“Don’t be an aunty, try the new flavours.” A kid urges her mom at a movie to stop having the ‘old fashioned’ salt and butter popcorns.
Indeed, the all-weather snack has undergone a massive flavour makeover. From the plain salted, golden sizzle, buttered and masala, it now melts in the mouth leaving sweet, sour and a range of other tastes for you to relish.
In big metros, you can pick from flavours such as cheesy garlic, lemon pepper, maple syrup, cinnamon sugar and peanut butter. Or if you prefer, smoked paprika, crisp espresso and caramelised almond. Some of them come with Italian herbs and spices and distinctly resemble the pizza in taste.
Where does that leave the popcorn? Is it a savoury dish or a sweet one, you wonder? It does not matter to a popcorn fiend. Strange and different flavours are commonplace now. If there can be a popcorn-flavoured ice cream, why can’t the popcorn have a caramel finish?
The little sweet little savoury combination has found an enduring appeal in Temple Town.
Says Suryansh, a class XII student, “The infusion of flavours is a treat and all my friends love it.”
“It is a worthy bite you can go on nibbling,” gushes a giggly Suchithra, an XI grader.
During weekends at the INOX theatre in Madurai, endless cups of caramelised popcorn are slung along counters.
The sales girl is too busy to make conversation, but in between orders she says “Not just kids, even adults love it.” The show timings do not matter as the puffed kernels of corn have no competitor. They make for breakfast, lunch, evening snacks or dinner treat.
The foyer buzzes and there is no stopping for the popcorn lovers lapping up the different flavours, caramel and tomato-chilli.
Young mom-of-two, Purnima B says, “Popcorn can be different and delicious.”
“The children are my inspiration and I zing up their favourite snack at home spraying all kinds of powdered spices or sprinkle a variety of oils, syrups or sauces.” There are many like her who find fun with variance of flavours.
“It is one of the easiest snacks to prepare with just a spot of oil or butter,” says her friend, K.Shruthi, a mother of three teenagers. She has checked the net for recipes and whether popcorn is harmful to health.
“Sometimes, the popcorn at home goes full blast as I flavour it with curry powder, chilli and coconut oil,” she says.
“With Italian seasoning and other condiments easily available even children are finding it fun to come up with new flavours,” says Supriya. Everybody is hungry for new experiences.
Her 13-year-old son is a ‘kitchen scientist’, who adds wisely, “Snacks don’t have to be only salty and desserts don’t have to be only sweet to be eaten at the end of the meal anymore.”
If you can have bacon and egg flavoured icecream and vegetables muscling in glasses of fruit juice, or eat jasmine and betel nut flavoured kulfi; or dig into a paneer tikka masala pizza, why should popcorn hang behind.