Why do we eat popcorn at the movies? - Andrew Smith

翻译人员: Yip Yan Yeung 校对人员: Grace Man

Soft percussion and a toasty scent mark the violent transformation

轻声的噼啪、焦焦的香味 代表着坚硬的种子

of tough seeds into cloud-like puffs.

骤变成了云朵般的膨化小零食。

This is the almost magical process of popcorn-making.

这就是制作爆米花 近乎神奇的过程。

But how did we actually end up with this whimsical food?

但我们究竟是怎么想出 这种大开脑洞的食物的呢？

All the corn eaten today is derived from a tall grass called teosinte,

如今我们吃的所有玉米都源自一种 名为“墨西哥野玉米”的高大草本，

which Indigenous people in what is now southern Mexico

现今墨西哥南部的土著人

began selectively breeding about 9,000 years ago.

大约在 9000 年前就已经 开始选择性培育这种植物了。

An ear of teosinte originally yielded somewhere between 5 and 12 small kernels,

每一个墨西哥野玉米 能产出 5 至 12 颗玉米粒，

each with a hard shell called a pericarp.

每一颗玉米粒都有一个硬壳， 称为“果皮”。

And some varieties had a fantastic feature:

有些品种有个很神奇的特质：

if they reached a certain temperature, their kernels exploded.

一旦达到了特定温度， 它们的内核就会爆开。

Popcorn kernels pop because water and starch

爆米花的内核会爆开 是因为水和淀粉

are sealed tightly within the pericarp.

紧紧地密封在果皮内。

When heated, the moisture inside becomes steam.

一旦加热， 内含的水分就会变成水蒸气。

As it expands, it increases the internal pressure

内核膨胀的同时， 内压强会增加，

and the solid starch transforms into a gel-like substance.

固态淀粉也转化为了胶状物质。

The pressure finally overcomes the pericarp’s resistance and it bursts—

最终压强超过了果皮的阻力， 于是就爆开了——

the steam and starch expanding to form a foam

水蒸气和淀粉 膨胀形成了一个泡沫，

that quickly cools and dries in the air.

在空气中快速冷却、干燥。

From this small-scale explosion also rush forth the compounds

这场小型爆炸 也把化合物推了出去，

that give popcorn its powerful aroma.

让爆米花释放出强烈的香味。

Ancient Indigenous American people cultivated other maize varieties

古代美洲土著人 培育出了其他玉米品种，

with larger, more flavorful kernels and thinner pericarps.

具有更大、更有味道的内核 及更薄的果皮。

But the hard-shelled, poppable variety also persisted

但硬壳、可爆的品种也流传了下来，

and spread through parts of the Americas.

席卷了美洲的部分地区。

By the time European colonizers arrived in the late 1400s,

在欧洲殖民者 于 15 世纪后期抵达之时，

Indigenous American people were preparing and eating corn in myriad manners.

美洲土著已经能 花式烹制、食用玉米了。

Popcorn wasn’t a major part of their diets.

爆米花不是他们 日常总是会吃的食物。

But it popped up in European accounts,

但是它被欧洲人记载了下来，

which described the preparation of “toasted” or “parched” corn

记录了如何制作 “烤制”或“烘干”玉米

and its use in some Aztec feasts and celebrations.

和它在阿兹特克宴会 和庆典上的用途。

Despite initial reluctance,

虽然一开始不情不愿，

colonizers eventually began cultivating— and popping— corn.

殖民者最终还是开始培育， 也开始“爆”玉米了。

The methods they used at first were inconsistent and messy.

他们最初采用的方式 参差不齐、一塌糊涂。

But with the invention of “wire over the fire” baskets around 1837,

但随着 1837 年左右 烧烤篮的发明，

the process got easier.

整个过程都简单了一些。

Soon, popcorn picked up steam

不久爆米花就风靡了起来，

and exploded with a reputation as a low-cost, entertaining snack.

以廉价、有趣的小零食 名声大噪。

Over the following decades,

在接下来的几十年里，

it became a mainstay at events and hundreds of recipes materialized,

它成为了各大活动的中流砥柱， 上百个配方层出不穷，

mixing popcorn with sweet and savory ingredients.

