You are what you eat, or so the saying goes, so you’d better know the ins and outs of what you’re putting in your mouth! Students will be thrilled and slightly disturbed, to learn about the wild food facts listed here. While some are interesting, others will downright disgust you and make you question what you might be eating on a daily basis!
1. Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.
An individual strawberry boasts about 200 seeds on the outside of its skin. They also aren’t exactly berries- they’re what’s known as “accessory fruits”, meaning that they don’t come from a single ovary.
Learn more: Country Living
2. Natural dyes can be made from ground-up insects.
Natural red dye, otherwise known as carmine, is made from ground-up, boiled bugs- specifically the cochineal bug. The ancient Aztecs used it to dye fabrics- requiring about 70,000 insects to produce a single pound of red dye!
Learn more: Live Science
3. Allspice isn’t a mix of other spices.
Allspice is actually a berry- the tropical evergreen Pimenta dioica that is ground up to make its own spice. Many people think it’s a mix of nutmeg, pepper, cloves, and cinnamon, but I’m sure they would be surprised to learn that they are wrong!
Learn more: Huff Post
4. Jalapeño and chipotle peppers are the same things.
The former is fresh, and the latter is dried & smoked. The same is true of poblano and ancho peppers.
Learn more: Pepper Scale
5. Ranch dressing and sunscreen contain the same ingredient.
That milky-white color? It comes from titanium dioxide which is used as a food additive in the United States and can be found in much personal care and paint products.
Learn more: National Library of Medicine
6. Red velvet cake contains chocolate or beets.
The chemical reaction between the cocoa powder and the acid of the baking soda and buttermilk created a deep red coloring in a traditional red velvet cake, but beet juice was used as a substitute during WWI when cocoa was hard to come by.
Learn more: Sunflour Baking Company
7. Cookie monster eats painted rice cakes on TV – NOT cookies!
Did you ever notice how the Cookie Monster’s cookies seem to crack into pieces? The natural oils used to bake real cookies would damage the puppets, as would the chocolate. Plus, rice cakes are lightweight and easy to hold during filming!
Learn more: Carolyn Wyman
8. The black line in shrimp is its intestines.
We call it a “vein”, but it’s actually part of their intestinal tract. The blacker it is, the more digested grit you’re eating. It usually consists of algae, plants, worms, and other bits of things they’ve eaten in the ocean. Yum!
Learn more: Just One Cookbook
9. Due to a genetic trait Cilantro tastes like soap to some people.
The receptor gene, OR6A2, causes the body to recognize aldehyde chemicals found in soap and cilantro. Genetic tests can identify if you have the gene or not!
Learn more: All Recipes
10. Gummy bears are made from boiled pig bones.
Boiling the bones of pigs and cows releases gelatin, a protein also found in ligaments, skin, and tendons. Gelatin is NOT vegan, as it is derived from these animal byproducts. Any gummy candy or gelatin dessert is likely to contain natural gelatin produced using this method.
Learn more: Britannica
11. Natural honey varies in color depending on the flower used to pollinate.
Depending on the season and the minerals found in flowers, honey can range in color from golden yellow to blue and even purple!
Learn more: Wisconsin Pollinators
12. Fresh eggs sink.
Do the test! Typical egg shelf life is anywhere from 4-5 weeks, but don’t trust the date stamped on the carton. Eggshells become more porous as they age; allowing air to enter into the air sac of the egg. Any egg that floats needs to be tossed in the garbage immediately to prevent it from making you sick!
Learn more: The Spruce Eats
13. Jelly beans are coated in bug goop.
Shellac – or confectioner’s glaze – comes from secretions of the lac bug; created after they feast on sap from specific trees. In nature, it’s used to protect their eggs, but for many years humans have used it to coat candies for a shiny, crackling glaze.
Learn more: Made How
14. Pineapple eats your mouth.
The enzyme bromelain breaks down proteins, including those found in your mouth and body. If your mouth tingles and burns when you eat pineapple, you’re extra sensitive to bromelain’s effects. Interestingly, cooking pineapple reduces the effects due to the chemical reaction that occurs.
Learn more: Now This News
15. Bananas are actually berries.
To be classified as a “berry”, the fruit must have seeds and pulp developed by the ovary of a flower. It must have three layers – the exocarp (peel or rind), mesocarp (what we eat), and endocarp (where seeds are found). Berries have thin endocarps and fleshy pericarps – this means pumpkins, cucumbers, and avocados are real berries.
Learn more: McGill
16. Your PB&J could have a sprinkle of rat hairs.
According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, peanut butter can contain 1 rodent hair and/or 30+ insect bits per 100 grams. With the average jar of peanut butter being around 300 grams, we’re looking at multiple additions that pass inspection. Extra crunchy!
Learn more: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
17. Broccoli has more vitamin C than oranges.
One cup of broccoli packs 81mg of vitamin C as compared to the 63mg found in an orange. Clearly, the flavor profiles are completely different, but broccoli also gives you protein, fiber, and a lot less sugar!
