10 Interesting Food Facts

1. Tomato

The heaviest tomato was grown by Steve and Jeanne Marley. It weighed 4.377 kg when it was harvested on 20 September 2019.

Tomatoes are believed to have originated from Peru.

The Tomatina festival is celebrated every year in Spain where people throw ripe tomatoes at each other for fun.

2. Banana

There are over 1000 species of bananas in the world. India, China and South America are the biggest banana producers while is the USA is the largest importer, importing 25%. A banana consists to over 75% of water and is rich in vitamins and minerals such as potassium. Bananas are very low in fat and low in fibre.

Banana comes from an Arabic word which means fingers. They contain a chemical, called tryptophan, which the body converts to serotonin. Serotonin is responsible for making people happier. Therefore, eating banana may actually make you feel happier.

Fun Quiz – Can you guess what a cluster of 10-20 bananas is called? It is called a ‘hand’!

Read more Interesting Facts about plants, animals, weather, dinosaurs etc

3. Corn

People in Mexico were growing corn even 9,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found evidence that popcorn was eaten by native Americans in Peru more than 5,000 years ago.

Today, corn is produced on every continent in the world, except Antarctica.

Did you know that corn will always have an even number of rows on each cob and that on average an ear of corn has 800 kernels in 16 rows?

4. Honey

Honey is the only food that never spoils and that is why it is also called ‘nectar of the Gods’. In fact, perfectly palatable honey has been found in Egyptian tombs!

5. Onions

While onions are used to add flavour to food, it is also a mild antibiotic and can be useful in fighting infections, soothing burning and has known to be effective against bee stings as well.

Fun Quiz – Why does a person get teary eyed when cutting an onion? Onions contain sulfuric acid which irritates the eyes when we cut the onions. Eyes produce tears to wash the acid away.

6. Apples

Apples have 25% air and therefore float in water. The acid in apples can actually help in brightening your teeth. So, don’t forget to dig into those apples every day.

 There are over 7500 varieties of apples. Therefore, if you eat a different variety every day, it will take you over 20 years to try out all the varieties of apples and more are being added every day.

Did you know that apple seeds contain small quantities of cyanide which is a toxic chemical?

7. Milk

Humans are the only animals which consume milk from another animal. It has also been seen that farmers who called their cows by name reported 258 liters higher milk yield than those who did not!

Milk contains 90% water which helps to rehydrate the body and is the best source of calcium. To get the amount of calcium in a glass of milk, you’d have to eat one-fourth cup of broccoli, seven oranges or six slices of wheat bread.

People who drink whole milk are less likely to be fat than those who drink low-fat milk.

More than 1,000 new dairy products are introduced each year.

Did you know that in platypus, milk simple flows through their skin?

Read How to Boost Your Child’s Immunity

8. Carrots

The orange colour of carrots comes from abundant carotenes, mainly the beta-carotene which is a strongly coloured red-orange pigment found in some plants and fruits. The human body turns beta-carotene into vitamin A and carrots are one of the best sources for beta-carotene. Vitamin A is important for the health of our vision (including our night vision) as well as our bones, teeth and skin.

Did you know that eating large amounts of carrots can sometimes cause a person’s skin to turn yellowish orange?

9. Peanuts

Peanuts are not really ‘nuts’. They are ‘legumes’. They are a great source of protein and contain many healthy nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins. A 350gm jar of peanut butter is made from over 500 peanuts.

United States is one of the world’s leading peanut exporters and peanuts are the 18th most valuable crop in USA. The average yearly export is between 200,000 and 250,000 metric tons!

It is believed that an early introduction of peanuts in your child’s diet can reduce the likelihood of peanut allergies.

Did you know that peanut oil can be processed to produce glycerol, which can be used to make nitroglycerin, one of the constituents of dynamite? Of course there are many other ways to produce nitroglycerin.

10. Nutmeg

Nutmeg is very often used as a flavoring agent in many desserts. However, if you ingest it in large doses, it can cause hallucination. A natural compound in it called myristicin has mind altering properties!