In keeping with the theme of this blog, I am beginning to realize that most things have a multicultural connection. With the month of November being about food, family and gratefulness plus the great family tradition, recipe or memories that many visitors have shared it got me to thinking about other foods associated with the holiday.

One memory I have, of course, takes me back to grade school where the day before Thanksgiving we tried to emulate the first Thanksgiving feast. I don’t remember all the finger foods we used in place of normal Thanksgiving fair, but I do remember that instead of corn, we had popcorn.

I was a little skeptical about a blog post on popcorn but then suddenly recalled this memory. Popcorn, in its variety of flavors and its close association with movies and entertainment, has a long multicultural legacy.

Take the following into consideration:

·        Although reaching back to Biblical times, it was the 16th century when popcorn became a very important element in Aztec Indian ceremonies. There were tassels made of maize and popcorn garland. The women even developed a routine that was called the popcorn dance.

·        The Spanish, Peruvian Indians also had their own names for the corn kernel that popped, such as momochitl and pasancalla respectively.

·        Popcorn appears to have reached the US from Mexico and Spain in the mid 1800s and was a staple here through the Great Depression.

Now prepared in a popper, on top of the stove or in a microwave, and served by the bag, bucket or tin, popcorn is as common as any other snack food yet far healthier. So common in fact, its multicultural origins are often forgotten with each handful.

Want to share a little multicultural food this holiday season that is easy and fun to eat? Consider sending popcorn baskets or popcorn tins. The Popcorn Factory has a great variety in decorative popcorn tins and popcorn baskets you’ll want to keep long after the contents are gone.

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