Tap to Read ➤

Weird Food Facts You Won’t Believe Are True

Aishwarya Swamy

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
Ever wondered... how your favorite food truly came to be? And discovered that bananas were cloned? Or heard the story behind how tea bags were created?

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
Read on, as we dish out some bizarre food facts that you’ll surely remember the next time you spot these foods!

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
Ketchup was used as medicine & was made from shark innards.
Now it makes sense why ketchup bottles are labeled 'Tomato Ketchup'. Dating back to its medicinal use since 534, ketchup has undergone quite the transformation.
It was Mr. Henry John Heinz, who completely revamped the game of Tomato Ketchup. So the next time you dip those fries in ketchup, you know whom to thank!

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
Honey contains bee vomit.
This delicious condiment, that also works as an excellent moisturizer and healing agent is a combination of nectar and bee vomit!
While some debate the validity of the word vomit, but honey is indeed made from the contents stored in a bee’s stomach.

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
You can hear Rhubarb grow.
Rhubarb, native to central Asia, thrives in warm, blacked-out sheds, growing so rapidly that you can hear it popping as it elongates.

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
A vanilla flavoring substitute is procured from a Beaver’s butt.
Like most animals, beavers too scent mark their territory to ward off other animals, and for this they use Castoreum mixed with urine.
That same Castoreum is used as an alternate vanilla flavoring which is acquired from the anal glands of a beaver.

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
Tonic water glows in the dark.
Upgrade your party nights with this discovery! Tonic water glows in the dark because of Quinine, a chemical it contains.
The science behind the drink glowing is that when an ultraviolet light shines on it, the quinine absorbs the light energy and emits its own energy.

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
Popsicles were actually invented by a ‘Pop’ but when he was 11 years old.
As a kid, Frank Epperson discovered the delight of mixing sugary soda powder and water. He combined his last name with 'icicles' and named them Epsicles.
By the time Frank applied for a patent in 1920, he had his kids, who chose to name their pops creation, 'popsicles'!

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
Bananas are genetic clones.
In the 1960s, common bananas were wiped out by a plague. The ones we eat now are a result of a genetic accident, leading to the seedless variety.
That is why these infertile bananas can only be produced by transplanting tree cuttings.
Honey was once used in mummification.
Honey was crucial for embalming the deceased. Near death, holy men consumed excessive honey, causing it to leak from every orifice, preserving their bodies inside-out.

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
Tea bags were an accident.
In 1908, tea merchant Thomas Sullivan sampled tea in small silk bags, prompting customer demand for this special packaging. He later discovered that gauze bags worked even better!

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.
There is a maggot filled cheese variety in Sardinia.
Also known as Casu Marzu, this cheese has been declared illegal by the EU!
And rightfully so, given its requirement to be considered ripe is to have maggots wiggling into it, because, if the maggots were dead, the cheese was considered too decayed!