Yesterday was definitely one of those days where you don’t even attempt to head out doors if you don’t have to. So, after school finished and I had wrapped up all of my teaching chores, I picked up my little one from Day Care and we headed home for a movie and popcorn! While my two-year-old watched the corn pop and turn into a fluffy and tasty treat, she curiously asked me “why is it popping?”. 

Well, I was quite stumped. I knew that heat made the kernels pop and that was why they exploded into soft white edible pieces of corn, but I couldn’t tell her why the heat made the hard corn pop. This is where Google was once again my go-to source of information and discovery. Allow me to share what I learnt!

Photo Credit

Why Does Popcorn Pop?

First of all, not all corn can pop and be turned into popcorn. You get a variety of different corn plants and only actual “popcorn” corn will pop into dry fluffiness. This corn is harvested differently from other corn species and is left to dry and harden on the stalk after it has ripened. 

To answer the question “why popcorn pops”, well, we owe the reasoning to science!

Found in the centre of each kernel of popcorn corn is a tiny droplet of water which is surrounded by a hard shell called a hull. As this corn warms up, the water turns into steam, this steam expands within the walls of the hull causing immense pressure. When the hull can no longer contain the pressure, a tiny explosion occurs and the kernel explodes, the aftermath is a crunchy piece of white fluffiness. 

Information source: https://www.childrensmuseum.org/blog/why-does-popcorn-pop

Photo Credit

Here is a video of popcorn popping in slow motion:

Video source: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFH4dWqQQOYkyJZUGT4q5pg

Why does popping popcorn make a popping sound?

The popping sound you hear while making popcorn is due to the rapid escape of water from the kernel. The shape of the popcorn is such that it can amplify the sound. - https://foodcrumbles.com/why-does-popcorn-pop/

Isn’t science simply delicious? I have been enjoying popcorn since I was a child and while I have always loved the popping sound an stuffing my face with the salt laden corny treat, I never truly appreciated what I was eating, and why I was eating it! Guess we all learnt something new today 😊

With thanks from @mamameimei