LISTEN: Why is movie popcorn better than popcorn at home?
How did popcorn become the iconic cinema snack?
One of the many joys of the cinema experience is getting some snacks.
Without any doubt the go-to option is popcorn.
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Even if you are watching at home, you might throw a pack in the microwave or a few kernels on the stove.
Then, there are all the different flavours that are available, or you could add a sweet treat for balance.
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But there always seems to be something different about cinema popcorn.
It turns out that the popcorn at these establishments is truly different from what you would buy at the store and make at home.
You would be wrong if you thought it was as simple as them adding way more butter to their product.
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According to the New York Times, many cinemas use coconut oil when popping their corn and add Flavacol to make it appear super buttery.
Flavacol is a "butter-flavoured salt. It's very fine in size, artificially coloured, and gets its taste from artificial butter flavour. Because the seasoning is so fine, it sticks very well to the kernels, unlike kosher salt or table salt, which tend to fall right off of popped corn."
Now that you have the secret ingredient, here are three more tips on how you can make the best popcorn at home:
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How did popcorn enter the cinema scene?
According to Andrew F. Smith, author of 'Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn in America', various factors contributed to popcorn's introduction and popularity in theatres.
When popcorn was first introduced in the Americas, it became the snack of choice because it was very cheap to make.
Because popcorn was cheap to make, it was also cheap to buy. During the Great Depression, consumers increased their spending on cheaper luxury items such as popcorn and movies.
The Britannica writes that: "Theaters would allow a particular popcorn salesman to sell right outside the theater for a daily fee. By the mid-1940s, however, movie theaters had cut out the middleman and begun to have their own concession stands in the lobby."
The popcorn concession stands managed to keep movie theatres afloat, and it's been a staple since.
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