
Over the decades, that process has given moviegoers a better product, one that’s more tender with fewer of the fiddly little bits that get stuck in your teeth. and Canadian sales at Gold Medal Products, takes between five and seven years to develop.

A typical hybrid strain of popcorn, explains Joe Macaluso, popcorn-industry veteran and vice president of U.S. Medium butterfly popcorn, on the other hand, is more tender-a quality that farmers and scientists have spent decades accentuating. In addition to being, you guessed it, larger, large butterfly popcorn is a lot more durable and less likely to break up during manufacturing and shipping. Buy a bag of pre-popped popcorn at a grocery store or gas station, and you’re probably looking at large butterfly popcorn. Go to a movie theater in the Unites States and you’re getting medium-sized butterfly popcorn. What people tend to think of as “movie theater popcorn” is actually butterfly popcorn, characterized by “wings” that emerge as the kernel is popped. Popcorn Isn’t Just Popcornįirst of all: Not all popcorn is the same. But look beyond the bag-or tub, or bucket-and you’ll find that the world of that little popcorn kernel is surprisingly complex.

Theaters love it for its high profitability.

Patrons love it for its taste and convenience. Popcorn: Since the Great Depression, it’s been the movie theater staple.
