Consider yourself a foodie? Here are some surprising facts about everyday foods that you probably never knew about:
- Strawberries - They’re not actually berries at all and are members of the rose family. And so are apples, pears, apricots, cherries and peaches.
- Ice cream - Vanilla ice cream is often flavored with castoreum, which is extracted from the rear end of a beaver.
- Cashew nuts - They grow on tropical trees that are native to Brazil, but most cashews are imported from Vietnam, India, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. And these nuts don’t just grow on trees, they grow on the tops of apples in the trees.
- Bell peppers - The red, green, and yellow bell peppers are all the same, the colors just indicate how ripe the veggie is. Green is the least ripe, which is why it’s not most people’s favorite, yellow is in the middle and red is the most ripe and that’s why it’s sweetest.
- Peanuts - They’re not a nut at all, they’re actually legumes, like peas and lentils.
- Pretzels – These actually began are a religious food, created by a monk, who knotted them to look like arms crossed in prayer.
- Oysters - To serve these when they’re as fresh as possible, restaurants try to source them on the same day they’re served. And if they haven’t been out of the water for long, they’re probably still breathing, which means they’re definitely fresh and have less chance of harmful bacteria forming.
Source: Daily Mail