Original subtitles

>> male narrator:

Modern marvelsis going big

And counting down.

No series has celebrated

Man-made wonders over as many

Episodes as we have.

And now it's time

To raid the pantry

And count down our top ten

Lip-smacking snacks.

>> delicious.

>> narrator: from handmade to

High-tech, cheesy to chocolaty,

Sugar to spice.

>> whoo!

>> narrator: it's everything

Nice about your favorite treats.

You can't eat just one,

So we're serving up ten

On a nationwide trek

To our number one choice.

Now,

America's favorite snacks,

On this edition of modern

Marvels mega marvels countdown.

>> you guys ready to eat?

[cheers and applause]

[dramatic music]

[dramatic music] ♪

♪

>> narrator: quick, convenient,

Handheld, and tasty.

No wonder we love snacks.

They're the only food that

Satisfies our appetites

And keeps up with our fast-lane

Lifestyle.

But these tempting morsels are

More than a between-meal fix.

They also trigger beloved

Memories of trips to the fair,

The ballpark, the movies,

Or a cherished holiday.

You might even be munching

On one of our top ten picks

Right now.

Maybe even our delectable choice

At number one.

You'll find our number ten treat

At america's go-to snack food

Destination--

The convenience store.

That smoky, salty impulse buy:

Beef jerky.

This snack is high protein,

Low fat, and portable,

Making it a favorite of hikers,

Campers, and hunters.

For native americans

And pioneers,

Beef jerky was more than

A snack.

Before refrigeration,

The principle way to preserve

Meat was to dry it.

And people relied on dried meats

Like jerky when food was scarce.

Our number ten snack

Still remains popular

With today's pioneers

In outer space.

Thanks to its long shelf life

And light weight,

Beef jerky has become

A zero g's treat

For america's astronauts--

One stellar reason beef jerky

Made our countdown.

Back on earth,

A popular brand is jack link's,

Available in numerous varieties.

The link family has been

In the meatpacking and livestock

Business fro generations.

They started producing

They started producing Beef jerky in 1995.

Beef jerky in 1995.

Their process starts

With premium lean beef

In 2,000-pound vats.

On average, one vat will yield

5,000 packages of jerky.

The meat is injected with

Various marinade mixtures

For flavoring,

Then it's transferred into

Large bins of curing solution.

It'll remain there from six

To 72 hours, depending on

The flavor of the jerky.

>> after the marination process,

We'll slice the product

And place it onto rods

For prep to the smokehouse.

>> narrator: in the smokehouse's

Stainless steel lockers,

Smoke-enhanced heat

Cooks the strips

From three to nine hours.

During cooking,

The meat reaches an internal

Temperature of 160 degrees,

To prevent the growth

Of harmful bacteria.

Technicians in a nearby

Control room monitor

The temperature

Inside the smokehouse.

After the jerky is fully cooked,

It moves to the packing machine

Area,

Where it's packed

In vacuum-sealed bags.

>> from this point,

These packages are gonna travel

Out to be boxed into a case

That will ultimately end up

That will ultimately end up At the convenience store.

At the convenience store.

>> narrator: while beef jerky

Is a great hand-held snack,

Number nine on our countdown

Can be eaten by the handful.

Dip it in its spicy counterpart,

And you'll get that dynamic duo

Of crunch and heat:

Tortillas and salsa.

Americans eat 1.2 billion pounds

Of tortilla chips a year--

8.2 million pounds

On super bowl sunday alone.

To keep up with demand,

Suppliers like

Anita's mexican foods

In san bernardino, california,

Have introduced this formerly

Handmade treat

To modern-day efficiency.

>> we run about 280,000 pounds

A week of tortilla chips.

>> narrator: known as totopos

In mexico,

Tortilla chips originated

As a way to preserve

Day-old tortillas.

Anita's starts with whole

Kernels of corn.

On the day we visited,

It happened to be blue corn.

>> we clean the corn.

We cook the corn.

We steep the corn, grind it,

And then we make our masa,

Or dough.

>> narrator: workers keep an eye

On the thick masa

As a machine feeds it

Into a device

Resembling a cookie cutter.

This rolls and cuts the masa

Into the desired chip shape.

The masa then travels through an

Enormous 375-degree fahrenheit

Oven for roughly two minutes.

After cooling off,

The delicious transformation

From masa to chip happens

In here--the continuous fryer.

2,500 pounds

Of hot sunflower oil

Cycle through at any given time

In order to keep the frying

Chips flowing.

>> basically at this point,

The tortilla has now been fried

And turned into

A finished product,

Which is a chip.

All that's left now

Is to cool it off,

Put some salt on it,

Put it in the bag

And send it off to the customer.

>> narrator: before you open

That bag...

