They say you are what you eat. Well, what are you eating?
No… what exactly are you eating? Do you know where that hotdog comes from?
Do you know about the creation of the popsicle?
Everyday food is more than meets the eye!
Food is essential, obviously. And insight into what you’re eating is, too!
Check out these 75 everyday food facts. They’re sure to elicit reactions ranging from eyebrow raises to jaw drops!
1. Not so German cake
German chocolate cake didn’t come from Germany. It’s name is attritbuted to a man named Sam German. Turns out, he was American, not German.
2. Kit Kat containing Kit Kats
Kit Kats are made of Kit Kats – literally. Their innards are composed of repurposed, broken Kit Kats. Speaking of which, what’s your favorite chocolate bar?
3. Fruit salad trees
Fruit salads exist. Fruit salad trees also exist. It sounds ridiculous but it’s true. Some trees can even grow different types of fruit in a single tree as long as they’re of the same family.
4. Cookie aka koekje
The word “cookie” comes from the Dutch word “koekje.” It means “little cake,” which is perfect. That’s essentially what a cookie is!
5. Coconut water plasma
Coconut water is somewhat of a miracle. It’s not just great in food and drink, but it even has emergency uses! It can be used as a substitute for blood plasma in extreme situations!
6. Garlic burn
Garlic is one of the GOATs. It can even ward off vampires… But seriously, garlic can burn the skin in extreme cases. Cloves left on the skin under certain conditions can bring the heat!
7. Vitamin C peppers
Peppers have a lot of vitamin C. They even have more than oranges! In fact, a cup of chopped or crushed bell peppers can have much more vitamin C than a single orange.
8. “Added fiber”
Added fiber means added cellulose aka wood pulp. It’s very common in cereals and other foods. Fortunately, small concentrations won’t have an immediate negative impact on health.
9. Space food
Yeah we can grow food in space, no big deal. Astronauts yohave actually eaten space food before, too! This lettuce became famous as a space experiment.
10. Cashew apples
Cashews grow on trees. And they grow connected to cashew apples! The cashew nuts certainly steal the show, though.
11. Expired milk
You can drink “expired” milk if you’re careful. The expiration date doesn’t always coincide with the exact time food becomes unsafe. If it smells completely off, just toss it.
12. Potato water
Potatoes are pretty fascinating. They’re way more than meets the eye! Like humans, they’re mostly water. Most of their weight comes from their water, in fact.
13. Wasted water
Water can sit for a while. Water has nothing in it that “goes bad.” Leaving an uncovered glass of water overnight isn’t that big of a health risk. Deposits and ingredients from the air may enter the water, and chemicals from the container could potentially leach into the liquid, but the water itself doesn’t “go bad.”
14. The green gummy bear
Green candy is usually associated with the flavor sour apple – or lime. But the Haribo gummy bears feature strawberry-flavored greens. This information is lifechanging.
15. The first bananas
Early fruit looked way different than current descendents. Take the banana, for instance. It used to be essentially inedible. Years of careful modification and domestication have turned them into what they are today.
16. Wash fruit
Particles can easily accumulate on the exteriors of fruits. Do you know how many hands have been over those fruits and veggies at the market? Countless. Make sure to wash your fruits and veggies.
17. Ketchup as medicine
The 1800s were some strange times. To make things weirder, ketchup was distributed in pills as diarrhea medicine… Ketchup used to be considered a cure to tons of different ailments. How things change.
18. Lactose-free parmesan cheese
Parmesan cheese is basically lactose-free! A single serving generally has less than a single gram of lactose. Cheeses aren’t the easiest to digest, but parmesan cheese is among the easiest for the body to process.
19. McDonald’s
McDonald’s is known around the world. They’re a huge corporation that makes huge profits. It’s estimated that 75 burgers are sold per second globally!
20. The origin of fortune cookies
Fortune cookies aren’t really a thing in China. In fact, fortune cookies are American in origin. A surprising amount of “Chinese food” in the States is actually American in origin.
21. The invention of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
Richard Montanez was a janitor at Frito-Lay when he had an amazing idea. After some culinary experimentation, he achieved something brilliant. He works as an executive at Pepsi now.
22. Pineapple plants
Pineapples take a while to grow. Like two to three years… Never take pineapples for granted! They’ve had a long and hard journey to get to your mouth!
23. “100%” natural
Orange extraction and processing leads to a lot of lost flavor. To compensate, orange juice companies mix in other flavors. Most of the time, your OJ isn’t even 100% juice.
