This is the almost magical process of popcorn-making.

這就是制作爆米花近乎神奇的過程。

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

但我們究竟是如何想出這種腦洞大開的食物的呢？

All the corn eaten today is derived from a tall grass called teosinte, which indigenous people in what is now southern Mexico began selectively breeding about 9,000 years ago.

如今我們吃的所有玉米都源自一種名為「墨西哥野玉米」的高大草本植物，現今墨西哥南部的原住民大約在 9000 年前就已經開始選擇性培育這種植物了。

An ear of teosinte originally yielded somewhere between 5 and 12 small kernels, each with a hard shell called a pericarp.

每一个墨西哥野玉米能產出 5 至 12 顆玉米粒，每一顆玉米粒都有一個硬殼， 稱為「果皮」。

And some varieties had a fantastic feature: if they reached a certain temperature, their kernels exploded.

有些品種有個很神奇的特質：一旦達到了特定温度， 它們的內核就會爆開。

Popcorn kernels pop because water and starch are sealed tightly within the pericarp.

爆米花的內核會爆開是因爲水和澱粉緊緊地密封在果皮內。

When heated, the moisture inside becomes steam.

一旦加熱， 內含的水分就會變成水蒸氣。

As it expands, it increases the internal pressure and the solid starch transforms into a gel-like substance.

隨著內核膨脹，玉米內部的壓力增加，固體澱粉轉變為類似凝膠的物質。

The pressure finally overcomes the pericarp's resistance and it bursts—the steam and starch expanding to form a foam that quickly cools and dries in the air.

最終壓力超過了果皮的阻力， 於是就爆開了——水蒸氣和澱粉膨脹形成了一個泡沫，在空氣中快速冷卻、乾燥。

From this small-scale explosion also rush forth the compounds that give popcorn its powerful aroma.

這小型的爆炸也釋放出了賦予爆米花獨特香氣的化合物。

Ancient indigenous American people cultivated other maize varieties with larger, more flavorful kernels and thinner pericarps.

古代美洲原住民培育了其他玉米品種，這些品種擁有更大、更有味道的內核及更薄的果皮。

But the hard-shelled, poppable variety also persisted and spread through parts of the Americas.

然而，這種硬殼、能夠爆裂的玉米品種席捲了美洲的部分地區。

By the time European colonizers arrived in the late 1400s, Indigenous American people were preparing and eating corn in myriad manners.

歐洲殖民者到了 15 世紀末抵達時，美洲原住民已經能以各種方式烹製和食用玉米了。

Popcorn wasn't a major part of their diets.

爆米花並非他們的主要飲食。

But it popped up in European accounts, which described the preparation of "toasted" or "parched" corn and its use in some Aztec feasts and celebrations.

但是它被歐洲人記載了下来，紀錄了如何制作 「烤制」或「烘干」的玉米，和它在阿兹特克宴会和慶典上的用途。

Despite initial reluctance, colonizers eventually began cultivating— and popping— corn.

儘管一開始不情願，殖民者最終開始培育，也開始「爆」米花了。

The methods they used at first were inconsistent and messy.

起初，他們烹製的方法不一致且一團亂，

But with the invention of "wire over the fire" baskets around 1837, the process got easier.

但隨著 1837 年左右燒烤籃的發明，整個過程都簡單了一些。

Soon, popcorn picked up steam and exploded with a reputation as a low-cost, entertaining snack.

很快，爆米花聲名鵲起，以低成本、富有娛樂性的零食而廣受歡迎。

Over the following decades, it became a mainstay at events and hundreds of recipes materialized, mixing popcorn with sweet and savory ingredients.

在接下來的幾十年裡，爆米花成為各種活動的主打食品，出現了數以百計的食譜，將爆米花調配成甜甜鹹鹹的味道。

But popcorn hadn't yet reached its height.

然而，爆米花還沒有達到它的巔峰。

At the 1893 World's Fair, an inventor showcased the first popcorn machine: a wagon that tossed popcorn in seasoning as it cooked.

在 1893 年的芝加哥世界博覽會上，一位發明家展示了第一台爆米花機：一輛在烹飪的同時將爆米花與調味料一起翻炒的推車。

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

很快，類似的機器就在美國城市的街頭巷尾出現。

Interestingly, movie theaters were some of the only American venues where you wouldn't find popcorn at the time.

有趣的是，當時的電影院是美國為數不多不販售賣爆米花的場所。

Many cinema operators saw their establishments as part of a grand theater tradition at odds with popcorn—what they considered a messy, low-brow street food.

許多電影院業者認為他們的產業作為大劇院傳統的一部分， 與爆米花格格不入，他們認為爆米花是一種邋遢、低俗的街頭食品。

However, when the Great Depression hit in 1929, movies provided the public with a welcome distraction.

然而，當 1929 年大蕭條來臨時，電影讓大眾可以愉悅地逃避現實。

And they had recently gone from being silent and subtitled to acquiring sound, making them accessible to a wider audience, including non-literate people.

而且，電影從無聲搭配字幕的形式發展到有聲音電影，更容易觸及更廣泛的觀眾，包括不識字的人群。

At about five or ten cents a bag, popcorn proved an inexpensive luxury for moviegoers, so theater operators pounced on the money-making opportunity.

以每袋大約五到十美分的價格，爆米花成為電影觀眾們的廉價奢侈品，因此劇院業者抓住了這個賺錢的機會。

Today, a medium bag of popcorn might cost about 60 cents to make, but retail for around $6— a 1,000% markup.

如今，製作一個中包大小的爆米花其可能成本約為 60 美分，但零售價約為 6 美元，漲幅高達 1000%。

Popcorn sales generate nearly 40% of all movie theater profits, helping to offset the high prices that theaters pay film studios.

爆米花銷售幾乎占所有電影院利潤的 40%，幫助抵消了電影院向電影製片商支付的高昂費用。

Over the last century, people throughout the Americas continued popping corn, and different preparations took hold in markets worldwide.

在過去的一個世紀中，美洲的人們繼續製作爆米花，各種做法席捲了世界各地的市場。

When microwavable popcorn was launched in the 1980s, popcorn popped off yet again.

當微波爆米花在 1980 年代推出時，爆米花再次風靡一時。

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

現在在美國種植了幾十種不同的爆米花品種。

Different strains assume distinctive shapes when their kernels explode, most commonly taking so-called "mushroom" and "butterfly" forms.

當不同品種的爆米花爆開時，它們的形狀會呈現出獨特的特點，最常見的是所謂的「蘑菇」 和 「蝴蝶」 形狀。

And they've been bred for supreme poppability.

它們被培育出了最佳的「可爆能力」。

Over the last century, the amount that popcorn expands has doubled: now, kernels can reach up to 50 times their original size upon popping.

在過去的一個世紀裡，爆米花的膨脹量翻了一番：現在的內核已經可以爆出原始大小的高達 50 倍體積。

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

雖然這種說法「黍」不勝「黍」， 但爆米花取得了突飛猛進的發展。

This video was made possible with support from Marriott Hotels.

本支影片由萬豪酒店集團贊助播出。

With over 590 hotels and resorts across the globe, Marriott Hotels celebrates the curiosity that propels us to travel.

萬豪集團旗下超過 590 家酒店和度假村遍布全球，喚起我們內在的好奇心， 踏上奇妙旅程。

Check out some of the exciting ways TED-Ed and Marriott are working together and book your next journey at Marriott Hotels.

來探索 TED-Ed 和萬豪合作的有趣內容，預定你在萬豪酒店的下一次旅程。