SIDELINES //

Ancient Popcorn Found in Peru

by Heather Bond | January, 2012

Fresh corn © jstr91

Ancient corncobs and husks were discovered recently at the Paredones and Huaca Prieta archaeological sites on Peru’s northern coast.

Dolores Piperno, curator of New World archaeology at the National Museum of Natural History, believes the corncobs show evidence of the many ways the Peruvians cooked the corn, including popped, as the snack we know today.

In this culture, corn was likely a delicacy or a minor supplement to the diet—archaeological evidence shows they did not eat it in large numbers.

Further details on the discovery can be found here.

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About the Author

Heather Bond posts from Chicago, the windiest city in the world. She likes yoga, pub trivia, a hot towel and a fully reclined seat. She hopes her next trip will be to Djibouti, because she loves to say Djibouti so much. Follow Heather on Twitter @metro_naturale