Real Kettle Corn Story

(Three Ye Olde Kettle Cookers® setup at War Eagle Arts & Crafts Show)

THE REAL KETTLE CORN STORY

There are many tales circulating as to the true origin of kettle corn, with some as bold as making claim that kettle corn came about in recent years - with the talebearer claiming credit for discovering it. Truth is, kettle corn (or kettle korn as it is often referred to) dates back to the mid to late 1800's Germany. According to my grandmother of German decent, kettle corn and kettle flavored popcorn was originally referred to as Sweet Kettle Popcorn.

In the 1800's lots of food was cooked in hanging pots over an open fire in the fireplace. As a nightly treat some lard and popcorn was put in the pot, stirred with a wooden paddle until the corn started to pop, then some sugar was added for flavoring - after which it was scooped out and served. It was also discovered at the time, that the sweet kettle popped corn had a fairly good shelf life, which is a result of the sugar in the popped corn. This tradition was carried to America by way of German and other European immigrants (my grandmother's family came to America from Germany in the late 1800's).

As time progressed people would cook the sweet kettle corn at various family get-togethers or special events. The first time I saw sweet kettle popcorn cooked was at a Civil War reenactment where they were cooking the "real" sweet kettle popcorn in an old-fashioned Amish cast iron kettle over a wood fire. I was intrigued with the long line of people waiting for the popped kettle corn. I was in one of those lines, and couldn't help but notice just how slowly each small batch took to pop - and equally how slow the line moved. Years of exposure to the food business and equipment development gave me the insight to a golden business opportunity.

I decided to pursue a more efficient and faster method to produce the sweet kettle popcorn, while maintaining the flavor in its purity, and to then test the market. The results were overwhelming and the patented and award winning "Ye Olde Kettle Cooker ®"was born. We also registered and own the "German Kettle Popcorn®" trade mark - and as the saying goes "the rest is history".

There are many tales about how and who started kettle corn - but now you know the true story.