24. Butter refrigeration
You don’t have to throw butter in the fridge if you’re going to use it soon. Butter can sit out for up to 10 days. As long as the butter remains in moderate temperatures away from heat, you’ll be fine if you eat it all in a short period of time.
25. Eskimo fridges
Some Eskimo communities actually use refrigerators. Why? Well, they need to keep their food warm. Or at least warmer than the outside conditions. Freezer burn is a thing.
26. Monk fruit
Sugar is sweet, sure. But it’s nothing compared to monk fruit! Monk fruit’s about 250 times more sweet than sugar!
27. “Hawaiian” pizza
So apparently, Hawaiian pizza hails from… Canada? That’s right, the genesis of Hawaiian pizza traces back to Ontario. The chef did use Hawaiian pineapples in the process, though.
28. Mountain Dgew
Do you like Mountain Dew? Do you like orange juice? If you answered yes to both, there might be a correlation! In fact, Mountain Dew actually contains a decent amount of orange juice!
29. Glass Gem corn
The rainbow kernels of Glass Gem corn look like glass. Or some cool art project. Don’t worry – it’s edible! Glass Gem corn took the internet by storm in 2012.
30. Unwashed chicken
Washing your raw chicken may not even help sanitize it according to experts. You can spread the bacteria to other areas of your kitchen in the washing process. If cooked properly, you’ll be fine!
31. Peanut butter diamonds
Diamond is essentially carbon. The high carbon concentration of peanut butter enables its use in crafting diamonds. One German scientist has been using a variety of different materials to create diamonds, peanut butter included!
32. Stolen cheese
Cheese is the most stolen item in retail stores. Yes, cheese of all things. I guess they can fit easily in clothing. Plus, some stores have an insane amount of cheese!
33. Peaches and nectarines
Genetically, nectarines and peaches are basically the same. One gene causes a difference in their outer skin. Other than that, they have a ton in common.
34. Asparagus stalks
Asparagus apparently grows on stalks. Not trees. Not vines. Stalks. It just pops out of the ground. No big deal.
35. Cranberry marshes
Cranberries don’t grow on trees. No, not at all! Instead, they grow in marshes flooded with water. “Picking” them is an aquatic adventure.
36. An apple a day
You could eat a different type of apple a day for the rest of your life. That’s one way to keep the doctor away. But seriously, there are over 7500 types of apples!
37. Take 5 meets Reese’s
The Take 5 has a lot of chocolate bar classics. Peanuts? Check. Caramel? Check. Pretzels…? Check. The special ingredient? Reese’s peanut butter. It makes sense as they’re both owned by Hershey.
38. WiFi potatoes
Potatoes have been used in various scientific experiments. In fact, Boeing even used potato sacks in plane seats to test their wireless networks. Do you have a newfound respect for their chemistry and water content? I do.
39. European chocolate
Some European chocolates are lauded for their rich flavors. Well, their legal system specifies higher milk content than chocolate found in the States. Law can have a huge influence on food!
40. “Wasabi”
Real wasabi is somewhat of a delicacy. It’s rare even in Japan, apparently. The “wasabi” in the States is usually a mix of mustard, food die, and horseradish.
41. John Adams
John Adams was a tank. He drank a lot. It’s believed that he drank a quarter-pint of cider per day. Yet he still lived to be 90…
42. Talent agent Amos
Wally Amos knew a lot about cookies. But he also knew a lot about the world. Before hitting it big in the cookie business, he was an excellent talent agent that uncovered some pretty big names, including Simon & Garfunkel!
43. Plane taste loss
We lose a bit of our sense of taste on planes. This is especially apparent in sweet and salty cuisines. Why? Pressurized conditions at incredibly high altitudes.
44. Cilantro and coriander
They’re the same thing! Cilantro is the American word for the herb. Coriander is the popular word used in the UK. Sometimes it can be confusing reading them in recipes.
45. Girl Scout cookies
The Girl Scouts sell some amazing cookies. But each and every Girl Scout cookie is not alike. They differ slightly across the country! Girl Scout cookies are made by two separate manufacturers with slightly different recipes that vary by region.
46. Burger cows
Burger meat can contain many different cows. So that burger you’re about to eat has multiple lives connected to it. Meat facts are kinda hard to digest.
47. Hotdog origins
Do you know where hotdogs come from? You probably don’t want to know. Some hotdog meats are incredibly suspect, to put it simply!
48. That’s horseradish
Speaking of wasabi… That “wasabi” you’re eating is literally horseradish. Genuine wasabi is Japanese horseradish. Genuine wasabi is expensive and should be eaten shortly after grating. In the United States, “wasabi” is just horseradish dyed green, and it generally isn’t authentic Japanese wasabi.
