Food Facts for Kids
Tasty facts about the food we eat
Chilli peppers are not actually hot. Capsaicin, the compound that makes them spicy, tricks pain receptors in your mouth into sending heat signals to your brain.
A strawberry has about 200 tiny seeds on its outside, and it is the only fruit that wears its seeds on the surface rather than inside.
In France, a traditional baguette can only legally contain four ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt. This rule, known as the 'Bread Decree', has been law since 1993.
Potatoes absorb and reflect Wi-Fi signals in a similar way to the human body. Boeing once used sacks of potatoes to test in-flight Wi-Fi signal strength.
The idea that celery has 'negative calories' — that chewing it burns more energy than it provides — is a myth, though it is true that celery is extremely low in calories.
Honey never expires — archaeologists have found 3,000-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs that was still perfectly edible. Its low water content and natural acidity stop bacteria from growing.
Botanically speaking, strawberries are not true berries, but bananas, avocados, and kiwis are. A true berry develops from a single flower with one ovary.
The ancient Maya and Aztec civilisations used cacao beans as currency. They were considered so valuable that people would use them to buy food and goods.
Apples float in water because about 25% of their volume is air. That is also why apple bobbing is possible at Halloween parties!
Carrots were originally purple, not orange. Dutch farmers in the 17th century selectively bred orange carrots, which then became the most popular variety around the world.