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RabidMortal t1_j9zm9lm wrote

>Corn was domesticated about 10,000 years ago, in what is now Mexico.[3] Archaeologists discovered that people have known about popcorn for thousands of years. Fossil evidence from Peru suggests that corn was popped as early as 4,700 BC.

Wow. I didn't know this! Love thinking of Native Americans enjoying popcorn for thousands of years before the rest of the world.

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greenappletree OP t1_j9zmrja wrote

yah that was another surpsing thing that popcorn is actually one the oldest variety.

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RabidMortal t1_j9zq5f4 wrote

Yeah. Being an old variety is very interesting. I wonder if the trapped water of popcorn conferred some sort of evolutionary advantage during the domestication process?

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tipdrill541 t1_j9zy7me wrote

And there are more than 5 varieties of corn. The people in South America developed 200 types of corn and 150 types of sweet potato

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OwenLoveJoy t1_ja0pnzl wrote

There are five broad categories that corn varieties are classified into.

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Due_Platypus_3913 t1_ja0snoo wrote

The way it erupts and expands was part of harvest ceremonies/festivals as a metaphor for corn fields being productive.

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