10 totally random facts about food – that you still want to know
The mystery of the cashew nut, the difference between nectarines and peaches, the secret vitamin bomb in the vegetable drawer and what a single strand of spaghetti is called – you didn’t know you wanted to know, but now you’re wondering anyway.
The world of food and drink is packed with surprising facts. Coca-Cola has secrets you knew nothing about before, who knows exactly what happens behind the scenes at fast-food restaurants, and there are all sorts of myths about wine too – not all equally credible. And what do you think of these ten facts?
Peaches and nectarines are actually the same fruit
They are genetically identical, but the gene responsible for that velvety skin is dominant in peaches and recessive in nectarines. That is the only difference; their growth and flavor are otherwise exactly the same.
Some trees grow six different types of fruit
In Australia, there are citrus trees that have been grafted so that six different types of fruit grow on them. They call it the ‘fruit salad tree’, and you can pick lemons, limes, grapefruits, oranges, mandarins and Minneola tangelos from it. Clever growers also make trees like this for four different varieties of apples.
The word ‘spam’ has a meaning
In the Netherlands it is called smac; in other countries, the can says ‘spam’. And that name was coined as a combination of spice and ham.
Cookie Monster actually eats rice cakes
The cookies Cookie Monster stuffs into his mouth in Sesame Street are not chocolate chip cookies at all, but rice cakes colored with food coloring. The TV producer was afraid that the greasy cookies would make the hand puppet dirty or damage it.
Every pineapple is three years old
A fresh pineapple at the supermarket is definitely three years old, because that is how long the plant takes to grow a pineapple fruit. By the way, did you know that they grow on a stem from the heart of a succulent?
Nutmeg gets you high
Do you also grate a little nutmeg over your broccoli or green beans? Take it easy, because if you add too much, you’ll be sitting at the table as high as a kite. More than ten grams will definitely make you hallucinate. According to the Jellinek Clinic, nutmeg is no serious competitor to weed and magic mushrooms, because it takes two to five hours before you feel anything, and it makes you nauseous; heart palpitations and headaches are part of it too, and the next day you are guaranteed to have a crushing hangover.
Cashew nuts grow on an apple
You have to see it to believe it: cashew nuts grow on a tree, dangling beneath a special elongated apple. These apples taste bitter and are used to make jam and chutney.
Bell peppers contain more vitamin C than oranges
A bell pepper contains approximately two to three times as much vitamin C as an orange. But seriously, try juicing five bell peppers for breakfast – it’s downright disgusting. If you’re after the vitamins, go for red bell peppers in particular.
Lemons float and limes sink
If you put a slice of lemon in your water, you’ll spend the whole time pushing it down with a stick. Lime, on the other hand, sinks to the bottom of your glass and stays there.
One strand of spaghetti is called a spaghetto
Of course, you always eat a whole plateful of strands, but suppose you want to talk about one specific strand of spaghetti in Italian: you call it a ‘spaghetto’.
Also read:
- 8 remarkable food facts that are useful to know for your own safety
- Olive oil in pasta water: fact or fiction?
- 11 remarkable facts about bananas you didn’t know yet
Source: Buzzfeed
