Fun question, if I could vote this as a Question of the Day then I would!

Popcorn is picked off the kernel and put into bags. Popcorn and the corn we eat off the cob aren't the same thing.

There are three elements that make popcorn work like this:
* Moisture inside the kernel
* Starch inside the kernel
* The hard shell surrounding the kernel

When the kernals heat up either through the microwave or something else, the moisture inside expands and when the pressure gets high enough, it explodes into the white color we're all familiar with.

I found an article that can explain this in better detail (and so I don't have to go using quote tags)
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question255.htm

Now I'm hungry for popcorn, thanks.

It comes that way naturally... it just has to be dried.

When you heat up the kernels, the moisture that is already naturally inside starts to boil and make steam. The steam has nowhere to go, so the kernel explodes.

Ok to start of, first you need to breed the popcorn seed. The method of inbreeding is used here by taking the pollen from the male flower, from a single plant, and using that pollen to fertilize the female flower of that same plant. It actually takes 8 years of inbreeding for the stability of the plant selection and for the plant section to no longer be segregating. Together, two inbreds are crossed to produce a hybrid which is then planted as a popcorn seed.

Secondly, the popcorn will be planted by farmers each spring and the popcorn seeds will be placed 11/2 inches deep in the soil and 6 inches apart.

Third, the growth of the popcorn plant takes place and the popcorn seed sprouts in about 7 days and emerges in 10 days from the soil. A process called photosynthesis is what causes the ears of popcorn.

During the fourth phase, popcorn is being harvested when the kernel has moisture content of 16%-20%; which in turn, causes the popcorn kernel to pop when heated.

During the fifth phase, popcorn is being processed. Popcorn is being cleaned once it has dried to the optimum moisture level of 14% to remove small pieces of the cob and other plant parts. Popcorn kernels will be polished to eliminate any final plant material clinging to the kernel.

During the sixth phase, the popcorn is ready to pop. For most popcorn, the kernel's internal temperature needs to reach 400-600 degrees Farenheit. Only popcorn kernels can pop, and the secret is water. Each kernel contains a small amount of water stored in a circle of soft starch inside the hard outer casing. When heated, the moisture turns to steam, creating pressure within. As the pressure builds, the casing eventually gives way, and the kernel explodes and pops, allowing the water to escape as steam and turning the kernel inside out. If you have ever popped popcorn, you know that it explodes everywhere.

"Americans consume more than 18 billion quarts of popped popcorn each year, which equals approximately 56 quarts per man, woman and child."

hi, you know, I wondered this too, until I saw the seed for it in http://www.parkseed.com about 20 years ago.

http://gurneys.com/images/250/14907.jpg

It is a real corn kernel. The moisture inside makes it explode when heated, si?

This place gives details.

Pardon the pop up ad. Moi did not do it.

http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/gardening/vegetables/growing-popcorn/

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2000/7-21-2000/popcorn.html

http://www.parkseed.com

It does need a lot of heat and low growing season. Park Seed can advise on that. They are out of stock right now on it, though.

Gurney supposedly has it. Maybe you can grow it next year!
http://gurneys.com/product.asp?pn=14907&bhcd2=1248101235

I tried, it is not warm enough here. :)

First they get corn on a cob. Then they take the corn off,they let the corn dry out, and then you get it and pop it of corse!

POPCORN: From seed to snack
What is Popcorn?
Popcorn, like all six types of corn, is a cereal grain and originates from a wild grass. Its scientific name is zea mays everta, and it is the only type of corn to actually pop.

Popcorn is made up of three main components; endosperm, germ and the pericarp. The endosperm is made up of soft and hard starch granules. The endosperm is always white or yellow in color and is a carbohydrate. The function of the starch is to provide energy for the living part of the kernel, more commonly known as the "germ" or "embryo." The outer hull of the kernel is the pericarp, which is made of cellulose. The pericarp or hull is usually white or yellow in color, though the range of colors includes red, black and many colors in between.

1. Breeding the Popcorn Seed
Popcorn seeds are bred to produce desirable traits such as stalk strength, grain color and successful popping. Plant breeders select popcorn for genetic traits by using inbreeding. Inbreeding is taking the pollen from the tassel (male flower) from a single plant and using that pollen to fertilize the silk (female flower) of that same plant. Inbreeding leads to genetic segregation, whereby the plant breeder is able to identify, select and save the seed of desirable plants. The breeder then takes the seed and inbreeds it again, and continues to select for desirable traits. It takes eight years of inbreeding until the plant selection is stable and is no longer segregating. Finally, two inbreds are crossed together to produce a hybrid, which is then planted as popcorn seed.