给爆米花加上甜甜咸咸的配料。

But popcorn hadn't yet reached its height.

但这还不是爆米花的巅峰。

At the 1893 World’s Fair, an inventor showcased the first popcorn machine:

在 1893 年的 世界哥伦比亚博览会上，

一位发明家展示了 第一台爆米花机：

a wagon that tossed popcorn in seasoning as it cooked.

一辆在烹制时把爆米花 丢进调味料的小车。

Soon enough, vendors could be seen roving US city streets with similar machines.

不久后，小贩们就带着这样的机器 出现在了美国的街头巷尾。

Interestingly, movie theaters were some of the only American venues

有趣的是，电影院 还是当时美国为数不多

where you wouldn’t find popcorn at the time.

不售卖爆米花的场所。

Many cinema operators saw their establishments

许多电影院老板认为他们的产业

as part of a grand theater tradition at odds with popcorn—

作为大剧院传统的一部分， 与爆米花格格不入——

what they considered a messy, low-brow street food.

他们认为爆米花是一种 邋遢、没品味的街头食品。

However, when the Great Depression hit in 1929,

但当 1929 年大萧条袭来时，

movies provided the public with a welcome distraction.

电影让大众可以愉悦地逃避现实。

And they had recently gone from being silent and subtitled to acquiring sound,

不再是默片加上字幕， 而是配上音效，

making them accessible to a wider audience,

更容易触及更广泛的受众，

including non-literate people.

包括无读写能力人士。

At about five or ten cents a bag,

一包爆米花大概五美分或十美分，

popcorn proved an inexpensive luxury for moviegoers,

为影迷提供了价格低廉的享受，

so theater operators pounced on the money-making opportunity.

所以影院老板牢牢抓住了 这个吸金机会。

Today, a medium bag of popcorn might cost about 60 cents to make,

如今，中份爆米花的制作成本 大约为 60 美分，

but retail for around $6— a 1,000% markup.

但售价约为 6 美元—— 1000% 的加成。

Popcorn sales generate nearly 40% of all movie theater profits,

爆米花收入大约占 电影院总利润的 40%，

helping to offset the high prices that theaters pay film studios.

部分抵消了电影院 支付给电影制片方的高昂费用。

Over the last century, people throughout the Americas continued popping corn,

过去的一个世纪里， 美洲的人们持续爆着玉米，

and different preparations took hold in markets worldwide.

各种做法席卷了世界各地的市场。

When microwavable popcorn was launched in the 1980s,

上世纪 80 年代， 微波炉爆米花问世，

popcorn popped off yet again.

爆米花掀起了新一轮风潮。

Dozens of kinds of popcorn are now grown in the US.

美国现在培育着 琳琅满目的爆米花品种。

Different strains assume distinctive shapes when their kernels explode,

不同品种在内核爆开时 会呈现出不同的形状，

most commonly taking so-called “mushroom” and “butterfly” forms.

最常见的是 “蘑菇形”和“蝴蝶形”。

And they’ve been bred for supreme poppability.

它们被培育出了 最佳的“可爆能力”。

Over the last century, the amount that popcorn expands has doubled:

过去百年， 爆米花膨胀的程度已经翻番：

now, kernels can reach up to 50 times their original size upon popping.

现在的内核已经可以爆出 原始大小的高达 50 倍体积。

Not to be corny, but popcorn’s come a long way.

虽然这种说法“黍”不胜“黍”， 但爆米花取得了突飞猛进的发展。

This video was made possible with support from Marriott Hotels.

本视频的制作 由万豪酒店集团支持。

With over 590 hotels and resorts across the globe,

万豪集团旗下超 590 家酒店 和度假村遍布全球，

Marriott Hotels celebrates the curiosity that propels us to travel.

唤起内在的好奇心， 踏上奇妙旅程。

Check out some of the exciting ways TED-Ed and Marriott are working together

来探索 TED-Ed 和 万豪合作的有趣内容，

and book your next journey at Marriott Hotels.

预定你在万豪酒店的下一次旅程。