Surprising But True Food Facts That Changed The Way We Eat

Did you know that figs are weirdly not considered a fruit? Apparently, they are flowers that wasps pollinate! What’s more, there is a strange story behind them. There are female and male figs, and female wasps will crawl into male figs that people usually don’t eat. Then they will lay their eggs there, and eventually, the wasps fly out. But if a wasp accidentally crawls into a female fig, which people do eat, it will die and not be able to reproduce. So what happens to the dead wasp?

Shredded cheese always makes any meal instantly tastier. However, it turns out that there is a less-than-desirable ingredient in it. The word cellulose can be found in the ingredient list of grated Parmesan or shredded cheese, and most don’t know off the tops of their heads what that means. Cellulose is a fiber that is mainly used in clothes and paper! Therefore, every time you eat cheese, you are consuming wood pulp, which is what cellulose is mainly made of.

Hate to break it to you, but there is no such thing as pure brown sugar! It’s a shocker; who could’ve known it was just a marketing scheme all this time? Well, white and brown sugar are essentially the same thing. Brown sugar is just white sugar with the presence of molasses. So contrary to popular belief, both types of sugar have a similar nutritional value. But if you prefer brown sugar, don’t let this stop you! 

Nowadays, lobster is seen as a luxurious and fancy food. Few get to dine out on a lobster dinner because it usually carries a hefty price tag. But before it was associated with fine dining, lobster had a very different story. It used to be the primary meat source for prisoners and servants. This is because lobster farming was so common that it was the cheapest meat anyone could find. 

Coriander is a popular and well-used herb. It can be added to any dish to elevate it and add a yummy herby flavor. Well, at least for some. If you have the receptor-gene OR6A2, coriander will taste exactly like soap to you! Yup, that’s right. Some people bite this tiny green leaf and shudder from the taste. Apparently, with this gene, coriander will smell and taste pungent and pretty much unbearable. It’s in our DNA!

Bananas are healthy and a good source of fiber and potassium, but there is a little-known secret about them. Sure, they’re a favorite breakfast fruit and a part of cuisines worldwide. But that’s not the only thing that connects people around the globe and bananas. Well, you’d be surprised to learn that humans actually share similar DNA with the fruit, of all things. Apparently, a banana shares sixty percent of its DNA with humans!

Mcdonald’s fries are delicious and salty, and people around the world can’t get enough of them. But did you know that they were actually cooked in beef fat until 1990? In a grand gesture to make their fries appear healthier, Mcdonald’s decided to switch from frying them in beef fat to vegetable oil. Not only would this apparently make them better for you, but it could also now appeal to a vegetarian and vegan audience. But up until that point, they were not vegan-friendly at all.

Usually, when someone needs some Vitamin C, they tend to eat an orange. But there is a different fruit packed with way more Vitamin C than people know. They happen to be bell peppers! First off, yes, bell peppers are fruits, not vegetables. And second, they have two to three times more Vitamin C than a single orange. All color bell peppers are good for you, but one color, in particular, is a game changer.

Now pay attention; this tip could be a lifesaver! If you’ve had a carton of eggs for a while and are unsure if they are still good to eat, here’s a secret hack you can easily do at home and immediately know. That way, you prevent anyone from eating a rotten egg and getting sick! All you have to do is place your eggs in a bowl or cup of water. Do they float or sink? 

Red velvet cake is a classic. The pigmented red cake with cream cheese frosting has been around for decades. However, most people don’t know how the cake turns so red. With red food dye, of course, but what is even in food dye? Well, sorry to break it to you if this is your favorite cake flavor. The main ingredient in red food dye is carmine. And there might be some creepy crawlers in carmine. 

Nutmeg is a popular spice used all around the world. It’s used in cooking and is especially perfect for baking. However, not many people know that consuming too much of this seemingly harmless spice can actually get you very high. This is because nutmeg contains a compound called myristicin. This compound causes harsh side effects, including intense hallucinations if too much is ingested. So should you be worried the next time you drink a nice pumpkin spice latte?

