Popcorn
<p ><b>Popping corn</b> (better known as <b>popcorn</b>) is a type of corn (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maize" title="Maize" >maize</a>, <i>Zea mays var. everta</i>) that expands from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed" title="Seed" >kernel</a> and puffs up when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat" title="Heat" >heated</a>. Corn is able to pop because, like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth_grain" title="Amaranth grain" >amaranth grain</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorghum" title="Sorghum" >sorghum</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa" title="Quinoa" >quinoa</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millet" title="Millet" >millet</a>, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Husk" title="Husk" >hull</a> and a dense <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starch" title="Starch" >starchy</a> interior. This allows <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure" title="Pressure" >pressure</a> to build inside the kernel until an explosive "pop" results. Some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strain_(biology)" title="Strain (biology)" >strains</a> of corn are now cultivated specifically as popping corns. The kernels are sometimes different than others.
There are many techniques for popping corn. Commercial large-scale <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_machine" title="Popcorn machine" class="mw-redirect" >popcorn machines</a> were invented by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Cretors" title="Charles Cretors" class="mw-redirect" >Charles Cretors</a> in the late 19th century. Many types of small-scale home methods for popping corn also exist, with the most popular in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States" >United States</a> being prepackaged.</p>
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Depending on how it is prepared and cooked, some consider it to be a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_food" title="Health food" >health food</a> while others caution against it for a variety of reasons. Popcorn can also have non-food applications, ranging from holiday decorations to packaging materials.</p>