Food Facts for Kids
Tasty facts about the food we eat
Every single part of the fennel plant is edible — the bulb, stalks, leaves, and seeds. It has a mild aniseed flavour and has been used in cooking and medicine since ancient Roman times.
The world's largest pizza was made in Rome, Italy, in 2012 and measured 1,261 square metres in size — bigger than a football pitch. It was called 'Ottavia' and was gluten-free.
Asparagus contains a compound called asparagusic acid that your body converts into sulphur-containing chemicals, which give your urine a distinctive smell. Not everyone can detect the odour, though.
Unlike most fruits, pears actually taste better when they ripen off the tree. If left on the tree too long, they go grainy and mushy from the inside out.
Cabbage is made of about 92% water. Despite this, it is packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and fibre, making it one of the most nutritious vegetables for its low calorie count.
Chillies are native to the Americas and were completely unknown in the rest of the world until Christopher Columbus brought them to Europe in the 1490s. They then spread rapidly across Asia and Africa.
Yoghurt is believed to have been discovered by accident around 5,000–10,000 BCE when nomads in Central Asia stored fresh milk in pouches made from animal stomachs, which naturally fermented the milk.
Mint does not actually cool your mouth — it just tricks your brain. Menthol activates cold-sensitive receptors in your mouth, making your brain think it is experiencing cold even when there is none.
Despite their name, sweet potatoes are not closely related to regular potatoes. They belong to completely different plant families — sweet potatoes are related to morning glory flowers.
The most widely consumed fruit in the world by production weight is the tomato. Farmers grow more than 180 million tonnes of tomatoes each year — more than bananas, apples, or oranges.