Don't forget a side

Of the tortilla chip's

Flavorsome counterpart,

And the number one condiment

In america.

No, it's not ketchup.

It's salsa.

>> there's been an explosion

In recent years for the taste

Of hot and spicy,

And it began when salsa overtook

Ketchup as the number one

Condiment in america.

>> narrator: in the last

20 years,

Salsa's growing popularity

Has helped the hot and spicy

Food industry grow from

A relatively small

Specialty market

To a $2 billion-a-year industry.

Fueling this fire is a standard

Salsa ingredient that packs

A seemingly irresistible punch--

The chili pepper.

>> the secret that makes

Chili peppers hot

Is a chemical compound

Called capsaicin,

Found only in chili peppers.

And if you take a chili pepper,

Like this habanero,

And slice it lengthwise

So that you can see

The inside of it,

The capsaicin is located

Only on the vein of the chili,

Right here.

>> narrator: capsaicin produces

A sensation of heat,

Just like fire,

In tissue receptors

In the mouth, tongue, and lips.

It binds to the receptors

And sends a signal to the brain

That tricks it into thinking

It's actually been burned.

The result--

The body begins healing,

Causing sweating

And increased blood circulation,

Turning our faces red.

>> whoo!

>> narrator: if you're looking

For the full 5-alarm experience

With our number nine snack,

You want your salsa made

From this:

The bhut jolokia.

It's an exotic new pepper

From india.

>> I'm starting to sweat

In places I didn't know I could.

>> oh, god.

Whoo!

>> now if you take

This bhut jolokia pepper,

The world's hottest chili

Pepper,

Open it up and look

On the inside,

You can't see the capsaicin

Because it's the same color

As the veins.

Now the reason these

Bhut jolokia peppers are so hot

Is because the capsaicin

Is on the entire placenta,

Or the vein.

Where as in the habanero,

It was only in the glands.

>> narrator: since

The bhut jolokia

Is too hot for most to handle,

Only a few salsa makers use it.

Like cajohns fiery foods

In columbus, ohio.

The company's workers have

To take special precautions

With both the mash

And concentrated powder,

Imported from india.

>> 1 pound of powder

Is equal to 10 pounds

Of fresh chilies.

It creates quite a bit

Of sinus discomfort.

So we put it in

With the respirator.

It's the final touch that we do.

>> narrator: the sizzling salsa

Is bottled and sold

At cajohns fiery food stand,

Where daring customers

Give the blazing pepper

Give the blazing pepper A taste test.

A taste test.

>> [clears throat]

Yeah.

I feel that.

>> [clears throat]

Better you put my head

In an oven

In an oven At about 500 degrees.

At about 500 degrees.

At about 500 degrees. >> ouch.

>> ouch.

I don't think I should have

Done that one.

>> narrator: if our number nine

Snack is too hot for you,

How about a big bite

Of sugary fluff instead?

Open wide for that number eight

Snack on our countdown--

That sweet summertime

Confection: cotton candy.

The italians call it

Zucchero filato,

Meaning "Sugar thread."

The french--

Le barbe a papa,

Or "Papa's beard."

The dutch--

Suikerspin,

Literally, "Sugar spider."

By any name,

Cotton candy is unique.

No other sweet treat

Looks like a giant

Pastel cotton ball.

It reminds us a simpler era,

When our parents

And their parents

Enjoyed the very same taste

At bygone carnivals

And county fairs.

Part of the fun of cotton candy

Is watching it being made.

And fourth generation candy man

Nick marini,

Co-owner of marini's candies

In santa cruz, california,

Has just as much fun

Putting on the show.

>> this is our

Cotton candy center,

As you can see here.

I'll go ahead

And get it started up.

>> narrator: as the sugar

In the spinning cylinder

Melts into a sticky syrup,

It's flung out through tiny

Holes.

In the cool air,

Is solidifies into strands

And accumulates along

The machine's inner walls.

>> so the trick is

When you're spinning

Is to keep it spinning

And not let it hit the head

Of the machine,

'cause the head will cut

Right into the cotton candy.

And then when you get the size

You desire,

You can turn the heat off,

And a couple more spins,

And there you have it.

>> narrator: since cotton candy

Is virtually all sugar,

You might think it's

Way too much of a good thing,

But an average serving

Contains less sugar

Than a can of soda.

That's because there's a lot

Of air in all that fluff,

And only about 35 grams

Of sugar.

A caloric surprise

That helped cotton candy

Make our countdown.

The number eight snack

We know today was unveiled

At the 1904 world's fair

In st. Louis.

It was called fairy floss.

A few decades later,

It was renamed cotton candy,

And the rest is sweet history.

It's so popular today

That it's gone beyond

Custom-made single servings

To the mass production line.

