Popcorn Seasoning Distributors

Popcorn is popping up in more places than you might expect.

The whole-grain, high-fiber, low-calorie snack is joining the ranks of coffee and chocolate, with consumers seeking out heirloom varieties of pop-at-home kernels instead of microwaveable, commodity versions.

Chefs and seasoning suppliers also have jumped on to the popcorn trend.

In St. Louis, Mosaic restaurants downtown and in Des Peres garnish a plate of pork tenderloin and brussels sprouts with spiced popcorn. The Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar downtown dresses up popcorn with a number of interesting seasonings, including smoky paprika, spicy wasabi, sweet mocha and savory chai.

At Clayton’s Little Country Gentleman, which takes its name from an heirloom variety of sweet corn that dates to the 1890s, chef-owner Mike Randolph recently paired halibut with popcorn, popcorn puree and popcorn shoots (intensely sweet greens that grow from sprouting popcorn).

Half & Half, Little Country Gentleman’s shared-space sister restaurant, serves grits for brunch made from coarsely ground local popcorn. The kernels for all of Randolph’s dishes come from Yellow Tree Farm in Fenton.

“Popcorn is very versatile, with tons of possible textures,” Randolph said. “Most of all, it’s a familiar flavor.”

Heirloom popcorn refers to varieties that have not been changed by hybridization or genetic modification since their original breeding hundreds or thousands of years ago. Modern commercial crops have been bred to increase the size of popped kernels, but critics say they lack the full flavor and airy crispness of heirloom versions.

Kernels are quite easy to pop on a stovetop; no fancy equipment needed. Perfect popcorn requires absolutely no more than corn, a little oil, a heavy saucepan, a lid and about four minutes of attention. (Seriously, I burned less popcorn cooking bowl after bowl of stovetop batches for this story than in a lifetime of nuking bags in a microwave.)

From there, crunch away as-is or toss in anything from melted butter and salt to coconut oil and curry powder. Chopped rosemary and grated parmesan make a nice popcorn power duo. Heat-seekers can experiment with dashes of Tabasco or their favorite hot sauce.

Popcorn also is inexpensive. Unpopped heirloom kernels usually come in 1-pound-or-more packages and cost much less per ounce than microwave popcorn.

Depending on variety, kernels can be blackish-purple, only to appear lily white when popped. Or they can be baby-size and nearly hull-free (no annoying remnants stuck in your teeth).