600 years of that thanks to archeological evidence found in new Mexico. Sweetness was first added to popcorn though by Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania who added sugar to the mix making kettle corn. Caramel corn was finally introduced in the 1890’s in Chicago by German immigrant Frederick William Rueckheim (what is with these Germans and making great snacks!) who founded the Cracker Jack Company.
To make your own caramel corn you’ll only need 4 ingredients:
It should come out looking like this.
- 3 tbs oil.
- ½ cup popcorn kernels
- ½ cup brown sugar
- Salt to taste
Directions: in a small pot add the oil, put in three kernels of popcorn and turn on the heat. When the three kernels have popped you know it’s hot enough to add the rest of the ingredients. Stir them around and then, for the love of god, cover the pot or you’ll end up with popcorn everywhere! As the kernels are popping shake the pot a few times to make sure sugar gets spread around and un-popped kernels fall to the bottom. You’ll know it is done when you hear the kernels stop popping. Pour the popcorn onto a sheet of parchment paper to cool so it doesn’t stick.
My adjustments: none
Fun tips: using different granulated sugars will end with a different result. For example using white sugar instead of brown will give you something more similar to kettle corn rather than caramel. Honey or maple syrup can also be used.
phila-phried 