Banana and corn looked very different before human cultivation, carrots were made orange for political reasons, and watermelons were very bitter. Some of the foods we love eating today carry interesting histories and stories of how they changed over time.
Bright Side learned all about the fascinating transformations our modern foods have gone through and we discovered 13 facts about them that you might find hard to believe.
1. The original cucumber was toxic.
The original cucumber, also known as the wild cucumber, was so toxic it wasn’t edible. Instead, people from India cultivated them and used them as medicine. The cucumbers we eat today grow longer and have high water content, making them good for a low-calorie diet.
2. Eggplants weren’t purple and they had spikes.
The eggplant earned its name because, at one point, it looked like an egg growing out of a plant. The earliest eggplants came in different colors such as white, yellow, and blue. They also had different shapes like round and oval, and their stems had little spikes on them.
3. Tomatoes were once called “poison apples.”
In the 1700s, some Europeans actually feared eating tomatoes, which they called “poison apples.” They thought the wealthy people who ate them died because of their consumption. As it turned out, when acidic tomatoes were placed on the lead-made pewter plates, the combination caused lead poisoning.
4. Carrots were turned orange for political reasons.
In earlier centuries, carrots came in white and purple colors. There is a theory that carrots were turned orange by the Dutch for political reasons. The tale is that to honor William of Orange, a revolution leader, Dutch farmers bred the orange-colored carrots we know today. Even though this is a theory, the House of Orange did become associated with the orange carrots.
5. Corn was barely edible.
The food staple, corn, came from teosinte, a type of Mexican grass. It had fewer kernels and its hard casing made it difficult to extract them, making it barely edible. Through years of selective breeding and domestication, corn became much larger, easier to grow, and more edible.
6. Bananas had seeds.
Wild bananas were hard and they contained large seeds inside. The bananas we have today actually came from 2 varieties of wild bananas, which evolved into a more nutritious variety with smaller seeds and better taste.
7. Apples were tiny.
The apple’s ancestor, the wild apple, was tiny. What’s more amazing is that within a single tree, there were different colors, sizes, and flavors of wild apples. Around 4,000 years ago, apples were domesticated and cultivated to improve their size and flavor.
8. Avocados were smaller and had a large pit.
Wild avocados were smaller and had a large pit that covered almost the whole edible part — it also had a hard shell. Because it was so small, you’d need 10 wild avocados to get the same amount of “meat” that a single modern avocado would provide!
9. Peaches and cherries used to be the same size.
Before, peaches resembled cherries in size and had a smaller portion of edible flesh. The ancient Chinese were the first to domesticate wild peaches. After going through thousands of years’ worth of selective breeding, peaches grew larger and became juicier.
10. Watermelons tasted very bitter.
Watermelons came from Egypt 5,000 years ago and back then, they were very small and tasted extremely bitter. They also had a paler appearance, contained less red flesh, and carried more seeds. Through cultivation using a selective breeding process, watermelons now have more of the sweet, juicy red flesh and their rinds shrunk in size.
11. Marshmallows started as a plant.
Long before it became the sweet treat it is today, marshmallows were once a plant. They belong to the mallow family and grow in the marsh — hence the name “marshmallow.” It wasn’t until the 1950s that marshmallow was turned into candy and over time, it has become the fluffy white treat we love today.
12. Food canning was invented for the military.
The food canning method was invented when Nicolas Appert heeded the call of the French government to find a means to preserve food for their army and navy troops. Appert sealed food tightly in a jar or bottle. He then heated these containers up to a certain temperature and maintained that heat level for a certain period of time. The containers were kept sealed until it was time to consume the food inside.
13. The wedding cake was broken over a bride for good luck.
Wedding cakes originally looked like scones which were made from barley or wheat. They were an important part of the wedding ceremony, as the marriage was considered finalized after the cake was broken over the bride. This act was believed to bring the newlyweds good fortune. Later on, guests gathered up the crumbs of the cake for good luck.
Which of these food facts and transformations surprised you the most? Do you know other foods with remarkable histories? We’d love to learn more!
