By Raza Mehdi
Oct 05, 2022
Botanically speaking, fruits develop from the flower of a plant and contain seeds, whereas vegetables grow from any other part of the plant (roots, stems, or leaves). From that logic, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, and avocados all are fruits!
Are vegetables being deceptive?
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Cranberries are unique as they bounce a fair distance when dropped on the floor, unlike other fruits that lie flat or roll away. In fact, cranberry farmers use a bounce test to determine whether the fruit is ripe and healthy.
Bouncing Cranberries
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According to the National Carrot Museum in the UK, carrots originally were purple or white with a thin root. The orange carrots we have now are the result of a genetic mutation in the 17th century created by the Dutch that persists in the world today.
Carrots were purple
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Americans love apple pie and have given it the status of national tradition and a symbol of American pride. But the pie was actually invented in Mediaeval England, while the modern recipe with a crust was created and perfected by the Dutch.
Apple pie is not American
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Despite its name, white chocolate doesn't contain cocoa solids found in other types of chocolate, such as milk chocolate and dark chocolate. According to Bon Appetit, the item comprises a blend of sugar, milk products, vanilla, lecithin, and cocoa butter for flavour.
White chocolate isn't chocolate
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Oysters are known as a very expensive dish today. But they were once so plentiful that impoverished locals living near the sea used to gather them by the bucketful for sustenance.
Oysters for everybody
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Did you know honey lasts forever? Unless it is 100% undiluted and stored away from the heat in an unopened jar, it will theoretically still be good after decades. It may darken, and sugar crystals may form over time, but it remains perfectly fine to consume.
Honey lasts forever
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We take salt and pepper for granted now, but there was a time when both were rare. In fact, Roman legions received part of their pay in salt (this gave us the word "salary"). Pepper was initially grown only in South Asia and was a pricey European import.
Salt and pepper as money
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Don't be alarmed! We are talking about extremely low levels of radioactivity from the potassium they contain. To put things into perspective, you would have to eat 100,000,000 bananas to receive a fatal radiation dose.
Bananas are radioactive
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In 18th century Europe, tomatoes earned faulty stature because aristocrats would often get sick and die after eating them. But they were unaware that the explanation had to do with their choice of tableware, not the tomatoes.
A poisonous reputation
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As per the botanical definition, a berry has seeds and pulp (properly called “pericarp”) that develop from the ovary of a flower. The term may be used to describe pumpkins, avocados, and those radioactive bananas.
Pumpkins, bananas, and avocados are berries
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Chilli peppers have a chemical known as capsaicin, which naturally binds to the pain receptors on our nerves. This chemical tricks your brain into thinking that your mouth is burning even though it's not — that's why spicy food hurts so much.
Chilli peppers trick your brain
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