51 weird food facts
We love a good fact at GLAMOUR HQ and we love, love, love a fact about something we can relate to. Here we've rounded up the strangest food facts on the planet. We reckon you'll be pretty surprised by what you're eating...
Picture Editor: Sandra Waibl
Sources: Buzzfeed, BBC, The Fact Site
iStockWasabi, that spicy green paste that acts as the perfect accompaniment to your Tuna Sashimi is not, in fact, always what you think. More often than not, it's actually flavoured horse radish.
iStockYou may be surprised to find out just how many edible fruits belong to the rose family, officially known as the Rosaceae group.
Apples, pears, cherries, plums, apricots, raspberries, strawberries and peaches are all members of the flowering plant group.
Rex FeaturesChocolate was once used as currency.
As early as 250 A.D., ancient civilizations of Mexico and South America, specifically The Mayans and the Aztecs, used the cocoa bean as a system of money.
Rex FeaturesIf you're squeamish, maybe skip this fact.
Castoreum, which is used as a substitute vanilla flavouring, is actually taken from the anal glands of beavers. Yep.
They use it in combination with urine to scent mark their territory. We just hope this doesn't put you off your next vanilla '99.
iStockMcDonald’s sells 75 hamburgers every second of every day. That's approximately 6.5 million a day and 2.5 billion a year. Quite a set of stats, huh?
Rex FeaturesYou'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?
Rex FeaturesNow, this is our kinda cure!
Back in the 1800s, people believed tomatoes had a powerful healing property for curing the likes of diarrhea, jaundice and indigestion.
People took both ketchup and tomato pills in the hope of feeling better but the medicinal value of tomato based medicine collapse in 1840 after many tomato pills were found to be fraudulent. A shame really...
Rex FeaturesIf you plan on making egg nog this Christmas, go easy on the nutmeg sprinkle. Four or more teaspoons of the stuff can cause mild hallucinations and your limbs to warm without warning.
The come down? Chances of nausea, dizziness and difficulty urinating, but don't worry, it's only in extreme cases.
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Rex FeaturesHoney. It makes a wonderful spread, has incredible natural healing powers and even doubles as a great homemade moisturiser but we bet you can't guess what it's made from... a lovely combination of nectar and... bee vomit. Yes, we did say bee vomit.
Rex FeaturesIt's no secret that bananas are an excellent source of dietary fiber, that they protect against type II diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system and keep blood sugars steady but less people know that eating them can actually help fight depression.
The fruit contains high levels of tryptophan, which converts into serotonin - a type of chemical in our brain that influences mood.
Rex FeaturesThe 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...
Ever wondered why peppers are hot? It's because of capsaicin, a chemical compound, that tricks your sensory nerves causing you to feel like your mouth is being burned. Ouch.
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Rex FeaturesOne of the most hydrating foods to eat is cucumber, made up of 96% water. It contains electrolytes, which are minerals that include calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, potassium, and sodium, which helps your body restore what it may have lost through dehydration. It really is the best hangover cure, ever.
Rex FeaturesThere are over 7,500 varieties of apples grown in the world. Each can vary wildly in size - from a small cherry to the size of a large grapefruit.
The Guinness Book of Records states that the heaviest apple weighed 1.849 kg (4 lb 1 oz) and was grown and picked by Chisato Iwasaki at his apple farm in Japan in 2005.
We wonder who will beat the record next.
Rex FeaturesThe reason vegetarians and vegans can't eat gelatin is that it's made from the skin, connective tissue, and bones of animals, such as cows and pigs.
iStockIf you put lemons and limes in water, lemons will float and limes will sink. Why? Because although lemons are usually bigger in size, making them typically heavier, it all comes down to density.
Lemons have around the same density as water (0.99) and they have pores all over their rind, resulting in tiny air pockets on their surface causing them to float. Limes, on the other hand, are denser than water so naturally they sink.
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iStockCars and fruit sweets have something in common. They are both made with the same kind of wax, Carnauba.
iStockUsually coffee gets a lot of flak. It can dehydrate you, it can encourage you to drink more alcohol and it can potentially lead you to consume more cigarettes but it also happens to be the biggest source of antioxidants in an average Western diet.
