Some facts about food are well known, and others are not. There are many sayings or popular beliefs that do contain some truth. However and probably just as many that contain no truth at all. Here is a list of absolutely true statements and facts about the food you eat.
Fun Food Facts
Some of these things may surprise you and be warned that some are a little more unsavory than others. Still, there are many aspects to the food industry, or the many industries surrounding it, that you probably don’t know. Here is your chance to find out!
Pineapples Eat You Too!
Pineapple, when eaten raw, often leaves people with a burning or prickling sensation in their mouths. This is because pineapples contain a plant protease enzyme called bromelain, which breaks down protein.
The enzyme can separate amino acids, which are organic compounds within your cells- so when you eat raw pineapple and experience a burning sensation, that is, in fact, the pineapple eating away at the flesh in your mouth.
Cooking destroys this enzyme, however, which is why canned pineapple will not have the same effect. In addition, the enzyme is most concentrated at the core, so cutting this part out will lessen the enzyme’s effects.
Another fact about pineapples is that they are not a single fruit. Instead, they are a cluster of berries that have fused together.
Your Orange Might Have Been a Green
Oranges are a sub-tropical fruit, and in warmer tropical climates, they never get cold enough to break down the chlorophyll in the fruit’s skin. Which means they’ll be yellow or green when they’re ripe.
They also do not ripen further once picked and, in their natural habitat, are often past their prime by the time an orange hue occurs. The Western consumer expects them to be orange, so imported oranges are often treated with ethylene gas (something that plants themselves excrete to hasten the ripening of their fruits) to turn them orange.
Sometimes they are even waxed, chemically washed, or dyed to achieve the color expected by consumers in the West. The oranges can also revert to their original shade of green through a process called ‘re-greening.’
The orange was named after the fruit, not the other way around, before its discovery in the English-speaking world. The color was referred to as yellow-red, or ‘geoluhread.’
Your Orange Carrots are Purposely Bred Mutations
The modern orange carrot didn’t exist before the 17th century. Instead, it was brought introduced in the late 16th century by Dutch growers (popular belief claims this was partly to honor the country’s flag, which included orange. and also to celebrate the royal name, which was Orange-Nassau).
First, they took mutated yellow and white versions of the then-normal purple carrot. Then, they interbred them to create what we consider a regular carrot.
A Rose, by any Other Name…is an Apple
Apples belong to the rose family, along with plums, pears, cherries and strawberries.
When a Berry Isn’t a Berry
Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are not berries. On the other hand, the tomato, banana, pumpkin, watermelon and avocado all technically are.
An Almond Isn’t a Nut it’s a Drupe
And it’s actually a member of the peach family. There are quite a few fruits that are drupes, like mangoes, apricots, cherries and dates, to name a couple.
An American accidentally invented the teabag
In 1908 a tea trader began sending samples of his tea to prospective clients in silken bags. The clients mistakenly thought you would use the bag instead of the standard metal strainer.
However, on finding that silk did not allow for a very good tea infusion, they complained to him that the mesh was not fine enough.
Surprised by the comments but sensing an opportunity, the merchant developed a gauze bag for the specific purpose of use as an everyday tea bag. Commercial production of the teabag began in the 1920s.
A Dangerous Dinner
If improperly prepared, the fugu, more commonly known as the puffer fish, can kill you as it contains a toxin 1,200 times deadlier than cyanide.
In Japan, where the fugu is readily available on the menu in certain restaurants, laws restricting who can prepare it are in place to protect diners. Regardless, it still claims the lives of unlucky eaters on occasion.
Nutmeg is Far Out
Consumption of large amounts of nutmeg can cause a hallucinatory effect on people, and extremely large doses have been known to kill people.
The Science of Apple Bobbing
Apples will always float in water because around 25% of their volume is air, which acts as a buoyancy aid.
Chilli Peppers Fool Your Brain
The chemical compound capsaicin, found in hot chilies, binds to the sensory nerves in your mouth and fools them into thinking you are being physically burned. Chilies don’t interact with your taste but with the TRVP1 receptors in your skin and mouth, which detect physical heat- your mouth tells your brain that it’s on fire.
Honey is a Timeless Classic
Honey doesn’t go off; it is also the only food to contain all the substances necessary for life, including vitamins, minerals, enzymes and water. Moreover, pure honey cannot rot, and samples of it have been found that date back over 5,000 years- pots of it have even been found in ancient Egyptian tombs!
It has also been regurgitated and processed several times by bees to remove some of the water and yeasts that would otherwise cause it to spoil. So when you next tuck into some honey, remember that you’re effectively eating bee vomit.
Italians (and the rest of the West) Thought Tomatoes Were Deadly for Ages
The tomato was considered poisonous in the Western world for many years after it was brought back from the Americas by Christopher Columbus.
