The Science Behind Why Popcorn Pops Into Mushroom and Butterfly Shapes

Kate Yoshida of MinuteFood explained what happens when a popcorn kernel pops and why it explodes into different shapes. The major shapes include the mushroom, a robust variety used for flavored popcorn, and the butterfly, which has three subsets that can carry salt and oil to offer a unique tasting experience.

Even weirder is that these different shapes are markedly different in their texture, the amount of oil and salt they tend to pick up, and even their chemical composition, which means the proportion of the various shapes you get in a batch can really affect your eating experience.