The food industry is massive. Food production and distribution happen on such a large global scale that it’s hard to imagine. These days, it’s rare to see local farmers bringing fresh goods to the market to sell to their neighbors. Instead, a huge industry has popped up to make and sell food to billions of people. Some of the random facts that come out of this industry are hard to believe!
In this list, we’ll explore ten surprising food facts that sound made-up but are totally true. From how “fresh” apples can be a year old to the surprising origin of PEZ candy, get ready to be amazed. By the end, you’ll be shocked by what you’ve learned and probably ready for a snack!
Old Apples!
Not all the fruits and veggies you buy are as fresh as you think. Most apples you see in the supermarket aren’t just days or weeks old—they can be up to a year old!
Apples are usually picked during the harvesting season, between August and November. But grocery stores sell apples all year round. How? Food packaging companies coat apples in wax, dry them with hot air, and then store them in cold storage for months. So, when you buy those Granny Smith apples in May, they might have been picked almost a year earlier!
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McSpaghetti Lives!
McDonald’s added spaghetti to their menu in 1986 to try and offer more variety. However, it didn’t become popular in the United States and was taken off the menu. But in the Philippines, McSpaghetti is still a hit!
This isn’t your typical Italian spaghetti, though. It’s Filipino spaghetti, which started in the 17th century when American ships brought canned goods to the Philippines. Filipinos started playing around with tomato paste and ketchup, mixing it with hot dog pieces over pasta. Today, you can order it with a “McDo,” a piece of fried chicken. Think of it like Filipino-style chicken parmesan!
3 (Actual) Musketeers
The 3 Musketeers bar got its name because it used to have three different flavors in one package. In the 1930s, you could buy a 3 Musketeers bar with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry nougat.
But the three flavors didn’t last long. During World War II, it became hard to get the ingredients for all three flavors. So, the makers of 3 Musketeers decided to focus on the simpler chocolate bar, which is the one we still enjoy today.
Corn Cob Clean-Up
Before toilet paper, many Americans used corn cobs to wipe after using the bathroom. Dried corn cobs were soft and convenient. After removing the kernels, they worked pretty well for cleaning up.
Make sure to remove all the kernels first! Besides corn cobs, people also used old newspapers and periodicals like the Old Farmers Almanac. The almanac even had a hole punched in it so it could hang in outhouses for easy access!
Time for Tea… Tank Tea
Every British military tank and armored vehicle is equipped to make tea. Every vehicle has a “boiling vessel,” a water heating system that lets soldiers cook food using the vehicle’s power. This is important in case the crew is stuck inside during battle and needs to eat to survive. It’s just funny because the boiling vessel can also make tea, which has become a popular joke among British soldiers.
The boiling vessel started at the end of World War II with the Centurion tank. Having a water heater onboard saves time during breaks and lets soldiers eat (and drink tea) safely inside the tank. Some even say the tea-making tool is the most important part of an armored vehicle!
Quit with PEZ!
PEZ is now known as a fun candy that comes in a cartoon dispenser. But when it was invented in 1927, it was meant to help smokers quit. It was like the nicotine patches of its time.
Eduard Haas III wanted to replace cigarettes with his candy. The first PEZ candies were round mints sold in round tins. Haas named it “PEZ” after “pfefferminz,” the German word for peppermint. While it was somewhat successful as a smoking aid, it was popular as a tasty candy. In 1952, the company came to the United States. Since then, it’s been a favorite with kids who love the dispensers as much as the candy. Thanks to an episode of Seinfeld, it’s now a pop culture icon, but it started as a tool to help smokers quit!
Oreos Are Vegan
Believe it or not, Oreos are vegan! They’re known as “milk’s favorite cookie,” but if you don’t dip them in milk, they’re completely vegan. They’re also “accidentally vegan.”
Oreos weren’t made to be a vegan alternative to other cookies. But that’s how it turned out. They don’t have any milk, eggs, or other animal products. They contain enriched flour, palm oil, sugar, and soybean or canola oil. So, they technically qualify as a vegan snack.
While vegans usually think of healthier foods like fruits and vegetables, Oreos fit the bill. However, some vegans are hesitant since the cookie wasn’t created to be vegan. But technically, Oreos are vegan, so you can surprise your vegan friends next time you share a snack!
Glowing in the Dark
Peanut butter actually glows in the dark! It’s a healthy food that can lower cholesterol, help with weight loss, provide protein, and prevent type 2 diabetes. Of course, some peanut butters have added sugar and flavors, but plain peanut butter is a great snack.
If you turn off the lights and shine an intense light on a jar of peanut butter, you’ll see it glow! This is because of the phenolic compounds in peanut butter, which protect the oils. When exposed to laser light, these compounds create a short afterglow.
The phenolic agents absorb light from the ultraviolet spectrum and emit a visible green color through fluorescence. Other plant-based oils also show this brief flash of fluorescence!
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Paste in Space
The first meal eaten in space was beef and liver paste squeezed out of a tube. On April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to travel into space. He orbited the planet on Vostok 1 and had to eat while he was up there.
Russian space officials sent Gagarin a tube of beef and liver paste, which he squeezed out like toothpaste. Afterward, he had chocolate sauce for dessert, also squeezed from a tube. It might not sound appetizing, but it did the job!
Peanut Problems
Dynamite is technically made from peanuts. Peanuts contain an oil that can be used to make glycerol, which can then be processed into nitroglycerin. Nitroglycerin is a key ingredient in dynamite.
The process is quite technical, and it takes many complicated steps to extract the oil from peanuts and turn it into a dynamite-ready substance. It’s not really worth it, so dynamite is made with glycerol from more efficient sources. But if you needed to make something explode using peanuts, it’s possible!
These food facts might sound crazy, but they’re all true! From year-old apples to peanut-based dynamite, the world of food is full of surprises.
Which fact surprised you the most? Leave a comment below!