America's largest maker

Is the charms company

In covington, tennessee.

The industrial process

Works largely the same

As the one nick marini uses

In his candy shop.

>> once you get started,

It's hard to stop.

>> narrator: bite by

Mouthwatering bite,

We're savoring the top ten

Snacks americans crave,

Counting our way down

To our irresistible choice

At number one,

And we've already bitten off

A mouthful.

We began our snack attack

At number ten with that meaty

King of the impulse buy,

Beef jerky.

Coming in at number nine,

The one-two punch

Of spice and crunch:

Tortillas and salsa.

And at number eight,

That sweet ball of sugary fluff:

Cotton candy.

Our choice at number seven

Isn't one particular snack,

But a whole class of snacks.

It includes the french beignet,

The italian zeppole,

And the canadian beaver tail.

They're part of a golden,

Crispy family of treats

We'll simply call:

Deep fried.

The basic requirements

Are a delicious batter

And a fryer filled with hot oil.

The possibilities of what's

Encrusted within are endless.

And america's versions

Are among the tastiest.

There's the funnel cake...

>> the funnel cake

Is a pennsylvania dutch dessert.

What makes this unique

Is it's light and fluffy

On the inside,

And it's crispy on the outside.

>> narrator: and there's

The mexican funnel cake--

A churro with a twist.

>> fried dough just seems to be

The magical combination.

Especially at the fair.

You throw a little sugar on top,

And you really can't go wrong.

>> narrator: even with

Mega-sized versions.

>> we didn't just make this

For you guys this size.

This is the actual size.

It feels about 8 pounds

Right here to me.

So it could easily feed

Six to eight people,

But I've seen people try

To take it on by themselves.

>> narrator: deep fried

Earns the number seven spot

On our countdown

Thanks to how easy and fun it is

To create your own unique

Variation.

Chicken charlie's

At the los angeles county fair

In pomona, california,

Has made an art out of

Deep frying virtually anything.

Charlie batters up ready-made

Treats that we love

Even before their deep fried.

Pop-tarts, oreos, and twinkies

Become even more indulgent

Delicacies after a dip

In the hot oil.

>> I love to see the customer

Walking up to our place

Of business,

Looking at the sign and saying,

"Oh, my god.

You're deep frying what?"

>> narrator: in order to keep

Things frying,

Charlie heats more than

600 gallons of soybean oil

To roughly 375 degrees

Fahrenheit each day.

>> want to keep the oil clean,

And you want to keep

The right temperature,

But the biggest secret

Is the batter.

Making sure what type of batter

And the thickness of the batter.

>> narrator: the batter not only

Affects flavor,

But also acts as a barrier

That prevents the hot oil

From penetrating the food.

Charlie uses three basic batters

For over 25 different items.

>> this is basically like

A pancake mix,

That's flour mixed with water.

So what I use this for

Is to deep fry oreos, pop-tarts,

Strawberry pop-tarts.

>> narrator: fried oreos

May be one of charlie's

Favorite creations,

And the pop-tarts his latest,

But it's the deep fried twinkie

That started his frying

Obsession.

>> I got some twinkies over here

I'm gonna deep fry.

I'm gonna use the egg wash

And the sweet flour

And just toss it in there.

Nothing like a deep fried

Twinkie.

Now that we've fried them,

We've got to put the toppings

On them.

We are gonna go with

Strawberry and chocolate.

So you still get the cream.

You still taste the sponge.

It still tastes like a twinkie,

Except with the crispiness

Except with the crispiness On the outside.

On the outside.

Unbelievable.

>> narrator: if all that hot oil

And sugar is a bit too indulgent

For you,

Our number six treat offers

A healthier alternative.

In recent years,

This middle eastern

And mediterranean dip

Has made a surprising run

As a favorite new snack

In america:

Hummus.

In 2010, hummus sales in

The u.S. Topped $325 million.

An astonishing 35% increase

From just two years earlier.

Soon its sales are projected

To be over $500 million.

No snack in our countdown

Is growing in popularity

At a faster rate.

Tribe mediterranean foods

In taunton, massachusetts,

Has been at the forefront

Of this boom.

It attributes the surging

Popularity of hummus

To more health-conscious

Snackers,

And to america's growing legions

Of vegetarian consumers.

>> tribe mediterranean started

Producing hummus back in 1993

When the hummus category

Was very, very tiny

In the whole u.S.

Across the country,

We probably did maybe $5 million

In total retail sales.

Today's number is well over

$180 million in retail sales,

So the escalation

Of the popularity of the product

Has grown tremendously

In the past several years.

>> narrator: the main ingredient

In hummus is the chickpea,

A longtime staple of indian,

Middle eastern,

And mediterranean diets.

