When it comes to food, everyone has their guilty pleasures. There are numerous types of food, including nutritious and junk foods, fruits, cereals, and Nutella, to mention a few. Each has its method of preparation, and we may not even be aware of what goes into manufacturing it, how it’s prepared, and so on.
Is the idea of eating insects repulsive to you? Do we experience nightmares just thinking about eating a beetle wing or a grasshopper thigh?
To be disgusted, we don’t have to be entomophobic, because there’s a big difference between being terrified of insects and loathing the fact that they feed on us. But what if we’ve already consumed a significant number of these revolting insects that swarm everywhere without even recognizing it? Take a peek at the ingredient list or the strawberry yogurt we adore.
1. The well-known dye E120
If “colorant E120” is included among the other components, we have undoubtedly consumed mealybugs. To be more accurate, thousands and thousands of them. This soft, round bug is endemic to Latin America, where it feeds on a wide range of plants, making it an excellent pest.
But it’s the carminic acid that the mealybug secretes to protect itself from predators that makes it so unique. And it’s a stunning ruby red color. This dye is used by thousands of brands. Especially in the crusts of some cheeses and sausages. But also cough syrup and sweetened beverages, such as the popular sodas you consume regularly.
2. Vanilla’s Wonders
We adore beavers, those cute little aquatic rodents who are experts at building hydraulic structures. How can we not be moved by this animal’s lovely tiny face, whose brilliance in building dams and dikes worthy of the name is no longer being demonstrated?
But, no matter how much love and devotion we have for her, we would be hesitant to try a concoction created from her anal glands! Yet, without even recognizing it, this is exactly what we do every day! Especially if we’re vanilla lovers!
Because the food business employs castoreum, an oily, yellowish-looking, very aromatic fluid generated by glands in beaver cesspools, to enhance this natural aroma. The food sector can enhance several fragrances, such as raspberry and strawberry, but mainly vanilla, thanks to this revolting ingredient.
3. The world’s most costly pizza costs $12,000.
Pizza aficionados will pay any amount for a nice pie with hot toppings, vegetables, and plenty of cheese, but this pizza, dubbed Louis XIII, costs $12,000 (about INR 77 lakh). Isn’t it amusing? Why would you spend so much money on a goddamn pizza?! Because the ingredients for this pizza come from France, and the Mozzarella di Bufala comes from a local Italian dairy. Chef Renato Viola, Italy’s best chef, collaborates with two other renowned chefs to create this marvel.
4. On a plane, food tastes different.
Ever taken a long flight and eaten a lot of food? Food tastes different on an aircraft, right? Because of the high altitude, this is the case. The air inside a plane is trapped due to high pressure, and this has a direct impact on our sense of taste and smell. It diminishes our taste buds’ sensitivity to sweet and salty foods by 30%.
5. The DNA of bananas and humans is nearly identical.
“Humans share almost 60% of their DNA with a banana.” This is an often-mentioned statistic, so we may have heard it before. However, this does not imply that people are bananas. It’s only a matter of gene sequencing, and we share genes with both potatoes and rats. It’s quite strange.
6. Tomato…fruit?
A ‘fruit’ is a sweet, meaty snack or dessert that is nutritionally defined as anything sweet and meaty. But, since tomato isn’t utilized in desserts or even consumed as a snack, how can it be considered a fruit? Tomatoes are botanically fruit since a mature flower ovary with seeds is described as a fruit in botany. Tomatoes, plums, zucchinis, and melons are all fruits, according to this argument.
7. Fortune cookies aren’t Chinese in origin.
Fortune cookies are frequently served as dessert in Chinese restaurants, and many people believe they are Chinese, however, they are not. They originated in Japan and were brought to the United States by Japanese immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
8. Car wax makes gummy candy gleam.
Have you ever wondered why Gummy Bears are so bright? Carnauba wax is used to give cars, sweets, and even fruit-flavoured Gummy bears a lustrous sheen. Consuming gummy bears is not the same as consuming auto wax because it only provides a shiny sheen and is not harmful.
9. Chocolate was historically used as a form of exchange.
When money was scarce, early civilizations relied on a barter system in which things were exchanged for goods. Chocolate was used as currency by the Maya culture, according to studies. Drought or a lack of chocolate were the causes of the Classic Maya civilization’s demise.
10. Pineapple takes two to three years to mature.
The pineapple fruit crop cycle takes 2-3 years to finish and harvest. It’s also worth noting that pineapples only fruit once, and the mother plant dies slowly once the fruit is finished. So, the next time we go to the grocery store to buy a pineapple, think about how long it took to grow!
Are we paying attention to what we just learned? It’s critical to eat clean if we want to look and feel our best! Make minor modifications to our diet over time to incorporate more genuine food and reduce our processed food intake one day at a time. Remember that we are in charge of what we buy, how much we eat, and how we feel. Consider where our food has been and what it took to get to our plate the next time we sit down to eat.
Written by: Sayantika Chatterjee
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