49. Rice cake monster
The Cookie Monster is an imposter! Apparently his “cookies” are just colored rice cakes on Sesame Street. What do you think of oatmeal cookies?
50. White “chocolate”
White chocolate technically isn’t chocolate. Like literally, it doesn’t contain cocoa or chocolate ingredients. White chocolate, like regular chocolate, is delicious, though.
51. The popsicle
The popsicle was actually made by accident… by an eleven-year-old. Children have contributed a lot to the world, quite franmerkly.
52. Farm salmon
Farm salmon isn’t naturally orange. Wild salmon are known for their rich pinkish, orange color. Farm salmon is merely dyed. They’re usuallythe white!
53. Apple pie
Apple pie wasn’t invented in the United States. Is it still an American delicacy? Sure. But it was technically invented in medieval England!
54. Skittles and beetles
Carmine, the red food dlaye, is found in a variety of foods including Skittles. The acid is made from crushed beetles, literally. So beetle product is in your Skittles.
55. Raw oysters are alive
Nobody wants to eat something living. Well, maybe sociopaths and serial killers do, but not most people. Turns out, raw oysters are technically alive when you eat them… Well then.
56. Beef fat fries
Did you know that McDonald’s fries were cooked in beef fat until about 1990? The change came in an attempt to appear healthier. Speaking of which, what are your favorite fries?
57. Chocolate bar
Chocolate bars come with a hefty environmental toll. Cocoa beans are as thirsty as they come. In fact, it takes 1700 liters of water to make a single chocolate bar of 100 grams! That’s outrageous!
58. Drowsy red wine
Red wine seems to induce drowsiness. At least more than other alcohols according to participants in a 2017 alcohol study. Wine was cited as inducing sleepiness much more than liquor and beer.
59. Banana clones
Are you bananas for bananas? Did you know that the bananas you’re eating are essentially clones? Yep, it’s true! In fact, every fruit you eat is essentially the product of genetic modifications of some sort!
60. Berries?
There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the classification of fruits. Turns out, we have it all wrong. Bananas are technically berries. And strawberries aren’t berries at all!
61. Chickens have turned into egg factories
Fun fact: chickens don’t have to mate to produce lifeless eggs. They used to produce about a dozen a year. Now… well… let’s just say they’re being overworked.
62. Spam
The word “spam” is a simple combination of “spice” and “ham.” But spam is actually primarily pork. It’s not mystery meat, although it is misunderstood!
63. Chocolate money
Anything can be currency if a population lends it value. Even chocolate was used as currency by the Aztecs back in the day! That may have been the most delicious money ever.
64. Nutmeg, the drug
Apparently, nutmeg can get you pretty faded… Large doses of the seasoning can cause hallucinations! Try not to overdose on nutmeg this Christmas!
65. Everlasting honey
Honey lasts a really, really long time. It has minimal moisture and is incredibly acidic. These characteristics allow it to be stored for essentially as long as you want.
66. Processed cheese
Processed cheese like Kraft Singles didn’t actually originate in the United States. Those types of cheeses can be traced back to Switzerland, actually. The Swiss know their cheese, that’s for sure!
67. Lemons and limes
Which do you prefer? Well, did you know that they have completely different buoyancy? In water, lemons float and limes sink!
68. Sphagetti
Sphaggeti is actually a plural word. What do you call a single noodle? The answer: sphagettmao. Take that for data.
69. Purple carrots
The original carrots were purple. Let that one sink in. Purple is hard to find in nature!
70. Poison tomatoes
I love tomatoes, not gonna lie. But there was a period where humans thought they were poisonous. I wonder how much trial and error by death has occurred with food over the millennia…
71. Grape explosions
Grapes can be dangerous in the microwave! If you cut them in half and heat them up, they can explode! Their interaction with microwaves can literally turn them into fireballs!
72. Cracker cavities
Crackers can cause cavities! Even faster than some candies! That’s actually pretty crazy to think about. Acid is a stronger cause of tooth decay than sugar!
73. Throwaway wings
Chicken wings came from the “throwaway” parts of the chicken. Now, these pieces are world-renowned as “wings.” One generation’s trash is another’s treasure!
74. Bell peppers
Yellow, red, and green bell peppers are the same vegetable! They’re just in different stages of life. That may not change the way you look at bell peppers, but it definitely adds some nuance to their perceived existence.
75. Jam & jelly
Jam and jelly aren’t the same thing, believe it or not. It’s true! Jelly’s composed of fruit juice. Jam, on the other hand, is made of fruit proper.
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