More than 18 1/2 billion pounds

Of chickpeas are produced

Each year,

Making it the most widely

Consumed legume in the world.

And hummus is a major

Contributor to this world

Dominance.

Tribe foods turns 200,000 pounds

Of chickpeas into hummus

Every week.

The first step--soaking them,

10 tons at a time.

>> in this area,

We hydrate and clean the pea.

We have one silo

That we hydrate the peas

Overnight.

The other silo is for processed

Peas during the day.

We'll hydrate 'em.

They'll come down the flume.

They'll expand three and a half

Times their weight

As we clean them.

>> narrator: next,

The chickpeas enter one of two

Pressure kettles.

Each kettle cooks 1,600 pounds

Of chickpeas within 15 minutes.

>> in this area,

We grind the peas

After they're cooked.

The kettles drop into

An even feed conveyor.

The even feed conveyor

Feeds it into a grinder.

The grinder's a lot like

A motorboat prop,

Where it takes the peas

And throws it up against

The screen.

The screen is at

The correct aperture

To give us the paste

And consistency that we're

Looking for.

>> narrator: the chickpea paste

Is then pumped to the mixing

Room,

Where workers add

The rest of the ingredients

Into the 2,800-pound batch.

>> our basic tribe hummus recipe

Consists--

Again, back to the chickpea,

Which can be up to 70%

Of the final product,

Tahini, which is a ground

Sesame paste, uh,

Which is like a peanut butter,

Gives it that nutty little

Flavor to it,

Lemon juice, oil,

And then spices.

>> automated machinery fills,

Labels, and palletizes

Each 8-ounce hummus container.

From 10 million pounds

Of dried chickpeas a year,

Tribe produces nearly

22 million pounds of hummus--

More than enough to help satisfy

America's growing appetite

For our creamy and exotic

Number six snack.

We're halfway through

Our countdown of america's

Most delectable snacks,

But we haven't had our fill yet,

And we won't,

Until we devour our way

To the number one

Most tempting treat.

But coming up next

Is our number five snack,

A meaty treat

That starts out like this

And ends up so irresistible

That americans eat over

That americans eat over 450 of them every second.

450 of them every second.

Number seven was the crispy

Snack that encompasses

Everything from the funnel cake

To churros: deep fried.

Followed by number six,

The international sensation

That's taking america's

Taste buds by storm: hummus.

But our number five snack

Is as american as baseball

And backyard barbecues.

It's also a quick handheld

Street food

For on-the-go urbanites

Needing a between-meal fix:

The hot dog.

>> when there's a good time,

There's a hot dog.

>> narrator: and america

Must be having a ball,

Because we eat over

20 billion hot dogs a year--

150 million

150 million On the fourth of july alone.

On the fourth of july alone.

But all these years

And links later,

One question has remained:

What exactly are hot dogs

Made of?

For third generation

Sausage maker kurt schmeisser,

Owner of schmeisser's meats

In chicago, illinois,

The answer begins with veal

The answer begins with veal And pork.

And pork.

Kurt adds ice to keep

The ground meat's temperature

Below 60 degrees.

If it gets any hotter,

The sausage mixture

The sausage mixture Could start cooking.

Could start cooking.

Then kurt blends in flour

And water,

Which mixes up into a thick

Paste called emulsion.

The emulsion goes into a casing,

Then into schmeisser's basement

Smokehouse,

Designed and built by kurt's

Grandfather 60 years ago.

>> when the brick walls heat up,

You have 60 years of flavor

That's in those walls.

You get that flavor

In your product.

>> narrator: the result?

One tube of smoky, meaty,

Handheld perfection.

But let's not take a bite

Just yet.

One reason hot dogs have earned

The number five spot

On our countdown is that there

Are so many delicious ways

To prepare them.

>> could I have a hot dog,

Please?

>> yes, I can do that.

>> we could go with

An american classic--

Hot dogs boiled in water,

A.K.A. Dirty water dogs.

>> it's something that came

Out of new york,

Because it's sitting in water.

It's just a myth.

The water's not dirty.

The hot dog is good.

It's just a way of preparing

It's just a way of preparing The hot dogs in new york.

The hot dogs in new york.

>> narrator: for many, a hot dog

Tastes better after it takes

A hot dip in our familiar

Cooking tool--the deep fryer.

Since 1946,

Brightly uniformed employees

At hot dog on a stick

Have been dipping and deep

Frying turkey dogs

With the motto,

"Fast, fresh, and friendly."

>> have a great day.

>> we have a method of dipping.

Everybody dips the same way.

You're trained when you first

Start working.

And that's why when we hold it

Up for three seconds,

The batter is running down

The hot dog,

And so it forms

The perfect hot dog.

And then we place it in the oil

And let it sit for the three

Seconds, it forms,

And then we put it in the clips.