Learn more: Healthline
18. Apples aren’t from America.
The pie might be an American staple, but apples actually originate in Kazakhstan, in Central Asia. Apple seeds came over on the Mayflower with pilgrims, who planted them in the fertile soil.
Learn more: Healthline
19. Some hens lay blue eggs.
Depending on the breed of hen, the eggs come out in varying colors and shapes. Blue-green eggs are a standard of the Cream Legbar, Ameraucana, and Araucana hen varieties. Interestingly, they’re blue inside and out thanks to oocyanin.
Learn more: Backyard Poultry
20. Mac and cheese were made popular by Thomas Jefferson.
He became obsessed during a trip to Paris and brought a macaroni machine back to Monticello. His African-American chef, James Hemings, came with him to Paris where he apprenticed to learn the art of French cuisine. He then popularized the dish through Jefferson in the American South.
Learn more: Eating Well
21. Cashews grow on apples.
Cashews grow on cashew apples which are native to Brazil and India, grown on the cashew tree, or Anacardium occidentale. The cashew apple looks more like a pepper with a tiny cashew nut growing out the end of it. They must both be harvested and processed as raw cashews contain a poison that protects them in nature.
Learn more: Live Science
22. Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth…and choking.
Do most dogs suffer from this? Decidedly not, but there are a select number of humans who do have this fear. The Greek words “arachi” and “butyr” form the base of this word, meaning “ground nut butter”.
Learn more: Healthline
23. The pound cake was aptly named because each of the four ingredients weighed 1 pound.
It’s an easy recipe to remember- 1 pound each of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Dating back to the 1700s, Europeans used to bake this simple cake which continues to find fame in the Americas.
Learn more: Smithsonian Mag
24. Spam is both a meat mashup and junk email.
The 6-ingredient processed-and-canned food is lauded as being “fake meat” by many in the culinary world, but it was Monty Python who popularized the term “spam” that now lends itself to our email junk files.
Learn more: Today I Found Out
25. Vanilla flavoring comes from beaver butts.
Artificial vanilla scent and flavoring come from castoreum, secreted by the castor sac scent glands of adult beavers. It has been used in both food flavorings and perfumes for over 80 years!
Learn more: National Library of Medicine
26. Wasabi is usually dyed horseradish.
Real wasabi is an incredibly expensive rhizome but comes from the same family as the horseradish root. Wasabi is actually very difficult to grow outside of Japan, where it grows natively and can take up to 3 years to mature. Hence, the easier-to-cultivate horseradish is what you’re most likely to find on your sushi plate.
Learn more: Epicurious
26. Doughnuts are named after a baking trick!
Elizabeth Gregory used to make fried dough with the spices her son transported on a sailing ship. To avoid under-baked centers, she put nuts in them- hence the name dough-nuts.
Learn more: Smithsonian Mag
28. You can hear rhubarb grow.
The plant that looks like red celery packs a powerful pucker when eaten, and it is often forced to grow larger by intervening scientific methods. Growing up to an inch per day, you can hear the buds popping and creaking as they grow. Listen!
Learn more: Atlas Obscura
29. Cucumbers cure thirst.
They are 96% water and can give you more health benefits than just a plain glass of water. It’s packed with vitamins and minerals; including 62% of the required daily intake of Vitamin K. Keep the peels on to reap the maximum benefits!
Learn more: Healthline
30. American cheese isn’t real cheese.
The rubbery slices are only partly cheese and the rest is milk and additives. This is why it’s labeled as “American singles” instead of “cheese”. It’s made from leftover Colby and cheddar and processed with milk, other additives, and colorings. It melts well and is prized for its velvety texture, protein, and calcium content.
Learn more: Cheese
31. White chocolate isn’t actually chocolate.
It’s a byproduct formed by mixing cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and vanilla flavorings. True chocolate comes from refining cocoa beans, none of which is found in white chocolate.
Learn more: Taste of Home
32. Pretzels are actually love knots.
They were often made with twisting, interlocking loops to represent undying love. They were also used in many countries to represent luck and celebrate the coming of a new year.
Learn more: History
33. Asparagus makes your pee smell funny.
This has to do with the chemical compounds of aspargusic acid that your body breaks down as it’s digested, primarily creating sulfuric compounds as a byproduct that gives it a pungent smell. Most foods affect the composition of your excrement, but asparagus wins the award for the stinkiest!
Learn more: Southern Living
34. Water bottles can expire.
While water itself can’t expire, it can be contaminated by its container which has a specific shelf life. So, when you see an expiration date on a bottle of water, pay attention!
Learn more: Live Science
35. Parmesan cheese dust is actually wood.
Completely safe and digestible as deemed by the FDA, parmesan or shredded cheese often contains cellulose to keep it from clumping together as an anti-caking agent. Cellulose is another word for wood pulp.
Learn more: Eater
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