This means that early morning cup of Joe is, in fact, helping you to fight free radicals. Wahoo.
iStockAlmonds are actually a seed not a nut as we know it. They're the seeds of a flower and they're directly related to the botanical families of orchids and roses.
iStockWhatever you do, don't drop your pearls in vinegar - they'll melt. Sob.
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iStockIf you're into natural beauty, boil some beetroot in water and then wash your hair in the water - it helps to cure dandruff (but may not smell as nice as Head & Shoulders).
iStockA cluster of bananas are called a ‘hand’ and a single banana is known as a ‘finger’. You can kind of see the thought process there, can't you?
Rex FeaturesEgg yolks are one of the few foods that naturally contain Vitamin D.
iStockYou may be a little shocked to find out peanuts are an ingredient in dynamite. We were too.
Here's how it works: they contain an oil that is used in the process of making glycerol. Glycerol is one of the main ingredient in nitroglycerin and nitroglycerin is the main part of dynamite. Simples.
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iStockIt is widely acknowledged that if you run a hot tap whilst cutting an onion, it'll prevent you from crying. The theory behind it is that steam from a hot tap will dissipate the vapors. Now you can say goodbye to those goggles...
iStockThere 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.
iStockTwix Bars haven't always been known as Twix Bars. In fact, before 1991, they were actually known as "Raiders".
iStockProcessed cheese was first invented in Switzerland over 100 years ago but the first commercially available slice was manufactured by an American, James L. Kraft, just after World War 2. Typically slices contain less than 51% cheese, not a fact we like.
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iStockGreek yoghurt contains up to double the amount of protein than other types.
iStockThe first food ever to be microwaved was popcorn. The second was an egg which exploded in the face of the experimenter. Poor guy.
iStockThe expiration date on bottled water is actually not for the water but instead it's for the bottle.
Water doesn't have proteins or sugars which means that it won't "go off" in the way that food does. However, it it is left open to air, it's chemical composition will change as it absorbs carbon dioxide.
iStockThere are over 87,000 drink combinations at Starbucks which frankly boggles our minds!
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iStockIf you put tonic under black light, it'll shine bright blue. It's not magic sadly, it's because it contains quinine which reacts with the light.
iStockA raw oyster is likely to be still alive when you eat it but it's also regarded as an aphrodisiac. Try it out but just make sure you can stomach it...
iStockThe 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.
iStockCanned peach was the first ever fruit to be eaten on the moon.
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Rex FeaturesIf 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.
Rex FeaturesChicken soup was once considered an aphrodisiac in the Middle Ages. Fair enough.
Rex FeaturesApples can wake you up in the morning better than coffee due to their high levels of fructose. Who'd have thought?
iStockIf 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...
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Rex FeaturesIf you're a fast food junkie, cover your eye.
An average person will consume 12 pubic hairs in their fast food every year!
Rex FeaturesChicken contains 266% more fat now than it did 40 years ago. That's 33% less protein and that's all down to our modern day farming methods. That's why it's always best to opt for free-range or organic meat.
iStockThe M’s in M & M’s stand for Mars & Murrie, the co-creators of the sweet. The chocolates debuted in 1941 and are one of the best selling sweets of all time.
Rex FeaturesHoney is the only food with an eternal shelf life. It won't rot and it can last up to 3000 years.
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Rex FeaturesThe amount of jars of nutella sold in a year could cover The Great Wall of China eight times. Something we'd love to see.
Rex FeaturesIf you need to speed up the ripening process of an avacado, put a banana or apple around it. Fruits such as these give off ethylene gas which creates the effect.
iStockGarlic acts as a natural insect repellent but be warned, it will also repel prospective love interests if you eat too much.
Rex FeaturesIt's very common that mass produced ice cream (think, Mister Whippy's) 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.
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iStockKale is the most nutritiously dense vegetable. Just one cup of raw kale has only 33 calories yet it contains 684% of vitamin K, 134% of vitamin C, 206% of Vitamin A as well as iron, folate, omega-3s, magnesium, calcium, iron, fiber, and two grams of protein.
A Babybel weighs exactly 20 grams. Aw.
iStockEating poppy seed bread and bagels can make you fail a drugs test. Yep, veteran BBC presenter Angela Rippon researched a claim that the seeds contain narcotic chemicals for the show Rip Off Britain and failed one. Eek.