And we don't have any timers

Or anything.

Every employee is trained

To look at the hot dog

And know when it's ready.

>> narrator: after five minutes,

Our number five snack is ready

To leave the fryer.

>> so, see,

It's our nice finished product.

They're perfectly rounded

And a nice golden brown batter.

>> narrator: whether you boil

Them, steam them, grill them,

Or fry them,

The one thing you can't do--

According to our friend louis--

Is break the cardinal rule

Of hot dogs.

>> you cannot put ketchup

On a hot dog.

[buzzer]

You cannot.

It's a rule.

Because it belongs

On a hamburger,

Not on a hot dog.

Basic hot dog is mustard.

Not ketchup.

Just mustard.

>> narrator: like the hot dog,

Number four on our countdown

Can be served up in many ways.

You can roast them,

Puree them into a creamy spread,

Or have them in your favorite

Candied treat.

But if you just put a little

Salt on them and munched away,

Nobody would call it crazy.

They'd just call it nuts.

Americans consume more than 1

Billion pounds of nuts annually.

But as much as we love them,

It's funny how most of us

Can't answer the most basic

Question about them--

What exactly is a nut?

Take almonds and pistachios.

[buzzer]

Technically,

They're a drupe, not a nut,

And grow more like a peach.

Peanuts?

[buzzer]

They're a legume,

And botanically speaking,

More pea than nut.

Brazil nuts?

[buzzer]

Pine nuts?

[buzzer]

Cashews?

[buzzer]

Technically, none of them meet

The botanical definition.

>> the botany is important

Because of the structures

Which give rise to your kernel,

Which give rise to that

Seed coat around the kernel,

Which give rise

To the shell and such.

From a culinary sense,

Or from a day-to-day sense,

It's a seed that's edible.

>> narrator: that means

If you plant a nut,

A tree or a plant will grow,

If properly tended.

The rise of the american

Nut industry is a relatively

Recent phenomenon,

Given that nuts are steeped

In the ancient histories

Of europe, asia,

And the middle east.

One of antiquity's favorite nuts

Is also ours--

The walnut.

Organized piles

Of petrified walnut shells

Have been found in iran

That date back to 7000 b.C.

And ancient romans

Loved walnuts so much

That the latin name means

"Belonging to royalty."

>> they were actually known

As the food for the gods,

And were associated

With fertility.

>> narrator: today,

The united states is the largest

Exporter of walnuts

In the world,

And 98% of those walnuts

Are grown here

In california's central valley,

Home of one of the giants

In the nut industry:

Diamond foods.

Here in this 550,000 square foot

Facility,

More walnuts are processed daily

Than any other place

In the world.

>> we receive roughly

260 million pounds of walnuts

Each year,

And we shell about 220 million

Pounds,

Making roughly 80, 90 million

Pounds of kernels.

>> narrator: because of their

Protective shells,

Walnuts and all types of nuts

Keep and travel well.

It's a big reason why nuts

Have become so popular

In every corner of the globe

Over the centuries.

And why they earned

The number four spot

The number four spot On our countdown.

On our countdown.

Another favorite nut in america,

The pistachio,

Has a shell very different

From the walnut, and it dictates

How it's harvested.

Just ask the pistachio growers

At paramount farms

In california's

San joaquin valley.

>> once the shell is hardened,

The kernel itself

Will begin to fill in july.

That filling process

Takes about six weeks.

It actually puts pressure

On the shell to get it to split.

>> narrator: unlike

Walnuts or almonds,

A pistachio's hull is still wet

When ripe.

Left on the ground,

That wet hull will begin to dry,

Causing discoloration.

So once the shells split open,

Shakers bring the pistachios

Cascading down

Onto large tarps to ensure that

They never touch the ground.

After the pistachio's hulls

Are removed,

They're sized and sorted

Before roasting.

Each year, paramount harvests

20 million wet pounds

Of pistachios per day

From the field,

While processing 3 to 4 million

Pounds per week.

Today, pistachios are the second

Fastest developing nut industry

In the u.S.

>> 99% of the pistachios

Grown in the united states

Are grown right here

In the state of california.

It's a crop that,

In the last four years,

In terms of dollar sales

Has grown 28%

Has grown 28% Compound annual growth.

Compound annual growth.

>> narrator: pistachios

Are just one of an estimated

30 million varieties of nut,

So regardless of your taste,

Chances are there's a flavorful

Type of our number four snack

Just right for you.

We're getting so close

To revealing the number one

Snack on our countdown,

We can almost taste it.

But next up is our number three

Snack--

An indulgent treat invented

By our ancient ancestors

By our ancient ancestors Out of this prolific grain crop.

Out of this prolific grain crop.

>> narrator: treat by delicious

Treat, we're counting down

And scarfing down

America's top ten favorite

Snacks.

We whetted your appetite

With smoky, meaty beef jerky

At number ten,

Then gorged ourselves all the

Way to the salty crunch of nuts

At number four.

Our number three snack

Is a real star.

A fluffy, buttery mainstay

Of movie night,

And it's ready for its close-up:

Popcorn.

Going to the movies

Just isn't the same

Without something to much on.

And your local cineplex

Couldn't survive if you weren't

Hooked.

Concession sales

Are the lifeblood

Of the theater business,

Accounting for 40% of profits.

And popcorn, by far,

Is the best seller.

What better reason to rank it

Number three on our countdown?

And who should your local

Cineplex thank for this

Industry-saving bounty?

Our ancient ancestors.

Because if it wasn't for them,

All forms of corn,

Including popcorn,

Wouldn't exist.

>> there are no natural

Populations of corn

Like we normally see

In an iowa cornfield.

It doesn't exist naturally.

Corn is entirely

A man-made phenomenon.

>> narrator: corn

Is a domesticated crop,

Which means it can't grow

Without human intervention.

And not just some corn,

But all of it--every kernel.

If we weren't here to plant,

Water, fertilize,

And harvest it,

Corn would disappear

From the planet within a few

Years.

The breeding of corn started

Thousands of years ago

In central mexico.

But back then,

It looked a lot different.

It began as a wild grass

Called teosinte,

Which only has a few small

Kernels, and no real cob.

But through a long process

Of careful selective breeding,

Native americans achieved

The herculean task

Of turning teosinte into corn.

>> it's an extraordinary feat,

The evolution--

The domestication of a crop.

Um, I'm not sure if we decided

To domesticate corn now,

Whether we could actually

Muster the will, as a society,

To do this.

It's one of the real gifts

Of our ancestors.

>> narrator: and every

Moviegoer will be delighted

To learn which type of corn

Our ancestors created first.

>> we believe that the oldest

Kind of corn is popcorn,

And that has a hard starch.

It also has to have

An intact covering

Around the outside of it

In order for it to actually

Be able to build up steam

Inside the corn

And have the corn pop

To make a flake.

>> narrator: popcorn stores

Water in tiny pockets

Of soft starch.

As the kernel is heated,

The water turns to steam,

And the hard outer surface

Withstands the pressure

As long as possible.

As long as possible. Then, pop goes the corn.

Then, pop goes the corn.

The result--

A movie-time treat

That's fast, fun, easy to share,

And tasty.

Our number three snack

May keep a $30 billion industry

Afloat,

But number two on our countdown

Is a $30-plus billion industry

All by itself.

It's a fast, hot, handheld,

On-the-go goodie,

And a little slice of heaven:

Pizza.

Americans eat about 100 acres

Of pizza per day.

Over a year, that's enough

To cover every square inch

Of manhattan with pizza--

Twice.

And it takes a lot of cheese

To cover all of those pizzas.

In fact, pizza is the main

Reason why mozzarella

Is the most consumed cheese

In the united states.

To keep up with demand,

The alto dairy

In waupun, wisconsin,

Makes mozzarella

Around the clock.

>> we make approximately

250,000 pounds of mozzarella

Per day.

On an annual basis,

That comes to 96 million pounds

In a year's time.

And to put it on pizza terms,

We produce enough mozzarella

Per day to cover

500,000 pizzas.

>> narrator: a big reason

We love mozzarella

On our pizzas is its signature

Stretchy texture.

This is achieved by adding

Starter bacteria

To the cheese curd,

To break down its tightly bound

Milk proteins and calcium.

It's an exact

And delicious science.

>> 'cause calcium is the glue

That holds the casing structure

Together in cheese.

If you don't remove

Some of that glue with acid

During the make procedure,

The fermentation,

The proteins are held tightly

And they can't stretch and flow.

If you remove all of it,

Then it just falls apart.

Here's how we would quantify.

We'd put a ruler by it

Like this,

We'd grab some cheese,

And we'll see how high

It goes up

Before the last strand breaks,

Which is right there,

Which was 13 inches.

Try it one more time.

Even a little more--16 inches.

So we take a number of readings,

Average them,

And that would give us our

Empirical reading

For this particular pizza bake.

This is pretty close

To what many people would

Consider an almost perfect

Pizza.

But the only way to really tell

That is to get the human

Involved to taste it,

So...

[triumphant music]

♪

It's good.

It's good. Pizza's on, so dig in.

Pizza's on, so dig in.

>> narrator: what's more perfect

Than the perfect pizza?

How about a lot of perfect pizza

That's just a phone call away?

>> thank you for calling

Big mama's & papa's.

How may I help you?