As a result, it was classified as belonging to the nightshade family. It was thus kept solely as a decorative plant for many years. It even gained the nickname ‘poison apple,’ and in truth, it did help to kill off some aristocrats who ate it from pewter plates.
However, the acidity of the tomato would cause lead to leach quickly from the plate into the food, which poisoned people. Nowadays, all has been forgiven, and the French commonly refer to the tomato as ‘the apple of love.’
You Really Are What You Eat
Grass-fed or free-range beef contains much more omega-3 than the meat from grain-fed animals. The high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 can increase a person’s likelihood of heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.
In addition, grains are higher in calories and encourage the cows to grow more quickly (and thus more cheaply), but grass, the cow’s natural diet, is much higher in essential nutrients like Omega-3s and B vitamins.
So if you want the best meat for your body, choose free-range, organic or grass-fed beef.
Free Range Really is Better
Similarly, eggs from hens that do not live in cages contain much more omega-3 than caged hens. They have less cholesterol, less saturated fat, and much more vitamin E and beta carotene, which are essential in keeping the body healthy. Completely free-range eggs are considerably healthier than cage-free hens. Still, both are much better for the health than caged or ‘factory’ hens.
Bananas Grow From Herbs, and the Commercial Ones Clones
A cluster of bananas is called a ‘hand,’ and a single banana is called a ‘finger.’ Technically, the whole banana plant is classified as a herb because the stem does not contain the woody tissue of a tree.
Another strange fact is that the common bananas bought from most stores are typically genetically identical and have been cloned for decades, especially in America. The plants are never allowed to reproduce naturally, which risks deviation from the standard bananas consumers expect. Because of this, most are copies of the first plant of the Cavendish variety chosen by a fruit corporation to replace the Gros Michael variety, which suffered from disease and failed to keep up with contemporary demand.
A Vegetable is not Recognized by Science
The word vegetable has no scientific definition; it just means a plant you can eat. So it’s still acceptable to call a tomato a vegetable, as the word is a culinary term and has no relation to scientific classification.
Norway Taught Japan the Way of the Salmon Sushi
Salmon sushi was actually introduced to Japan by Norway after a government initiative called ‘Project Japan,’ which aimed to expand their fisheries market to the country, which was and still is a huge consumer of fish.
As a result, it is now one of the most favored types of sushi in Japan and elsewhere. Still, raw salmon remained untouched until about 1995 as the Japanese feared it would carry parasites.
Space Fruit
The peach was the first fruit to be eaten on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin ate canned peaches on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission after they landed on the Sea of Tranquillity. It was part of their first space meal.
Sweet as a…Lemon?
Going by mass, lemons actually contain more sugar than strawberries.
Need Some Emergency Blood? Use a coconut
The water inside of a coconut can be used instead of human blood plasma and has saved many lives in desperate circumstances.
Coffee With a Certain Special Something
The world’s most expensive coffee is ‘kopi luwak,’ which translates to civet coffee. It can cost anywhere up from $100 per pound!
It is given this title only when the coffee bean has been eaten and then excreted by the civet- the beans, after passing through the animal, are collected and brewed for a coffee known for its lack of bitterness and its apparently excellent flavor.
The price of this coffee bean was always high as you collected the droppings from wild civets around coffee plantations, which is labor-intensive and limited in its collected amounts.
After its popularity spread, wild civets have been caged and force-fed to obtain this type of coffee- often kept in a factory farm style, much like battery hens.
Campaigns against this cruel treatment have taken place, but sadly the practice is still widespread in parts of Asia.
A Nice Loaf of Bread? You’re Actually Eating Human Hair
L-cysteine, an amino acid long used as a dough conditioner in many baked goods, is often derived from human hair, poultry feathers, or cow horns. It is a common ingredient in mass-produced bread and, industrially, is extracted for commercial use by melting hair or feathers in acid.
That Nice Glaze on Your Candy Comes From Bugs
Shellac, a common ingredient in glazes and also used as ‘natural coloring,’ actually comes from a chemical secreted by female lac bugs, a burrowing insect. It’s also used in nail polish and wood lacquers.
Gelatine- Delicious, Gummy Pig Skin and Cow Hooves
Gelatine, used in countless popular food items, is derived from the collagen found in proteins and is generally extracted from pig skins, bones, cow hooves, and other tasty tidbits.
These industry castoffs are boiled down and produce the slimy gel that goes into creating gummy bears, jello, pannacotta and thousands of other popular food items.
Your Pink and Red Food is Made From Squashed Beetles
If you’ve eaten commercial foods with a red or pink color, chances are you’ve eaten carmine, a colorant widely used in food production. This comes from the abdomen of red beetles that have been cooked, dried and crushed. Does your cherry candy contain E120? If it does, you’re eating bugs.
Grapes Produce Their Own Fungicide, and It’s Good for us!