Mbanani na mahindi zilikuwa tofauti sana kabla ya wanadamu kuzilima, karoti zilitengenezwa kuwa za rangi ya machungwa kwa sababu za kisiasa, na matango yalikuwa machungu sana. Vyakula ambavyo tunapenda sana leo vina historia ya kuvutia na jinsi vilivyobadilika kwa muda. "Brady Side alisoma ""Mabadiliko ya kuvutia ambayo vyakula vyetu vya kisasa vimepitia"" na ""Tukagundua ukweli 13 juu yao ambao unaweza kupata vigumu kuamini.""" 1. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Tango la awali lilikuwa na sumu. Tango la awali, linalojulikana pia kama tanga la mwituni, lilikuwa na sumu sana hivi kwamba halingeweza kuliwa. Badala yake, watu kutoka India waliwakua na kuwatumia kama dawa. Matango tunayokula leo hukua kwa muda mrefu na yana maji mengi, na hivyo ni mazuri kwa ajili ya chakula chenye kalori chache. 2. Uwezekano wa kupata Vitunguu havikuwa vya rangi ya zambarau na vilikuwa na miiba. Mti huo ulipewa jina hilo kwa sababu wakati mmoja ulionekana kama yai linalokua kutoka kwenye mmea. Vitunguu vya mapema zaidi vilikuwa na rangi tofauti-tofauti kama vile nyeupe, manjano, na bluu. Pia zilikuwa na maumbo tofauti-tofauti kama vile mviringo na mviringo, na shina lao lilikuwa na miiba midogo. 3. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli "Katika karne ya 18, baadhi ya Wazungu waliogopa kula nyanya, na waliita ""nyanya za sumu"" kwa sababu walifikiri kwamba watu matajiri waliokula nyanya hizo walikufa kwa sababu ya kula nyanya hizo." Kwa mfano, wakati nyanya za asidi zilipowekwa kwenye sahani za chuma, mchanganyiko huo ulisababisha sumu ya risasi. 4. Uwe na uhakika Karoti ziligeuzwa rangi ya machungwa kwa sababu za kisiasa. Katika karne za mapema, karoti zilikuwa na rangi nyeupe na zambarau. Kuna nadharia kwamba karoti ziligeuzwa kuwa rangi ya machungwa na Waholanzi kwa sababu za kisiasa. Katika hadithi ya kihistoria, ili kumheshimu William wa Orange, kiongozi wa mapinduzi, wakulima wa Uholanzi walipanda karoti za rangi ya machungwa ambazo tunazijua leo. Ingawa hii ni nadharia, Nyumba ya Orange ilihusianishwa na karoti za machungwa. 5. Uwe na mtazamo mzuri. Mahindi hayakuweza kuliwa. Chakula kikuu, mahindi, kilitokana na teosinte, aina ya nyasi ya Mexico. Ilikuwa na mbegu chache na kifuniko chake kigumu kilifanya iwe vigumu kuziondoa, na hivyo ikawa haiwezi kuliwa. Kupitia miaka ya kuchaguliwa kwa mahindi na kuyarekebisha, mahindi yakawa makubwa zaidi, rahisi kukuza, na yenye kula zaidi. 6. Uwe na uhakika Ndizi zilikuwa na mbegu. Ndizi za mwituni zilikuwa ngumu na zilikuwa na mbegu kubwa ndani. Mbanani za kisasa zinatokana na aina mbili za ndizi za mwituni ambazo zimebadilika na kuwa aina yenye lishe zaidi na mbegu ndogo na ladha nzuri. 7. Uwe na mtazamo gani? Matofaa yalikuwa madogo sana. Mzee wa mti wa mtofaa, mtofaa wa mwituni, alikuwa mdogo sana. Jambo lenye kushangaza zaidi ni kwamba ndani ya mti mmoja, kulikuwa na rangi, ukubwa, na ladha tofauti-tofauti za matofaa ya mwituni. Miaka 4,000 hivi iliyopita, watu walianza kulima na kufuga matunda ya apple ili kuimarisha ladha na ukubwa wake. 8. Uwe na mtazamo gani? Matofaa yalikuwa madogo na yalikuwa na shimo kubwa. Avokado za mwituni zilikuwa ndogo na zilikuwa na shimo kubwa ambalo lilifunika karibu sehemu yote inayoweza kuliwa - pia zilikuwa na ganda gumu. Kwa sababu ilikuwa ndogo sana, ungehitaji avocado 10 za mwituni ili kupata kiasi kilekile cha "nyama" ambacho avocado moja ya kisasa ingeandaa! 9. (a) Kwa nini? Mapicheki na cherries zilikuwa na ukubwa uleule. Hapo awali, peach zilikuwa na ukubwa unaofanana na cherry na zilikuwa na nyama ndogo inayoweza kuliwa. Wachina wa kale walikuwa wa kwanza kufuga peach za mwituni. Baada ya kupitia maelfu ya miaka ya uzalishaji wa kuchagua, peaches zilikua kubwa na kuwa na ladha nzuri. Kumi. Matango yalikuwa na ladha kali sana. Karamu zilitoka Misri miaka 5,000 iliyopita, wakati huo zilikuwa ndogo sana na zilikuwa na ladha kali sana. Pia zilikuwa na sura nyeupe, zilikuwa na nyama nyekundu kidogo, na zilikuwa na mbegu nyingi. Kwa sababu ya kulima kwa kutumia mbinu ya kuchagua, sasa matango yana nyama nyekundu yenye ladha tamu na yenye maji mengi, na ngozi yake imepungua ukubwa. 11. (a) Kwa nini? Marshmallows zilianza kama mmea. Muda mrefu kabla ya kuwa tamu kama ilivyo leo, marshmallows zilikuwa mimea. "Mashmallow ni aina ya mimea ya aina ya ""mallow"" ambayo ilitengenezwa katika miaka ya 1950 na baadaye ikawa aina ya karamu ya rangi nyeupe ambayo tunaipenda leo." 12. (a) Kwa nini? Kuhifadhi chakula kwa makopo kulibuniwa kwa ajili ya jeshi. Mfumo wa kuhifadhi chakula ulibuniwa wakati Nicolas Appert alipokubali wito wa serikali ya Ufaransa ya kutafuta njia ya kuhifadhi chakula kwa ajili ya jeshi na majeshi ya majini. Chakula kilichofungwa kwa nguvu katika chupa au chupa. Kisha akaweka vyombo hivyo kwenye joto la juu na kuvihifadhi kwa muda fulani. Vyombo hivyo viliwekwa kizuizi hadi wakati wa kula chakula kilichokuwa ndani. 13. (a) Kwa nini? Keki ya arusi ilivunjwa juu ya bibi-arusi kwa ajili ya bahati nzuri. Mwanzoni keki za arusi zilionekana kama scones ambazo zilitengenezwa kwa shayiri au ngano. Keki hiyo ilikuwa sehemu muhimu ya sherehe ya harusi, kwa kuwa ndoa ilionwa kuwa imekamilika baada ya keki kuvunjwa juu ya bibi-arusi. Ilikuwa inaaminika kwamba tendo hilo liliwaletea wenzi hao wa ndoa bahati nzuri. Baadaye, wageni walikusanya vipande vya keki hiyo ili kuwapa bahati nzuri. Ni ipi kati ya mambo haya ya chakula na mabadiliko yaliyokushangaza zaidi? Je, unajua vyakula vingine vyenye historia yenye kutokeza? Tungependa kujifunza zaidi!