Popcorn or Popping Corn is a type of corn which explodes from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Special varieties are grown to give improved popping yield. Some wild types will pop, but the cultivated strain is Zea mays subsp. mays, which is a special kind of flint corn. Popcorn was first formally discovered by Native Americans thousands of years ago. Popcorn History
History Of Popcorn or "Popping Corn"
In 1948 kernels of an early corn variety capable of being popped were found in an archaeological dig in a New Mexico rock shelter known as "Bat Cave". "History of Popcorn" page of Popcorn Machines Direct. These finds are widely reported as being the oldest ears of popcorn ever found; such reports often say they are dated to be 4000–5000 years old, or more. The actual facts about the Bat Cave corn are less clear. While initial reports dated the corn to be 4000–5000 years old, in 1967 the same researchers revealed data from more specifically targeted dating: