Factoids

In this section, I will record all of the fascinating and nerdy facts I discover about food, beverages, and liquor that you never really find in recipes.  I find these interesting, and hope you will too!

-Canola Oil does not come from a “canola” plant.  It comes from Rapeseed.  Of course, no one wants to buy something called “Rapeseed Oil,” so it was marketed as Canola instead.  ’Can’ because originally Rapeseed was grown mostly in Canada, and ‘ola’ because it’s commonly used in the names of oils.

-Strawberries are the only known fruit with seeds on the outside.

-Ever wonder why Saffron is so expensive?  That’s because there are only 2 threads for each crocus flower from which it is harvested.  Just one pound of dried saffron would require 50-to-75,000 flowers!

-There is no such thing as a type of cheese called Cheddar.  The word “Cheddar” refers only to the technique by which the cheese is made…..in other words, the “Cheddaring process.”

-You’ve probably heard of a Russet Potato, but have you ever heard of the word “russeting“?  It’s a noun that, according to the Merriam-Webster definition, refers to “a brownish roughened area on the skin of fruit (as apples) caused by injury.”

-Apple seeds contain trace amounts of cyanide.  It would take about a bushel’s worth of apples to accumulate enough cyanide to be harmful to anyone, but still – weird, huh?  Many people mistakenly believe that apple seeds contain arsenic, but that’s not true.  It’s cyanide.

-Gin is made from juniper berries.  Who knew?