Hulless Popcorn 101
My Grandfather didn't eat popcorn. The reason for this was that he
absolutely hated the kernel hulls getting caught in his teeth. Or under
them. Yep, Grandpa had false teeth. He said it was darn near impossible to
get the hulls out of those fake ivories. A few years ago, he came to visit
me, and we attended a baseball game. I surprised him with a bag of
"hulless" popcorn. While he watched the Seattle Mariners get thoroughly
trounced by the Red Sox, he was smiling and laughing - even though the
Mariners were "his team". He said he was just happy to sit in the sun and
be eating popcorn at a baseball game. He said it had been over 40 years
since he had been able to do that.
Hulless popcorn. What an amazing thing! Though, surprisingly, the name is
a misnomer. Hulless popcorn is not actually hulless. Yeah, I know that it
seems like a marketing gimmick, but it is sort of true. With standard
popcorn kernels, the hull is actually split into several pieces when the
kernel pops. Some of these shards float around in the popcorn, others stick
to the end or inside of the popped kernel. With hulless popcorn, the hulls
on the outside of the kernel are so thin, that when the popcorn pops, the
thin hulls explode into pieces so small that they are relatively
unnoticeable by most popcorn enthusiasts.
So, yes, technically, the hulless popcorn has hulls. You just don't notice
them. What you will notice is the smaller "flake" (the popped kernel)
size, and a flavor that is rich and a little nutty! We sell two types of
hulless popcorn at ePopcorn.com. The Pearl White Popping Corn and
the Lady Finger Hulless Popping Corn varieties are extremely popular,
and for good reason! Who wants to spend their time digging around their
mouth with a toothpick, anyway? Take my advice. If you love popcorn, but
hate the hulls, try some of the
"it-ends-up-pretty-much-hulless-once-it-pops" popcorn. Nope, that name
just doesn't have the same ring to it.
