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

Translator: Aubrey Cheng

Soft percussion and a toasty scent mark the violent transformation

輕輕嘅敲擊聲、微微烤過嘅香味 就係猛烈變形嘅前奏

of tough seeds into cloud-like puffs.

堅硬嘅果籽變做蓬鬆嘅雲狀球體

This is the almost magical process of popcorn-making.

製作爆谷嘅過程就係咁魔幻

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

但我哋究竟點樣發現呢種咁得意嘅小食？

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

而家所有我哋食嘅粟米都係 源自一種高高哋嘅植物叫做大芻草

which Indigenous people in what is now southern Mexico

係由而家喺墨西哥南部嘅原住民

began selectively breeding about 9,000 years ago.

喺約九千年前開始選擇培植呢種植物

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

大芻草嘅穗原本可以產出 大約五至十二粒細果仁

each with a hard shell called a pericarp.

每粒都有個叫果皮嘅硬殼包裹住

And some varieties had a fantastic feature:

而某啲品種有樣好絕妙嘅特徵：

if they reached a certain temperature, their kernels exploded.

當佢哋達到某種溫度，果仁就會爆開

Popcorn kernels pop because water and starch

爆谷會爆開係因為水分同澱粉

are sealed tightly within the pericarp.

緊緊鎖咗喺果皮入面

When heated, the moisture inside becomes steam.

一遇熱，入面嘅水分就會變成蒸氣

As it expands, it increases the internal pressure

蒸氣膨脹，就會增加入面嘅壓力

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

令固體嘅澱粉轉化為凝膠物質

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

果皮無法抵抗嚟自入面嘅壓力 最後就會爆開咗

the steam and starch expanding to form a foam

蒸氣同澱粉繼而膨脹形成泡沫

that quickly cools and dries in the air.

迅速喺空氣中冷卻同風乾

From this small-scale explosion also rush forth the compounds

果皮爆開嗰陣時亦將啲混合物釋出

that give popcorn its powerful aroma.

令爆谷散發佢獨有嘅香味

Ancient Indigenous American people cultivated other maize varieties

以前美洲原住民會培植其他粟米品種

with larger, more flavorful kernels and thinner pericarps.

佢哋嘅嘅果仁大粒啲、味濃啲、 塊皮都薄啲

But the hard-shelled, poppable variety also persisted

但佢哋都有繼續培植 硬殼又易爆開嘅品種

and spread through parts of the Americas.

重喺其他部分嘅美洲流傳開去

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

直到歐洲殖民喺十四世紀後期嚟到

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

美洲原住民已經有好多種調味 同埋煮粟米嘅方法

Popcorn wasn’t a major part of their diets.

爆谷唔多出現喺佢哋嘅正餐

But it popped up in European accounts,

但出現咗喺歐洲人嘅記載入面

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

記錄咗「香烤粟米」， 「風乾粟米」嘅調理方法

and its use in some Aztec feasts and celebrations.

同埋爆谷喺阿斯達文明盛宴 及慶典場合嘅用途

Despite initial reluctance,

儘管起初會有啲抗拒

colonizers eventually began cultivating— and popping— corn.

殖民者最終開始種植粟米、爆下爆谷

The methods they used at first were inconsistent and messy.

佢哋最初使用嘅方法既唔一致又雜亂

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

但當喺大約1837年， 發明咗「直火都用得」嘅鐵線籃之後

the process got easier.

整個過程就容易得多

Soon, popcorn picked up steam

而爆谷亦都火速人氣急升

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

成為以平價、好玩之名而爆紅嘅小食

Over the following decades,

喺之後嘅幾十年

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

爆谷就成為咗活動中嘅主打， 有過百款嘅食譜推出

mixing popcorn with sweet and savory ingredients.

將爆谷同咸嘅、甜嘅材料撈埋一齊

But popcorn hadn't yet reached its height.

打呢個都重未係爆谷嘅巔峰

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

喺1983年世界博覽會， 有個發明家喺會上展示出首部爆谷機：

a wagon that tossed popcorn in seasoning as it cooked.

一架會將爆谷掉入調味料嘅小販車

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

冇幾耐，你會見到啲小販推住類似嘅爆谷機 喺美國城市嘅街道上賣爆谷

Interestingly, movie theaters were some of the only American venues

有趣嘅係，當時喺美國嘅戲院係少數

where you wouldn’t find popcorn at the time.

唔會有爆谷出現嘅地方

Many cinema operators saw their establishments

好多戲院經營者認為

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

傳統豪華戲院係唔襯爆谷呢種小食

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

因為佢哋覺得爆谷係低檔次街頭小食

However, when the Great Depression hit in 1929,

但係到咗1929年， 經濟大蕭條捶捶重擊之下

movies provided the public with a welcome distraction.

戲院成為咗大眾解憂嘅好地方

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

由原本播默劇、只係配上字幕， 再變成播有聲嘅戲

making them accessible to a wider audience,

令到多啲觀眾可以欣賞到電影

including non-literate people.

包括文盲嘅人

At about five or ten cents a bag,

一包大約五美分或者十美分

popcorn proved an inexpensive luxury for moviegoers,

爆谷為電影觀眾帶嚟平價豪華體驗

so theater operators pounced on the money-making opportunity.

所以戲院經營者睇準呢個賺錢機會

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

時至今日，一包中型爆谷嘅成本價 可能係大約六十美分

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

但係就賣緊六美元— 係成本價嘅一百倍

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

爆谷嘅生意為戲院全部收益帶嚟咗四成利潤

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

希望可以幫戲院彌補番俾咗電影工作室條數

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

上個世紀，成個美洲嘅人都繼續爆緊爆谷

and different preparations took hold in markets worldwide.

而唔同爆谷嘅處理烹調方法 亦都喺全球嘅市場佔一席位

When microwavable popcorn was launched in the 1980s,

喺1980年，當微波爐爆谷推出後

popcorn popped off yet again.

爆谷再次爆出新天地

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

數之不盡嘅爆谷品種而家喺美國種植緊

Different strains assume distinctive shapes when their kernels explode,

唔同品種嘅粟米粒爆開嗰陣， 就會出現唔同形狀嘅爆谷

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

一般都會爆出「蘑菇型」同埋「蝴蝶型」

And they’ve been bred for supreme poppability.

而佢哋亦都被培植到爆得好開嘅品種

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

上個世紀，爆谷可以膨脹咗一倍嘅體積

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

而家嘅粟米粒可以爆開到 比自己原本嘅體積大五十倍

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

總之爆谷真係行咗條豪漫長嘅路

This video was made possible with support from Marriott Hotels.

呢條影片由萬豪酒店贊助播出

With over 590 hotels and resorts across the globe,

萬豪酒店喺全球擁有 超過五百九十間酒店及度假村

Marriott Hotels celebrates the curiosity that propels us to travel.

萬豪酒店重視驅使我哋去旅行嘅好奇心

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

快啲去睇下TED-Ed同萬豪酒店 有啲乜嘢精彩嘅合作，

and book your next journey at Marriott Hotels.

下次旅行嗰陣， 可以考慮預約萬豪酒店住番晚呀。