Whether or not you check out food packets and read all the information printed out on it, or you’re really ardent at keeping a close eye on what you consume, there is still a large chance that you may not know all there is to know about these foods. So, we compiled a short and interesting list of some things you may not know.
Here are 10 fun facts about food that might surprise you.
Arachibutyrophobia is a real thing
If you hate food being stuck to the roof of your mouth, then you’re not alone; you might have arachibutyrophobia. Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth and being choked.
Hot chocolate is older than you think
Hot chocolate was first brought to North America as early as the 17th century by the Dutch, but the first time colonists began selling hot chocolate was around 1755. Traditionally, hot chocolate has been associated with cold weather, winter, and dessert in the United States and Canada
The Mayan and Aztec cultures were the first to make “hot chocolate.” This precursor to hot chocolate was used for religious ceremonies, including coming-of-age celebrations and weddings.
Sweet potatoes aren’t yams
Yams and sweet potatoes are not the same things. Although yams and sweet potatoes are both angiosperms (flowering plants), they are not related botanically. Yams are a monocot (a plant having one embryonic seed leaf) and from the Dioscoreaceae or Yam family. Sweet Potatoes, often called ‘yams’, are a dicot (a plant having two embryonic seed leaves) and are from the Convolvulacea or morning glory family.
Teachers were gifted Apples
In case you didn’t know this, now you do, and if you’re curious as to why, this is why; it’s because from the 16th to the 18th century, teachers’ salaries were so low, students’ families would compensate for that by providing them with apples, which were a common crop during this time period.
Cucumbers are mostly water
It’s a myth that you need eight glasses of water a day. One reason: you get a lot of the fluid you need from foods. It’s good to get fluid this way, since water-rich foods are filling, so they aid in weight control. And they are nutritious. That being said, next time you’re feeling dehydrated and don’t feel like drinking water, try snacking on a cucumber; it’s 96 percent water.
Gelatin isn’t vegetarian
Products with gelatin in them aren’t exactly vegetarian or vegan-friendly. This is why; Gelatin is made from boiling skin, cartilage, and bones from animals such as pigs, cows, and chickens. If you don’t mind its origins, though, amino-acid-rich gelatin makes Jello one of the post workout snacks you can have.
There’s a reason lemons float
If you’re making your daily lemon water, you’ll notice that lemons float. They float because they have a similar density to water!
Almonds aren’t nuts
Almonds are seeds, not nuts. Nuts are “a one-seeded, dry, indehiscent fruit with a hard pericarp, usually derived from a one-loculed ovary,” but an almond is actually a “drupe.” A drupe is defined as “a fleshy fruit with a stony endocarp.”
Cranberries will bounce if they’re fresh
You can make sure your cranberries are still good by throwing them on the counter and seeing if they bounce back to you.
Olives were once a hot commodity
Documents in Syria imply that around 2,000 B.C.E., olive oil was five times more valuable than wine and two and a half times that of seed oils.