Fruit snacks had to be every kid’s favorite yummy, go-to snack. But is anyone really aware of what fruit snacks are actually made of? Apparently not, because if people were, they probably would think twice next time they popped a gummy into their mouth. Fruit snacks are made with corn syrup which is generally bad for you, and gelatin which is known to be crushed animal bones and cartilage. And as if that wasn’t enough, there is another ingredient that sure isn’t great for you. 

The various categories of food are weird. You know tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocados are fruits, not vegetables. And shockingly, strawberries are not even considered berries at all. How could that be possible, though? Well, technically, all of those seeds in a strawberry are considered the actual fruit. It isn’t very clear and goes against everything ever taught about strawberries. So maybe this one is just tucked away for now, and everyone can continue to live in their strawberry ignorance is bliss.

At first glance, Jell-O seems like a harmless snack. In fact, it’s given to people who have a hard time chewing and young children. It comes in different colors and is a fun jiggly texture like no other food. It is usually flavored like different fruits and served cold. But what even is Jell-O? What is it made of? You must know before you read on, make sure you are prepared to ruin your view of Jell-O completely.

Sushi is delicious and usually served with a small side of wasabi. It’s known to be highly spicy and potent; even the tiniest bit of it could turn your whole mouth on fire if you’re not used to the heat it packs. However, wasabi is rarely authentic at most places you can find it. This is because wasabi is quite rare and expensive, making it hard to mass produce. But if it’s not real Japanese horseradish, then what are you really eating? 

Garlic has a bad reputation. It’s known to cause really bad breath and can be used to ward off vampires, but on the contrary, it is one of the best superfoods. Eating garlic frequently is supposed to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure! It’s jam-packed with antioxidants and nutrients, which may be surprising to some people. Just eating one clove a day can give you 2% of your vitamin B6 for the day. 

Can you guess what this bizarre-looking fruit is? Well, it is essentially an apple, but not just any regular apple. The kind that cashews sprout from! Who had any idea the little nut grows on this thing? They actually grow in a tree, and you can even pick and eat the apples too. They are usually very bitter, so they are best used in cooking things like chutneys, juices, or jams.

There is a reason why your egg yolks are different colors. It’s not a sheer coincidence; it actually means something! The color of the yolk can tell you what kind of diet the hen is eating. If the egg yolk is brighter, it is likely the hen eats a lot of corn and alfalfa. Although, as of more recently, food additives can also make the yolk appear this way. And if it’s duller, it’s more likely the hen wasn’t fed additives. 

Potatoes have to be one of the most versatile food items ever. They’re cheap and easy to cook, which makes them accessible to most people. They can be turned into so many delicious things with endless possibilities, like fries, mashed or baked potatoes, or even roasted to perfection. But what if you could also drink potatoes? It might seem strange at first, but there’s a reason potato juice is a thing.

Eggs from chickens are so last year. Now quail eggs are the latest trend. Have you ever tried them? Quail eggs are apparently full of much more vitamins, nutrients, and protein than chicken eggs. However, they are much smaller than an egg from a hen. They’re also way more expensive and complicated to buy because they’re not just easily accessible in your local market. So there are some pros and cons to switching over.

Ah, bananas are a great snack and one of the most popular fruit! They’re delicious and the perfect fruit for the go. But did you know that bananas aren’t even capable of reproducing? All bananas are actually just clones of one another! That means one disease could wipe out the entire banana species. What the world look like without the yummy yellow fruit? It would be a weird, lonesome fruit world. 

Soda is generally known not to be that great for your health. There are a ton of additives in this carbonated drink that isn’t great to consume regularly. But did you know there’s a seemingly harmless ingredient in Mountain Dew that mostly goes unnoticed by most people who drink it? Besides all of the artificial colors, preservatives, and tons of high-fructose corn syrup added to this soda, there is actually orange juice in it! 

Eggs are usually the main focus and best part of breakfast. But unfortunately, for those who have high cholesterol, this tasty meal quickly turns into a bad idea. This is because eggs, specifically egg yolk, are packed with the most sodium, fat, and cholesterol. So egg yolks might be off the table, but is there an alternative? The answer is, yes, egg whites! This way, you don’t have to give up your favorite part of breakfast entirely.

