It's the traditional movie snack, served in jumbo portions and smothered in butter. But that's the closest popcorn gets to the stars — or is it?
It's the traditional movie snack, served in jumbo portions and smothered in butter. But in the Sonora desert in northern Mexico, the Yaqui people still make popcorn traditionally, by covering the grains of maize with hot sand. According to food historian Rachel Laudan, as the kernels pop, they fly up into the air. In the intense darkness of the desert night, she writes, the white hot grains resemble shooting stars and "the children dance around, trying to catch them as they fall, como estrellas del cielo."
Now, if only we could figure out how to recreate that at the multiplex.
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