20 Weird Food Facts That Would Make You Question Whatever You Eat
There are some things about food that are hard to swallow.
Food can be comforting, familiar, and a little unsettling once you start looking at where it really comes from. This list pulls together some of the strangest food facts out there, from bizarre ingredients to surprising histories that most people never think about.
Some of these details are harmless trivia, while others might make your favorite snack feel a lot less innocent. Either way, the mix of odd origins, strange uses, and unexpected food history makes this a pretty wild ride.
By the end, you may never look at ice cream, bread, or carrots the same way again.
1. There's no horsing around with this horse-flesh flavored ice cream from a Tokyo amusement park.
Unknown2. If you've ever felt scared of peanut butter being stuck on the roof of your mouth, then you might have Arachibutyrophobia.
Unknown3. What do fruit snacks and cars have in common? They use the same wax.
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4. Large amounts of nutmeg could count as a hallucinogen.
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5. If you had the runs in the 1800s, then you should have ketchup in the first-aid kit.
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That one takes a sharp turn from weird to downright gross.
6. A beaver's anal gland secretion is responsible for castoreum, which works as vanilla flavoring in a number of baked goods and sweets.
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7. Have you ever touched your hair and thought, 'Wow, it's as soft as bread'? If yes, then know that the softening agent called L-cysteine, made from human hair and duck feathers, is used in some bread.
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8. A little short on cash? Well, at one point, chocolate was used as currency.
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9. The UK government taxed potato chips, and the company that produces Pringles tried to evade this rule by calling them 'savory snacks,' which was eventually overruled.
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Food history really does get stranger the deeper you go.
And for the “bananas are dangerous” argument, check the doctor’s bold claim about the most risky fruit loved by millions.
10. There's a big debate about pineapples being put on pizza, but in Brazil, as long as there are peas, there will be peace.
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11. Olive oils (even the expensive ones) aren't really olive oils. Only 30% of brands are actually labeled correctly.
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12. It'll take you 20 years to try a new kind of apple every day, as there are 7,500 kinds of them.
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13. If you feel a little dehydrated, then you might want to try snacking on cucumbers, which are 96% water.
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14. Thank an 11-year-old for inventing the popsicle in 1905 for your tasty summer treats.
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Some of these facts are weirdly wholesome, and others are just plain unsettling.
15. Because the word 'nuts' is in their name, peanuts are often confused as nuts when they're actually legumes.
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16. Coconut water is both refreshing and can act as blood plasma.
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17. You blink for a second, and 75 McDonald's hamburgers are sold.
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18. In restaurants, sushi is real, but the wasabi might not be, since it is hard to cultivate.
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19. Baby carrots are from lumpy old carrots that needed a little cutting and polishing to become what they are.
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20. The infamous orange color that carrots have comes from selective breeding. Until then, they were more purple than orange.
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There's a lot on this list that might have blown your mind, but there are some facts that might have put you off that food forever. But hey, at least you've got some new facts you can pull out during family dinners or a night out with friends.
Have someone on your side who knows the weirder stuff about food. Do you know any more crazy food facts? Our comments are open.
Food trivia is never as harmless as it looks.
Still not convinced? Then see 81 visual anomalies that make your logic “spin in the mud”.
