It's impossible for any human to know everything about the things that affect his/her own life, and the food he/she eats is no exception. There are countless facts related to food; some are appetizing while others are gross. Whichever the case, it should be considered unanimous to us to learn those facts.
Here is a short list that sums up some of the most jaw-dropping food facts.
Honey can last up to 3000 years
Nothing lasts forever, especially food. Or so we thought. Almost any kind of food out there will spoil eventually, but one food is able to stand the test of time, literally.
That food is honey. Yes, the stuff made from bee nectar—as well their corpses—is capable of lasting beyond the average lifespan of most organisms in the world because most of its sugar is supersaturated.
This portion of the honey is desiccative, meaning it can rob fungi, bacteria and other types of microorganisms of their water content, killing them. In theory, this will allow honey to last for at least 3000 years, if not forever.
Peanut butter can be transformed into diamonds
No, this is not alchemy. It's science and it's real. Apparently, scientists over at Edinburgh University have found that by applying extreme pressure to this substance, they can convert them into new substances unlike any method used before.
Particularly, the researchers took some peanut butter and pressed it between two diamonds to form a new one. The secret is exposing the carbon-based materials found within the paste to pressures that are higher than those normally found on Earth. However, the size of the diamonds used and produced are too small and increasing their sizes would make things more expensive.
Still, science: 1, alchemy: 0.
Casu Marzu is made with live maggots
Most probably don't know what Casu Marzu is, and after reading this they'll probably wish they never did. Casu Marzu is a cheese made from Sardinian sheep's milk and something very gross. The name literally translates to "rotting cheese." Why? Because the fermentation process is on par with decomposition, whereas, maggots from the Piophilia casei fly are made to digest the cheese.
What's worse is that some producers don't even remove the larvae from the cheese. Optionally, their dead bodies are used in the final phase of fermentation. Hence, consumers will be biting off more than they can chew with this cheese.
Microwaving food is the best food preparation method
The popular belief that microwaving food could compromise the nutrients within it is nothing more than a dieter's campfire tale. In fact, what most people don't know—and appreciate—about the little marvel known as the microwave is that it is quite the contrary. Thanks to having the fastest cooking time and the lowest requirement of water, microwaving has been proven to be the most nutritionally efficient cooking method right now.
As long as consumers avoid using too much water or using the wrong materials to store the food in while it cooks in the microwave, they can be sure that their food stays healthy.
Eating red meat speeds up aging
When it comes to knowing what meat to eat and how it should be eaten, red meats seem to get a bad rap most—if not all of the time. For example, red meats have been linked to serious health risks such as cancer. Although some research proves that people are no better off by switching to a vegan diet, some new research may have just pounded the final nail in the coffin for the meats we eat. According to the experts at the University of Glasgow, frequent use of the meat can destroy the telomeres which protect chromosomes from deteriorating, thus beating back aging. Hence, red meats can cause our cells to age faster than we want them to.
