Popcorn is made from a variety of which grain?

Popcorn is made from a variety of corn, specifically kernels of maize cultivated for popping. Unlike ordinary corn varieties, popcorn kernels have a structure that lets them expand dramatically when heated.

Each kernel contains a hard outer hull, a starchy endosperm, and a small amount of water—typically about 14% to 20%. Heating turns the internal water into steam. Pressure builds inside the sealed hull until it ruptures, forcing the softened starch outward into the familiar white, airy shape.

A popcorn kernel can expand roughly 20 to 50 times its original size. The result is not a separate grain species, but a special type of corn kernel. Popcorn is classified within Zea mays, the same broad species that includes many other forms of maize.

People have eaten popcorn for thousands of years, with archaeological evidence showing its long history in the Americas. Modern popcorn may be air-popped, cooked in oil, salted, buttered, sweetened, or coated with flavors, but all of these forms begin with popping corn.