The world is full of little known things that can impress or gross out another. This article is hopefully to do just that. Food has been an important part of a person’s life since the world was formed and air was breathable, but did you ever think about strange little things like acorns or onions as you sit down to a meal? Here are twenty little tidbits of information that will get you to think and remember, the next time you need an ice breaker at a social function.
Twenty Food Facts:
1. Fast food shops have been found in ancient ruins. It appears that the Greeks also enjoyed the convenience of fast food. The only modern addition to this ancient form of quick meals are standard menus and mass production of those foods.
2. Lemons have more sugar in them than a strawberry.
3. The onion is named after a Latin word which translated means “large pearl”.
4. In France, people on average eat five million snails per year.
5. Carrots do help you see in the dark. It is because of their high concentration of Vitamin A which helps prevent night blindness.
6. The temperature outside can effect your appetite. When it is cold outside, you are hungrier.
7. When a source of Vitamin C (i.e. tomato, potato, citrus, etc.) is eaten with meat or cooked dry beans, the body will make better use of the iron from the protein from the meat or beans. Which is good for the body.
8. A portion of the water you drink has already been drunk by someone else – maybe many times over.
9. Peanuts are used in the manufacture of dynamite.
10. The tradition of serving a lemon wedge with fish started back during the Middles Ages and continues today. During the Middle Ages it was believed that the acid in the juice of a lemon would dissolve any small fish bones that were accidentally swallowed.
11. Apples, not coffee, are more efficient way to wake you up in the morning.
12. Acorns were used as a coffee substitute during the American Civil War.
13. Hersey’s Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks as though it is “kissing” the conveyor belt.
14. Grapes explode when you put them in the microwave (kids do not try this at home – makes a big mess and can be dangerous).
15. Ketchup was sold during in the 1830’s was sold a medicine.
16. Seaweed is used to thicken ice cream.
17. The first bar code to be used was used on a package of Wrigley’s Gum.
18. A person on average can eat twenty-eight pigs per year.
19. Aunt Jemina Pancake Flour was invented in 1889 and was the first ready mix food to be sold commercially.
20. A cast iron skillet used to be a leading source of iron in the American diet before vitamin supplements and the knowledge of foods properties.
Twenty food facts that most were not aware of – they are fun to think about and there are always more lurking on the internet. If you want to discover more food facts and other odd things about life as we know it, two good places to start are www.triviacraze.com and www.howstuffworks.com. There you will learn much, much more.
