We all have our favorite foods, but how much do we really know about them? Here are some surprising and little-known facts about everyday foods that might just change the way you look at your meals.
**Bananas Are Berries, But Strawberries Aren’t**
Let’s start with a common breakfast fruit: bananas. Believe it or not, bananas are technically classified as berries. Botanists define berries as fruit produced from a single flower’s ovary and containing multiple seeds—criteria that the humble banana meets perfectly. On the other hand, strawberries, which most of us would naturally label as berries, don’t meet these criteria. They develop from a flower with multiple ovaries, making them an aggregate fruit.
**Honey Never Spoils**
That jar of honey sitting in your pantry might just be older than you think—and still perfectly edible. Honey's unique chemical composition allows it to last indefinitely without spoiling. Archaeologists have even found pots of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are thousands of years old and still safe to eat. The acidity, lack of water, and the presence of hydrogen peroxide in honey inhibit the growth of microorganisms, keeping it fresh forever.
**Carrots Were Originally Purple**
When you think of a carrot, you probably picture an orange vegetable. But did you know that the first cultivated carrots were actually purple? The orange carrot we know today was developed by Dutch growers in the 16th century through selective breeding. These orange carrots were created in honor of the House of Orange, the Dutch royal family, and quickly gained popularity due to their appealing color and sweet taste.
**Chocolate Was Once Money**
Imagine being able to buy your groceries with chocolate! Well, for the ancient Aztecs, this was a reality. They used cacao beans as a form of currency, so valuable that they kept them under lock and key just like we do with money today. Cacao beans were used to purchase everything from food to clothes, and even pay taxes. Drinking chocolate was reserved for the elite of Aztec society, making it both a currency and a luxury.
**Peanuts Aren’t Nuts**
Peanuts are a staple in many households, but they’re not actually nuts. They belong to the legume family, which includes beans, lentils, and peas. Unlike tree nuts, peanuts grow underground in small pods. This botanical distinction doesn’t change their nutritional value, but it might give you a new trivia tidbit for your next dinner party.
**Pineapples on Pizza Are Controversial—And It Started in Canada**
The debate over whether pineapples belong on pizza has divided many dinner tables. The Hawaiian pizza, which typically features ham and pineapple, was actually invented in Canada by a Greek immigrant named Sam Panopoulos in 1962. Despite its name, Hawaiian pizza has no ties to Hawaii, but rather got its name from the brand of canned pineapple that Panopoulos used.
**Ketchup Used to Be a Medicine**
Next time you dunk a fry into ketchup, think about this: in the 1830s, ketchup was sold as a medicine. Dr. John Cook Bennett, an American physician, marketed a type of tomato ketchup as a cure-all for various ailments. He claimed it could treat everything from indigestion to jaundice. It didn’t take long for this fad to fade, but it’s a quirky chapter in the history of one of America’s favorite condiments.
**Apples Float Because They’re 25% Air**
Ever wondered why apples float in water? It’s because they are made up of approximately 25% air. The way apples grow results in small air pockets within their structure, making them less dense than water. This buoyancy is exactly what makes bobbing for apples possible.
**Mushrooms and Humans Are More Alike Than You Might Think**
Mushrooms might be your go-to pizza topping, but they’re also more closely related to humans than plants. Fungi, the kingdom to which mushrooms belong, share a common ancestor with animals, making them more similar to us on a genetic level than to plants. One mind-blowing similarity is that both mushrooms and humans produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.
**Potatoes Were the First Food Grown in Space**
In 1995, potatoes made history by becoming the first vegetable to be grown in space. NASA and the University of Wisconsin partnered to develop technology for food production in space in preparation for long-duration missions. These space-grown potatoes paved the way for more sustainable food supplies for astronauts on future missions.
These fascinating tidbits about common foods are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the rich and varied history of what we eat daily. So, the next time you take a bite of your favorite snack, remember—you might be eating a little piece of history.
Surprising facts about common foods that will blow your mind
