Food — Page 2
Food curiosities
148 facts
Chestnuts are true nuts, but walnuts are not.
Botanically, chestnuts are classified as true nuts, as they are fruits with a hard shell that does not open to…
Tomatoes were considered poisonous in Europe.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans believed tomatoes were poisonous because they belong to the nightshade…
Rice is the most consumed food in the world.
Rice is the staple food for more than half the world's population. About 90% of the world's rice production is grown…
Lemons have more sugar than strawberries.
Despite the sour taste, lemons contain about 2.5% sugar, while strawberries contain only about 0.6%. The sour taste…
Sliced bread was invented in the United States.
Pre-sliced and packaged sliced bread was invented in 1928 by Otto Frederick Rohwedder, an American engineer. The…
Caesar salad was invented in Mexico, not Italy.
It was created in the 1920s by Italian-American chef Caesar Cardini in his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, to serve…
The bananas we eat today are genetic clones of each other.
Commercial bananas (Cavendish) are propagated through cuttings rather than seeds. This lack of genetic diversity…
The oldest known recipe in the world is for beer.
Dating back over 3,900 years to ancient Sumeria, the recipe was written on a clay tablet as a poem honoring Ninkasi…
The hottest chili pepper in the world is the Pepper X.
Created by breeder Ed Currie, Pepper X averages over 2.6 million Scoville Heat Units. Eating it can cause severe…
Brigadeiro was created to support a presidential campaign.
The Brazilian sweet brigadeiro was created in the 1940s during the presidential campaign of Brigadier Eduardo Gomes…
One in four hazelnuts produced in the world becomes Nutella.
About 25% of the world's hazelnut production is destined for the manufacture of Nutella. The Ferrero company, owner…
Coffee has been banned in several countries.
Throughout history, coffee has been banned in several places, including Mecca in the 16th century and Prussia in the…
The largest per capita consumer of Coca-Cola in the world is Iceland.
Iceland has the highest per capita consumption of Coca-Cola in the world. It is estimated that each Icelander drinks…
In the 18th century, pineapples were rented out as dinner party centerpieces.
They were incredibly rare and expensive in Europe. Hosts would rent one just to display it for a dinner party to show…
The popsicle was accidentally invented in 1905 by an 11-year-old boy named Frank Epperson.
He left a glass of soda water with a wooden stirring stick outside on his porch overnight. It froze solid, and he had…
Honey is one of the most durable foods that exists.
Archaeologists have found pots of honey in Egyptian tombs over 3,000 years old that were still in good condition…
Almonds are not true nuts; they are the seeds of the fruit produced by the almond tree.
Botanically, almonds are drupes, related to peaches and cherries. The part we eat is the seed inside the hard shell…
The first Starbucks store, opened in 1971 in Seattle, originally sold only coffee beans and equipment, not brewed drinks.
The founders were inspired by a coffee roasting entrepreneur, and it was not until 1987 that the company began…
Black Ivory coffee is made from beans eaten and excreted by Thai elephants, making it one of the most expensive coffees in the world.
The elephants' digestive enzymes break down the coffee's proteins, reducing bitterness. The beans are then collected…
The oldest restaurant in the world, Casa Botín in Madrid, Spain, has been serving customers continuously since 1725.
Recognized by Guinness World Records, it is famous for its roast suckling pig and has hosted famous writers like…
The Margherita pizza was created in 1889 to honor Queen Margherita of Italy, using ingredients to represent the Italian flag.
The red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil were chosen to mirror the colors of the national flag, creating…
Genuine wasabi is grown in flowing mountain water and is very hard to produce on a large scale.
The plant needs shade, cool temperatures and clean moving water. As a result, most wasabi sold is a mixture of…
Garum, a fermented fish sauce, helped date the eruption of Vesuvius.
Analysis of garum pots found in Pompeii revealed that the sauce was made with bogues, a fish abundant in the…
Milbenkase is a German cheese ripened with thousands of live mites.
Milbenkase is made with quark seasoned with salt and caraway, placed in wooden boxes with rye flour. The mites…