2. Popcorn Planting
Most of the world's popcorn is grown in the United States corn belt of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio. Each spring, farmers use a corn planter to place the popcorn seeds about 11/2 inches deep and 6 inches apart in the soil. That's nearly 28,000 seeds per acre.

3. The Growth of a Popcorn Plant
Popcorn seed will germinate in approximately seven days and emerges from the soil in 10 days. It is the moisture in the soil, which dissolves important elements for the plant such as nitrogen, phosphate and potash. The popcorn roots absorb this nutrient rich moisture to "feed' the seed and cause it to germinate. When the sun shines on the new leaves, the green chlorophyll in the leaf contains water, which is combined with the carbon dioxide in the air, creating sugar. The plant uses the sugar to build more leaves and roots, and eventually ears of popcorn. This process is called photosynthesis.

As the popcorn plant grows, the stalk will reach approximately eight feet in height and produce long, green leaves. Popcorn requires 18-24 inches of water during the growing season. As the plant grows, it begins to produce ears of corn, covered with a green husk. Feathery tassels form at the top of the plant and produce pollen, a yellowish powder. The ears form silks or long strands that "catch" pollen as the wind blows. This process is called pollination and allows the ears to produce kernels. Once the ears have kernels, the maturity process continues until the entire plant is dry and brown.

4. Harvest - The Fruit of the Labor!
Popcorn is mature when the stalk and leaves are brown and dry, the kernel is hard, and a "black layer," easily found by scratching away the tip of the kernel, is formed. This layer signals that the kernel is no longer requiring nutrition from the plant. Popcorn is usually harvested when the kernel has moisture content of 16%-20%. It is this moisture within the kernel which allows the popcorn kernel to pop when heated.

Popcorn is usually harvested with a combine. This is a machine which has a "corn head" which strips the ear from the stalk. The ear is then fed into the combine. The combine shells the kernels from the cob and ejects the cob out of the back of the machine. The kernels are then loaded into a truck and transported to a storage bin. These bins have a perforated floor and air is forced through the floor to dry the corn to a 14% moisture level - the ideal level for popping corn. Sometimes the popcorn is harvested on the ear with a corn picker, which picks the corn on the cob without removing the kernels. The corn then dries on the cob and kernels are later removed from the ear.

5. Processing Popcorn
Once the popcorn has dried to the optimum moisture level of 14%, it is then cleaned to remove small pieces of the cob and other plant parts. Popcorn kernels are moved over a screen, which vibrates to separate the kernels from the other particles. Next, popcorn kernels go through a gravity separator, which eliminates lightweight particles such as small kernels. Once the kernels have been cleaned, they are polished, eliminating any final plant material still clinging to the kernel. The kernels are now ready to be packaged for microwave, bag, jar or bulk distribution.

6. Ready to Pop
Popcorn needs heat to pop. Most popcorn will pop when the kernel's internal temperature reaches 400-460 degrees Fahrenheit. Bound within the endosperm or starch is moisture. When the kernel is heated, the moisture turns to steam. Because the pericarp or hull is hard and flinty, pressure builds up within the kernel. The starch inside the kernel becomes soft like gelatin and the moisture vaporizes until the pressure in the kernel reaches 135 pounds per square inch. The pressure increases until the pericarp or hull ruptures and the gelatinized starch granules puff out. The kernel literally turns inside out. The starch or endosperm is the white part of the popped kernel and the pericarp or hull is the darker, flaky bit at the center of the kernel.

7. Finally, Popcorn!
Humans consume popcorn as a versatile and nutritious snack. It's enjoyed both sweet and savory by fans around the world. One factor, which makes it so popular, is its nutritional value. One cup of air-popped popcorn contains 31 calories, 1 gram of protein, 6 grams of carbohydrate, 1 gram of fiber and just a trace of fat.

And, it's a favorite snack of consumers of all ages. Americans consume more than 18 billion quarts of popped popcorn each year, which equals approximately 56 quarts per man, woman and child.