Food is an integral part of our lives. More so for some than for others. Without it, we wouldn’t last too long… However, we only need a small quantity of food in order to live, and it appears that nowadays we have forgotten our body’s amazing capacity to transform food into energy, low in calories though it may be. The proof is in plain sight: as a society, we are eating more than we need. Here are 13 food facts that you have surely never heard before, which will leave your mouth agape in amazement.
1/ Cheese is the most commonly stolen food in the world
Around 4% of all the cheese manufactured in the world gets stolen! Apparently cheese cravings are getting out of control!
2/ The stickers on fruit are edible
Have you ever wondered why companies stick labels on to each of their pieces of fruit? Have you always considered it a waste of time and money? Not to mention needless waste… It appears that these little stickers are in fact edible. Of course that is not to say that you should eat them….
3/ If there were no more flies, there would be no more chocolate
People with a sweet tooth will think twice the next time they are about to swat a fly! In fact, a certain species of microscopic fly (midges) are essential for pollinating the cocoa plant which makes chocolate manufacture possible. We’ll never again hurt a single fly!
4/ Bananas are berries, but raspberries aren’t
Bananas, cucumbers and kiwis are classed as berries by botanists. On the other hand, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries are not!
5/ Large quantities of pistachios can be flammable
The oily materials used to transport pistachios can literally make them go up in flames! Watch out!
6/ A quarter of the world’s hazelnuts are used to make Nutella
The demand for hazelnuts has increased so much that universities the world over are trying to produce them in the laboratory in order to prevent global shortages.
7/ Lobsters and oysters were previously for the working classes
These crustaceans, for which people pay a small fortune nowadays in yuppy restaurants, were once barely considered worthy of human consumption! Lobsters used to be considered marine insects, and it was hard to sell them. They were thrown back into the sea or given to the servants. Things have certainly changed.
