Interesting Fun Facts About Food

Honey never spoils—archaeologists have found pots of honey in ancient tombs that are still edible.
Chocolate was once used as currency by the Aztecs and Mayans.
Carrots were originally purple, not orange, until Dutch growers cultivated the orange variety in the 17th century.
Apples float because they are 25% air.
Bananas are berries, but strawberries are not!
Potatoes were the first vegetable grown in space.
Peanuts aren’t actually nuts; they’re legumes, like beans and lentils.
The world’s most expensive coffee comes from beans eaten and excreted by civet cats, known as Kopi Luwak.
Wasabi is a natural antibiotic—it helps fight bacteria in food like sushi.
The world’s largest chocolate bar weighed over 12,000 pounds.
Tomatoes are technically a fruit, but they’re often treated as vegetables in cooking.
Ketchup used to be sold as medicine in the 1830s, believed to cure ailments like indigestion.
McDonald’s once made bubblegum-flavored broccoli to try and encourage kids to eat vegetables.
The longest pizza ever made was over 1.2 miles long.
Cucumbers are 95% water.
Oranges are actually a hybrid fruit—they’re a cross between pomelos and mandarins.
The world’s most expensive spice is saffron, made from the stigma of crocus flowers.
Ice cream was first made in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).
Pineapples were considered a symbol of wealth in the 18th century in Europe.
Mushrooms can glow in the dark—bioluminescent fungi are found in tropical regions.
Cheese is one of the oldest prepared foods in the world, dating back over 7,200 years.
The first ever recorded recipe for bread dates back to ancient Egypt around 6,000 BC.
Cinnamon is made from the bark of a tree and has been used for thousands of years for both culinary and medicinal purposes.
Chili peppers can boost your metabolism by up to 25% for about 30 minutes after eating.
Cashews grow on trees, but the actual nut is found inside a fruit called a cashew apple.
Almonds are a member of the peach family.
Yogurt can help boost your immune system because it contains probiotics.
The world’s most expensive pizza was sold for over $12,000 and was topped with caviar, lobster, and 24-carat gold.
Apples are grown in all 50 U.S. states.
A single head of broccoli contains more protein than a steak of the same weight.
Lobsters were once considered food for the poor in colonial New England.
Tomato ketchup was once marketed as a medicine to cure diarrhea.
The average American eats about 18 acres of pizza in their lifetime.
Eggplant is technically a berry from the Solanaceae family.
Sugar was once so rare in Europe that it was used as a form of currency.
The world’s largest pancake was over 49 feet in diameter and weighed over 3 tons.
Peppers can come in all sorts of colors: red, yellow, orange, purple, and even brown.
Watermelons are 92% water, making them incredibly hydrating.
Rice is the staple food for more than half the world’s population.
Oysters are alive when you eat them, and they filter water through their bodies to get nutrients.
Bacon is one of the most popular breakfast foods in the U.S., but it wasn’t eaten for breakfast in the past.
The largest fruit in the world is the pumpkin, which can weigh over 2,000 pounds.
Peach trees can live up to 100 years and produce fruit for most of that time.
Maple syrup comes from the sap of sugar maple trees and is often tapped in early spring.
A walnut is actually a seed inside a dried fruit.
Avocados are technically a berry, and the avocado pit is the seed.
Coca-Cola was originally green before being adjusted for its iconic color.
The banana plant is technically a herb, not a tree.
Figs are often pollinated by specific species of wasps that enter the fruit.
The most expensive fruit in the world is the Yubari King melon from Japan, which can cost thousands of dollars.
Most of the world’s chocolate is grown in tropical climates—mainly West Africa.
Dried beans can last indefinitely if stored in the right conditions.
The average American consumes about 22 pounds of tomatoes per year.
Potatoes were first brought to Europe by the Spanish from South America in the 16th century.
The first pizza delivery was recorded in 1889 in Naples, Italy.
Cherries are a member of the rose family, along with peaches, plums, and almonds.
Coconut water is sterile—it was once used as an emergency IV fluid in WWII.
Hawaii produces 95% of the U.S. pineapples.
The world’s first frozen food was introduced by Clarence Birdseye in 1924.
Popcorn kernels explode at 180°C (356°F) due to the pressure of steam inside.
Sushi has been around for over 1,000 years, and it originally started as a method of preserving fish.
Mangoes are the most widely consumed fruit in the world.
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are believed to have been domesticated around 10,000 years ago in the Middle East.
Tuna is the fastest fish in the ocean, capable of swimming at speeds of up to 75 km/h (47 mph).
Olives are one of the oldest cultivated foods, dating back to ancient Greece and Rome.
Apples can help reduce the risk of heart disease due to their high levels of antioxidants and fiber.
Nutmeg is poisonous in large amounts—consuming too much can lead to hallucinations and other side effects.
Cabbage is a member of the Brassicaceae family, which includes broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts.
A cucumber is 96% water—making it one of the most hydrating vegetables.
Cranberries float in water due to the air pockets inside their berries.
Blueberries are often referred to as a “superfood” due to their high antioxidant content.
Corn is a type of grass, and it was first domesticated in Southern Mexico.
The world’s most expensive potato was sold for over $1,000 per pound in Japan.
Apple seeds contain cyanide, but you’d have to eat a lot of them for it to be harmful.
Yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing—yams are starchy, while sweet potatoes are sweeter and softer.
Olives are harvested by hand to preserve their delicate skins.
Pistachios can help lower cholesterol thanks to their high content of healthy fats.
Pineapple juice can tenderize meat due to the enzyme bromelain.
Ginger has been used for thousands of years to treat nausea and improve digestion.
Grapes are used to make both wine and raisins.
Coconut oil is solid at room temperature but becomes liquid when heated.
Cashew nuts grow on the outside of the fruit called a cashew apple.
Kiwis were originally called “Chinese gooseberries.”
A single apple tree can produce over 2,000 apples in one year.
Cabbage can be fermented to make sauerkraut.
Potatoes were the first vegetable to be grown in space.
Pickles are cucumbers that have been preserved through pickling.
Fennel is known for its licorice-like flavor and is often used in Mediterranean cuisine.
Pomegranate seeds are technically arils, which are the edible seeds inside the fruit.
The average chocolate bar contains around 400 beans.
Eggplants are technically a fruit, not a vegetable.
The word “avocado” comes from the Aztec word “ahuacatl,” which means “testicle,” likely due to its shape.
Tomatoes contain a chemical called lycopene, which has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers.
Oats are one of the healthiest grains, rich in soluble fiber that can lower cholesterol.
The first ice cream cone was introduced at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.
Kiwi fruits were first brought to New Zealand from China in the early 20th century.
Apples contain about 100 calories each, making them a healthy snack.
Olive oil has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and is a staple of the Mediterranean diet.
Watercress is a superfood packed with vitamins A, C, and K.
Lemons are more acidic than limes, but limes have more sugar.