We bet you didn’t know this about what you’re eating, but we are always delighted to deliver some of the most shocking, weird or fun facts of the common foods we consume regularly, which is why we have compiled yet another food fact file for you to enjoy. They include;
Shellac
Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug on tress in the forest of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes, and dissolved in alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colourant, food glaze and wood finish. So if you’re squeamish, maybe skip this fact. You’ve heard of shellac being used to create an anti-chip manicure but did you know it’s what’s used to make jelly beans nice and shiny too?
Ice lolly
The inventor of the ice lolly, California’s Frank Epperson, claimed to have first created the frozen pudding in 1905 at the age of 11 after accidentally leaving a glass of soda and water with a mixing stick in it on his porch during a cold night – something that is not 100% proven. What is proven, however, is that he did patent the concept of “frozen ice on a stick” in 1923, something the world over is grateful for.
Pasta
There are approximately 350 different pasta shapes around the world. Italians often insist that the shape you cook with can affect the taste so you should make sure you pick the right one if you want to impress. Funny…
Barcodes
The first product to use bar codes was Wrigleys chewing gum. It was back in 1974 in the States and it was a 10 pack of Juicy Fruit. Now you know…
Coca Cola
If you put a can of Diet Coke in water it will float but regular Coke will sink. Although no one outside the Coca Cola Company knows the ingredient of the drinks, it’s thought that the amount of sugar in regular coke makes it dense enough to drop.
Apples
Apples can wake you up in the morning better than coffee due to their high levels of fructose. Who’d have thought?
Carrots
If you eat too many carrots, you may turn you slightly orange due to the beta carotene found in them. Unfortunately, they won’t make you see in the dark. Also, If you need to speed up the ripening process of an avocado, put a banana or apple around it. Fruits such as these give off ethylene gas which creates the effect.
Garlic
Garlic acts as a natural insect repellent. Unfortunately, we also know it can repel prospective love interests if you eat too much.
Ice cream
It’s very common that mass produced ice cream contains seaweed. And no, it’s not because people want a taste of the ocean, it’s because it acts as a vital thickening agent.