Reservatrol is an anti-oxidant found in grape skins. It provides a health boost for the human body. Still, it is only produced if a fungus attacks the grapevine- it is the plant’s natural protection, acting as a fungicide and an anti-biotic. Pretty smart for a plant.
Convenience Popcorn has Killed People
A chemical called diacetyl, which does exist in regular butter, is extracted and used to give microwave popcorn a buttery taste. Still, it is so poisonous that workers in microwave popcorn factories are sometimes afflicted with an irreversible lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans.
Although the disease is so rare outside of the popcorn factory context that it has been given the nickname ‘popcorn lung,’ it has also been known to affect frequent consumers of microwaved popcorn, so perhaps it is best to make your own popcorn with real butter.
The Kiwi is a Kiwi Only Because of Business Loopholes
The kiwi has suffered a few name changes. In its country of origin, China, it was known as yang tao until 1904, when it was shipped to New Zealand and renamed the Chinese gooseberry.
By 1959 the name had changed again for a short while to melonette, but this was no better for the proposed export to America. America imposed an import tariff for melons and berries, making both previous names an expensive choice!
The kiwi fruit only acquired the name kiwi because a New Zealand grower suggested that its American importer name it after the Kiwi bird, which looks vaguely similar.
After its successful importation and spread throughout North America, the name was adopted by the rest of the Western world.
Tangy Sauce, Tangy Ingredients
Worcester sauce is made partly from whole anchovies dissolved in vinegar. The anchovies are sealed into casks of vinegar and left to ferment for 18 months, after which the resulting sludge is pureed and mixed with the rest of the sauce’s ingredients.
When you first attempted it, legend has it that it tasted terrible, only after being forgotten for many months in a basement and then retried (by some brave soul). Finally, the creators discover that the fermented fish gloop tastes much better the longer you abandon it in a cold, dark place!
The Tale of a Baker’s Dozen
A dozen is twelve, but a baker’s dozen is thirteen- historically, from the strict regulations that used to apply to anyone selling bread.
The punishments were often extreme if any loaf was found to be light. Many societies carried penalties for bakers caught cheating customers, ranging from nailing an ear to the bakery door to having a hand cut off!
To avoid any chance of accidentally selling a customer a light loaf, many bakers would add a loaf for every twelve bought. They preferred to lose a little profit and overcompensate than risk facing the often harsh penalties.
Hippo Soup is the First Soup we Have on Record
That’s right, the first ever recorded soup calls for hippopotamus as an ingredient and hails from around 6,000BC. Archaeologists unearthed the recipe and found it to call for sparrow meat and lentils.
Explosive Food
Peanuts can and often are used to make dynamite. They are also not nuts. They are legumes and grow underground in their shells.
Crumbs Aren’t the Main Deal
The inner part of bread (i.e., inside the crust) is called the crumb, where those pesky little bits that fall off and get everywhere get their name. So, in effect, they stole from the actual crumb of the bread, which you won’t hear mentioned unless all of your friends are bakers.
Marshmallow is Actually Really Old
Marshmallow has its origins as early as 2000BC, and the Egyptians made a form using sap from the mallow plant.
In the 1800s, the French first combined this same sap with whipped egg whites and sugar to create a product reminiscent of what we have today.
Modern-day marshmallow uses gelatine instead of the mallow sap, as it is much cheaper and easier to procure. It increases shelf life while making the texture more palatable for modern consumers.
Potatoes can be Purple
Highland burgundy potatoes are purple on their skins and at their centers. In addition, they have mottled patches of purple throughout their flesh.
While purple potatoes are absolutely fine to eat, don’t touch any green ones. Potatoes are part of the solanum family and produce solanine as their defense mechanism to avoid being eaten. In addition, the stems and leaves of the potato plant are very poisonous.
Therefore, any green showing on the flesh or skin of the potato itself denotes the presence of solanine. Eating green potatoes has even caused the death of some people, so be very careful.
Some Fruits Contain Cyanide
Cyanide is a deadly poison and can cause instant death if a human ingests it enough. But not many people know that it naturally occurs in our food! For example, apples contain low levels of the poison, which is also present in peaches and apricots. However, it’s not enough to do you any serious harm, so don’t worry!
Everyone Hates Sprouts
There is a widespread global consensus that Brussel sprouts are the least loved of all vegetables, mainly due to many people finding them too bitter. This, however, is a great shame because they are highly nutritious and have very low amounts of fat or cholesterol.
Chocolate Really is Heavenly
Historically first used and enjoyed by ancient Mayans. The name of the plant that produces chocolate, theobroma cacao, actually translates as ‘food of the Gods’, and it has been treated as such throughout history. The Mayans and the Aztecs (once they acquired some) even traded in chocolate. This is because it was so valuable to them, and only the wealthiest of its people could afford to drink it.
Conclusion
Some of these facts are about the food itself, while others are about the people who consume it. Either way, they’re all interesting tidbits that are sure to make you think twice the next time you sit down to eat.
