Top 10 Food Oddities

When it comes to food, most of us have our share of interesting facts and trivia, and if we are to compile all of them, we can definitely come up with a complete book. In this article, however, we are going to present the top 10 most amazing facts about food.

1. Lithium in 7-Up

Lithium is commonly used in treating bi-polar disorder. 7-Up was originally positioned as a product for people with hangover largely due to the addition of lithium citrate. The more popular trivia associated with the 7-Up claim that the number “7” is in reference to the atomic mass of lithium and the word “Up” is in reference to the uplifting effects of the lithium citrate.

2. Ancient Sauce

Ketchup was previously known as fish sauce that come from China particularly in the Fujian Region. The word “ketchup” is unerringly similar to two Fujian words – kio-chap and ke-tsap. Historical records indicate that early ketchup in the western region is made out of spices and fish and even mushrooms.

3. Brain Freeze

The word “brain freeze” was coined by 7-11 to describe the pain felt by someone when drinking the slurpee a bit too fast. The condition is characterized by the constriction of the blood vessel when something that is cold comes into contact with the mouth’s upper palate.

4. Banana Trees

The large stem which is commonly thought to be the banana’s trunk is actually known in scientific parlance as a “pseudostem” which literally means fake stem.

5. Vanilla Junkie

Vanilla is considered as moderately addictive as its consumption activates the body to discharge catecholamines which also includes adrenalin. This natural vanilla can be described as a mild upper. Besides this little known effect of the natural vanilla, it was also known to have the ability of controlling various bacterial infections.

6. Floating Eggs

An egg that floats in water must not be consumed as it is considered as “off.” With age, the egg accumulates gases and increases its buoyancy. This is a simple yet effective way of checking the freshness of eggs. An extremely fresh egg will lie sideways at the very bottom of the water.

7. Onion, Potato or Apple?

One will not be able to find the distinction in the tastes of onion, potato, and apple when they are eaten with a plugged nose. This only proves that the nose plays a significant function in the tasting of food.

8. Mysterious Donuts History

There are no definitive and conclusive historical records that show how donuts started and who were responsible in making the first donuts. The original donuts were made in the form of twisted dough. However, Hansen Gregory, an American, claimed that he was the inventor of the donuts when he inadvertently created a hole in the bread’s center while pressing it using a pepper box.

9. Hot Chocolate

The ancient Mayans are known to create the real “hot” chocolate by including corn and chilies to it. Further, the first recorded practice of drinking chocolate was also that of the ancient Mayans who are user to drinking the chocolate residues that accumulate in their Mayan pots.

10. Butter Tea

The popular butter tea in Tibet is made from yak butter, tea and salt. An average Tibetan is capable in consuming around 50-60 cups daily. This Tibetan tea is produced by drying the Chinese tea along the road over an extended period of time. This is done in order to acquire its distinct strong odor.