>> narrator: in downtown

Los angeles,

Big mama's & papa's pizzeria

Earns its name by offering up

A 28-inch pie, a 36-inch pie,

And now a 54x54-inch behemoth,

Rightfully called

The giant sicilian.

That's almost 3,000 square

Inches of steaming hot pizza.

It's the largest deliverable

Pizza in the world.

So a phone order requires

Some unusual questions.

>> do you have a double door

Entry?

We have to make sure the pizza

Is going to enter

Inside their house,

So we always make sure that

We have double doors

Or it's a garage

Or it's a parking lot.

>> narrator: the giant sicilian

Requires 22 pounds

Of handmade dough,

5 pounds of sauce,

15 pounds of shredded

Mozzarella,

And one retrofitted oven.

>> they built this extension,

You know, I don't know--

A 1 1/2, 2-foot extension,

So it covers the whole pizza.

It doesn't cook this side,

So they have to turn it around.

You know, it just keeps

The heat inside.

>> narrator: a basic cheese

Giant sicilian will set you back

About 200 bucks.

Not a bad deal for a pie

Guaranteed to feed

30 hungry pizza lovers.

After that, each additional

Topping costs $15.

It all adds up to close

To 50 pounds of pie--

Almost 15 times bigger

Than an average-sized pizza.

>> this is our medium pizza.

It's 13 inches.

Most of the big chains--

They call this a large pizza,

And they have no idea

What's a large pizza.

This is a large pizza

This is a large pizza Right here.

Right here.

>> this is ridiculous, man.

This is insane.

>> oh, man.

This thing is huge.

>> if you ask me why 54 inch,

Why large pizza, why?

Because people want it.

It's fun.

It's fun. Size makes it more fun, I guess.

Size makes it more fun, I guess.

>> narrator: our culinary

Countdown is nearing

Its delicious climax.

So loosen your belts

One last time,

Because we're ready to reveal

The snack of all snacks

That reigns supreme

Above all others.

But first, let's recap

The tasty treats

We've already served up.

Number ten, beef jerky.

Number nine,

Tortillas and salsa.

>> whoo!

>> narrator: number eight,

Cotton candy.

>> once you get started,

It's hard to stop.

>> narrator: number seven,

Deep fried.

>> that is good.

>> narrator: number six,

Hummus.

Number five, the hot dog.

>> when there's a good time,

There's a hot dog.

>> narrator: number four, nuts.

Number three, popcorn.

Number two, pizza.

>> pizza's on.

>> narrator: now it's time

To really hit the spot--

The number one spot

On our modern marvels

Mega marvels snack food

Countdown.

It started out as a little

Magical bean that sprouted

Into a smooth, sweet,

Scrumptious worldwide obsession

That would be on anyone's list

Of favorites.

Our number one snack:

Our number one snack: Chocolate candy.

Chocolate candy.

The average american consumes

12 pounds per year.

The sweet-toothed swiss,

An astounding 22 pounds

Each year.

Our global passion for chocolate

Fuels a $50 billion-a-year

Industry.

And one of the companies

Keeping pace with our voracious

Demand is mars, incorporated,

Maker of m&ms.

>> welcome to the m&ms factory

In hackettstown, new jersey.

In hackettstown, new jersey. And all we make here is m&ms.

And all we make here is m&ms.

>> narrator: and they produce

Several million of the colorful

Candy-shelled chocolates

Every day.

The process begins

As milk chocolate is refined

And blended for the optimal

Flavor, texture,

And melting point.

>> we've made the chocolate.

Now it's time to make the m&ms.

And this is the first step.

The chocolate is being deposited

On chilled rollers.

Each of those rollers

Have dimples on them,

So the chocolate's being pressed

Into it,

And the output is

A wall of dimples

That go through a cooling tunnel

Into the next step

Of production.

>> narrator: the cooled

Chocolate pellets

Are transferred to these giant

Rotating pans,

Where they roll against

Each other and start to take on

Their familiar shapes,

Prior to the application

Of the familiar outer coatings.

>> each of these pans

Hold about 1,000 pounds.

And what happens is that you

Start to see the beginning

Of an m&m.

This is an opportunity

For us to do a quality check.

We're looking at the weight.

We're looking at the size.

As we go into the--

To put on the sugar shell,

You have to have

A uniform m&m.

>> narrator: a mixture made

With liquid sucrose,

Corn starch, and coloring,

Is poured into the pans,

Enveloping each pellet

As it hardens.

Next, the sugar-coated candy

Travels to the printing area.

Each piece sits snugly

In its slot,

Passing under a printing roller

To give them their signature

White "M."

But no matter

What's on the shell,

It's the chocolate inside

It's the chocolate inside That's the real treat.

That's the real treat.