Tomatoes are one of the most common fruits today. You can find them in any supermarket, restaurant, or even a gas station store. Despite popular beliefs, tomatoes were not invented in Italy, though they are popular in Italian cuisine. The tomato, which is indeed a fruit, was first traced back to Mesoamerica. Today this is the region of Mexico and South America. Now, whenever you eat a delicious slice of tomato, you can think about and know exactly where it came from.

Mushrooms, for most people, are an acquired taste. But they are one of the most interesting, fun veggies you can add to any dish to spruce it up. And this mushroom, in particular, is the fluffiest, hugest one you’ll ever see. It’s a puffball mushroom found in Europe and North America. They don’t have a strong flavor like some other mushrooms, so they’re easy to cook with and absorb the taste of whatever you cook them in.

Did you know pineapples were once considered a delicacy? It could cost someone thousands of dollars to buy a single pineapple. Each pineapple can take two to three years to grow fully and be ready for consumption. That is a really long time to wait for a single piece of fruit! The process is very tedious and clearly time-consuming, which may explain why they were worth loads at one point in time.

Have you ever seen an ear of corn that looked like this? A farmer from Oklahoma wanted to find a way to grow the most unique corn ever. He had an idea and ran with it. He tried time and time again to selectively breed the corn so it would be multicolored when fully grown and ripe. No one knew this would be possible and still produce regular edible corn.

Everyone has different taste buds and preferences for food. But when you fly on an airplane, the way you perceive your food completely changes! The high altitude and pressure on your body can make you physically taste food differently than you would have if you ate it on land. As well as the cabin air drying out your nasal passages, you suddenly have the perfect combination for dulled-out taste buds. 

Once upon a time, kale was used for decoration in restaurants. Pizza Hut used to be America’s biggest purchaser of this veggie and used mounds of it to place pizzas on top of it just for show. But people quickly realized kale wasn’t to be ignored but instead celebrated for the superfood it is. Now, you can find it in any green juice, smoothie, or health food shop around the country because the nutritional benefits are out of this world. 

Mangoes are another staple of Indian cuisine. They are especially popular in desserts and have been used for thousands of years. However, the mangoes that are mostly eaten today are actually a completely different variety than what was native to India! In fact, when Portuguese colonists when to India, they introduced a new species. They’re called Alphonso mangoes because of a local Portuguese ruler at the time named Alphonso de Albuquerque. Even though they weren’t native to the land, these are the most popular mango grown and used today. 

Peaches and nectarines are refreshing, juicy, and perfect as an afternoon snack on a hot sunny day. In fact, don’t be surprised if you mistake one for the other. They are essentially the same fruit despite their outer layer. The only actual difference in their genetic makeup is the skin! Peaches are fuzzy, whereas nectarines are smooth and firm. Essentially they are fruits that are cousins. And they’re both packed with vitamins that are good for you.

If you’re a honey lover, this one is for you. Honey seems to never change and has a shelf life that lasts forever. But do you know why? Your honey is likely processed! The truth is that real and natural honey actually changes colors all year. The honey could look completely different if produced in the summer compared to the fall. It all depends on the season, which flowers were pollinated, and the bees.

Rajma Chawal is a vegetarian dish made of red kidney beans in a thick gravy with many spices and is usually served with rice. It’s regularly eaten in parts of the world like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and parts of Pakistan. But kidney beans aren’t native to these lands, so how did this become such a typical local dish? These beans were actually brought to India from Portugal, and the method of making them is a traditional Mexican cooking technique.

Who doesn’t love some good old-fashioned peanut butter? From kids to adults to dogs, it’s a versatile spread that you can cook and bake with endlessly. Whether in cookies, sandwiches, or even smeared on an apple, it instantly makes any snack way better. It’s obvious that peanut butter is for consumption, but what if it was used for something else that has nothing to do with cooking? You can guess, but you probably never heard of it. 

Today, chocolate is still seen as a delicacy, maybe not in the same way it was once, but it’s definitely valuable. It can be given as a gift or even a treat to cheer someone up because it generally carries only positive connotations. However, back in the day, it was actually a means of trading and bartering. In fact, cacao beans were used as currency by the Mayan people. It was so worthy it could be exchanged for things like tobacco, textiles, and spices.