Categories: Popcorn Flavors

All About Caramel Popcorn

Today, popcorn is available in a panoply of different flavors. Some of them are snack time staples, while others are more of a novelty.

As far as we can tell, it was caramel popcorn that opened the door for the proliferation of popcorn flavors. In the 1870s, two brothers from Germany, Frederick and Louis Rueckheim, opened up a popcorn shop in Chicago. The problem was that they were far from the only popcorn shop around. How could they stand out from the many competing shops? They started experimenting with flavorings and toppings. Of these, caramel was the one that caught on the best, reimagining traditionally savory popcorn as a sweet snack. From this innovation, a whole range of flavored popcorn varieties was born.

One of the reasons why popcorn first became popular was that it was cheap and easy to make. It would have been counterproductive for popcorn sellers to pick a flavoring that required a lot of expensive ingredients. If you’re not a cook or baker, you might be surprised by how simple caramel actually is. In fact, caramel is made simply by heating sugar in a pan until it melts.

Just because caramel is simple in terms of ingredients, though, doesn’t necessarily mean that making it is easy. You need to heat the sugar slowly, at just the right temperature. Not enough heat or cook time, and the caramel will lack flavor. Too long, or too much heat, and it will become bitter or even burn and have to be thrown away. And of course, once the caramel is just right, you need to coat the popcorn with it and then wait for it to cool before you can finally enjoy your snack!

But good news: you can save yourself the time and frustration. Topsy’s gourmet caramel popcorn is here to satisfy your caramel craving. It’s available in 1-gallon, 2-gallon, 3.5-gallon, or gigantic 6.5-gallon tins. Order online and have it shipped to your door!

Of course, while caramel may have been the first popular popcorn flavoring, it’s far from the only one. Topsy’s also offers our famous gourmet popcorn in cheese and cinnamon flavors, as well as classic butter flavor. In our larger tin sizes, you can choose two or three flavors so that caramel doesn’t wear out its welcome or the whole family can have their favorite.

Caramel popcorn is the original “flavored” popcorn, but you haven’t really tasted this classic flavor until you’ve tried Topsy’s! Order a tin today!