A big reason chocolate candy

Takes top honors

On our snack food countdown

Is that our love of it

Can be traced back

For centuries--

All the way back to the mayans

And the aztecs.

During ceremonies

And celebrations,

Priests and nobility

Drank a hot potion

Of ground roasted cocoa beans

And water, to which spices

Were often added.

They called the bitter drink

Chocoatl.

Another common use of chocoatl

Was as an aphrodisiac.

In a sense, that tradition

Lives on today,

As american sweethearts

Spend $700 million on chocolate

For valentine's day.

Chocolate also plays a big role

At easter time,

And those cute little chocolate

Bunnies and eggs aren't quite

As innocent as they look.

>> both the chocolate easter

Bunny and the chocolate egg

Go back to germany in the 1700s.

The bunny and the egg

Symbolize fertility,

And spring, as we know,

Is the rebirth of nature

And everything that goes

With it,

So the germans just associated

These two icons with easter.

>> narrator: r.M. Palmer

And company

Of reading, pennsylvania,

Has been the number one producer

Of holiday chocolates

For over half a century.

Their specialty is the classic

Chocolate easter bunny,

Made with that unusual

Secret ingredient--personality.

>> our company was started

By my father richard palmer sr.

In 1948.

At that time,

All bunnies were

More or less traditional.

They looked like this.

We made them look like this,

Which is more of a cartoon

Version.

This was our first product

In 1948,

And actually,

It's still in the line today.

>> narrator: the first

Palmer bunnies were molded

On a machine designed by

The company founder himself.

And it's still going strong.

>> we're looking at line one

Here at the r.M. Palmer company.

We put a polycarbonate mold

Into the line.

We heat it to about 90 to 95

Degrees to ensure that it has

The proper release point.

The chocolate is deposited

Around 84 to 85 degrees,

Depending on the product.

>> narrator: the amount

Of chocolate deposited is

Just enough to coat the walls.

The molds rotate a total

Of 60 times per bunny cycle

To ensure the chocolate

Is distributed evenly

Throughout the cavity,

Leaving a perfect hollow center.

Then these long-eared critters

Are ready to receive their

Personas:

Those expressive and precocious

Eyes.

The r.M. Palmer company

Makes close to a billion bunnies

In all shapes and sizes

Every year,

Keeping them competitive

With major producers

Like hershey and mars.

>> mmm.

Great.

>> narrator: as much as we love

Chocolate candy

That's mass-produced,

We also love it when it's made

In a shop around the corner,

Like this one,

So long as it's delicious.

>> my name is rick mast,

>> and I'm michael mast,

And we own mast brothers

Chocolate here in

Brooklyn, new york.

>> narrator: welcome to the

World of artisan chocolate,

Where the emphasis is high

Quality over high quantity.

>> we're currently crafting

About 5,000 bars per week,

All in small batches.

>> which is a miniscule amount

When you think about

The industrialists,

Which make up the majority

Of chocolate consumed

Around the world,

Squirting out chocolate

By the ton.

This chocolate,

Handcrafted chocolate--

Once you taste that, that's it.

You'll never go back.

>> narrator: the secret

To these expertly handcrafted

Versions of america's

Favorite snack

Is that they're made

From the best beans.

>> these beans from madagascar

Are going to be roasted

At about 300 degrees

For about 12 minutes.

You know when they're ready,

Is when the whole room

Smells like brownies.

>> so now that we've got

Roasted beans,

We want to remove the shell

From the bean.

So we're going to load these up

Into our hopper,

Which first cracks the beans.

>> narrator: after cracking open

The beans,

This machine uses cyclonic wind

To separate the lighter

Pieces of shell

From the tasty centers,

Called the nibs.

Then it's on to the grinders.

>> the handmade way

Of making chocolate is by

Not adding any emulsifiers,

Any preservatives,

Any extra oils.

So our chocolate

Is quite simply,

Cocoa nibs and cane sugar.

>> narrator: each batch

Is ground for up to three days,

Then shelved for about a month

To properly age.

Then the chocolate

Is gently reheated

And mixed to a consistency

That can be poured into

Chocolate bar molds.

>> perfect.

Once the bars have been poured,

We're gonna go ahead and set

Them in the refrigerator.

For about 15 to 20 minutes,

They'll set in here and cool.

Once they're ready,

We'll take them out

And they'll pop right out

Of those molds and be ready

To be wrapped.

>> that is--

That's the best chocolate

I've ever had.

>> narrator: and that wraps up

Our countdown as well.

It's been a delectable journey,

Featuring childhood favorites,

Adult temptations,

Convenience store staples,

International delicacies,

Huge production facilities,

And specialty shops.

Whenever, wherever,

And however appetite calls,

These mouthwatering marvels

Answer in the most satisfying

Answer in the most satisfying Way imaginable.