WAR: Did you know that during World War II, “sugar was sent overseas for U.S. troops, which meant there wasn’t much sugar left in the United States to make candy. Thanks to this unusual situation, Americans ate three times as much popcorn as usual,” according to Popcorn.org

“Popcorn went into a slump during the early 1950s, when television became popular. Attendance at movie theaters dropped and with it, popcorn consumption. When the public began eating popcorn at home, the new relationship between television and popcorn led to a resurgence in popularity.”

Then came microwave popcorn.

“Percy Spencer, Raytheon Manufacturing Corporation, figured out how to mass-produce magnetrons which were being used to generate microwaves for use in World War II. Looking for post-war applications of Raytheon technology, Spencer spurred the development of the microwave oven in 1946. In the early 1980s, microwave popcorn was born into the popcorn family and home popcorn consumption increased by tens of thousands of pounds in the years following.”

Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Popcorn

Ingredients

Directions: Place popcorn in large bowl; set aside; In small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and coconut extract; stir until melted and combined; pour over popcorn, coating well. Spread popcorn onto large cookie sheet; In glass measuring cup, melt chocolate chips and vegetable oil in microwave on low heat until smooth; Drizzle over popcorn. Immediately sprinkle coconut over popcorn mixture; cool.; Break into pieces and serve.