15 Curious Facts About Food That You Probably Haven’t Heard Before
Food is the main source of nutrients and minerals that are necessary for normal growth and development. We are in contact with food every day and literally cannot fully exist without it. However, despite the fact that food is one of the most important things in human life, there are many amazing facts about it that we don’t even know.
1. Avocados begin to ripen only after they are picked.
The beloved fruit and main ingredient of guacamole does not ripen on the tree. Avocados go through a ripening process and acquire a soft texture only after harvest. But despite this, the fruits of avocados must be harvested at the right time. Otherwise, the fruit will not contain enough oil and will never be sufficiently ripe after harvest. By the way, the avocado is, indeed, a fruit!
2. Honey can be stored for a very long time.
Honey is one of those products that can be stored longer than any other. Despite the fact that the general recommendation for storing honey is 12 months, scientists are aware of cases where honey has remained usable after more than 3,000 years. It’s all about the unique composition. Honey has low moisture content and high sugar content. In such conditions, it is difficult for bacteria to multiply.
3. Edible fruit and vegetable stickers
It turns out that the stickers on fruit from the supermarket are edible. They do not contain anything useful or nutritious, but they are safe to consume. Therefore, if you accidentally bite off a piece or one of them gets into your apple pie, it’s okay.
4. Peanut butter can be turned into diamonds.
Not only can you make sandwiches from peanut butter, but also diamonds! Diamonds are formed from carbon under very high pressure and temperatures. Almost all food contains carbon, so researchers from the Bayerisches Geoinstitut managed to create an artificial diamond in a laboratory from ordinary peanut butter.
5. Carrots were not originally orange.
Carrots are one of the most common root vegetables. They’re rich in carotene and are known for their orange color. However, this was not always the case. Initially, carrots had a purple, yellow and white hue. Carrots got their usual orange tint only in the seventeenth century by way of selection.
6. Real wasabi is very hard to find.
Most likely, you’ve never eaten real wasabi, and if you have, it hasn’t been often. Wasabi is a very expensive spice. It is obtained from the grated root of the wasabi plant, which is considered difficult to grow. Most restaurants or wasabi producers actually use a mixture of horseradish, mustard, cornmeal, and food coloring.
7. Normal oranges aren’t orange.
A real ripe orange has a green peel. The green color of the peel of oranges is due to chlorophyll, which is produced and accumulated under the influence of sunlight. Therefore, all fruits growing in hot countries with year-round long daylight hours remain green, even when ripe. However, with the onset of coolness, the fruit loses its pigment and turns orange.
8. White chocolate has nothing to do with chocolate.
Despite the name, white chocolate does not contain cocoa powder. However, there is still something from cocoa in the composition of white chocolate — this is cocoa butter. In addition, white chocolate consists of sugar, milk powder, and vanillin.
9. Hot chili peppers aren’t really hot.
The burning sensation in the mouth that occurs when eating chili peppers is not just a physical reaction, but a mental reaction as well. Chili contains a chemical called capsaicin. The body reacts to the capsaicin contained in the pepper, which kind of “deceives” the body into thinking that it is experiencing a real burn. Therefore, we may experience sweating and pain.
10. An apple in the morning can be healthier than coffee.
Many of us are accustomed to invigorating ourselves with a cup of hot coffee in the morning. However, if you really want to help your body wake up, try eating an apple instead of coffee. An apple contains fructose, which is a direct source of energy for your body. And while fructose does not provide the same energy boost as caffeine, it is a sustainable source of energy throughout the day. In addition, fructose does not cause anxiety or affect the quality of sleep, unlike caffeine.
11. The white coating on chocolate is not mold.
Sometimes, on chocolate, you can see a whitish coating, similar to mold. However, that’s not what it is. This phenomenon is called “chocolate bloom,” and is simply sugar and fat. In the first case, the plaque consists of sugar crystals, and in the second case, it consists of frozen droplets of cocoa butter or its substitute. This may develop due to improper storage of chocolate or chocolate coming in contact with water. The chocolate is completely edible.
12. You can hear rhubarb grow.
Rhubarb can grow at an alarming rate — about one inch per day. As a result of such rapid growth, you can hear how the plant “makes” squeaks and crunches.
13. Some food coloring is made from beetles.
Many people are probably intimidated by the very thought that insects can be eaten. However, with a high degree of probability, each of us has, at least once in our lives, eaten bugs without even realizing it. This is because one of the most popular food coloring substances, known as carmine, is made from ground bugs.
14. Pineapples need about 3 years to fully ripen.
It can take over 24 months for a pineapple to bear fruit. Pineapple consists of more than 200 flowers that form a single seed. The process of turning flowers into the familiar fruit can take about 6 months. An interesting fact is that the pineapple blooms only once and produces just one fruit during its life cycle.
15. Without flies, there would be no chocolate.
Most likely, if it were not for flies, humanity would be left without one of the most delicious delicacies on the planet, chocolate. The only insect that pollinates cocoa flowers is a small midge. It’s thanks to these little insects that carry pollen from one plant to another that we have chocolate.