Interesting Facts about Food
and Drinks

• For 70 years of life, a human eats about 50 tons of various food.

Particularly, 2 tons of meat, 7 tons of bread, 1 ton of fat, 5 tons of potatoes, 5 thousand chicken eggs and 500 kilograms of salt are eaten. As for sweets: a person consumes 10,000 chocolates and drinks 75,000 cups of tea in a lifetime.

• One third of people have never drunk alcohol.

According to a worldwide sociological survey, 67% of people confirmed that they drink alcohol. The same survey was conducted in the 1970s when 71% of the population reported that they drink alcohol regularly.

• Milkshake is the most high-calorie one out of all cocktails.

This drink is even more high-caloric than hamburgers. A large milkshake contains approximately 1680 calories, that is almost a daily allowance of food consumption.

• The average number of calories consumed in fast food restaurants is 2500.

And this figure is on average per person! The number differs depending on countries and their cuisine features. For example the average number of calories on the Chinese table is about 3,000 calories.

• Coffee is the most traded commodity in the world after oil.

It is the only edible product among 5 most traded goods, others are natural resources.

• The history of serving fish with lemon.

In the Middle Ages, it was assumed that citric acid was able to dissolve accidentally swallowed fish bones, so any fish was served with a slice of lemon.

• The first soup was cooked 6000 years ago

Scientists claim that it was cooked from hippopotamus meat.

• Macaroni didn’t appear in Europe.

In the floodplain of the Yangtze in China, scientists found a clay bowl with fossilized spaghetti-type noodles up to half a meter long. The age of it was 4000 years. This is much older than the first evidence of the appearance of noodles in Europe.

• Honey can be stored for nearly 3000 years

According to the University of California, in a low moisture, high acid environment, honey bacteria die almost immediately. However, honey is not the only food that has a long shelf life: salt, sugar, and raw rice also may be stored for hundreds and even thousands of years.

• Spicy food prolongs human life

According to a study from China (2015), people who eat spicy food tend to live longer. Chinese scientists claimed this affect is closely connected with capsaicin found in chili peppers.

• Black pepper was a luxury item

During the Middle Ages, black pepper was so expensive that it was used to pay rent and taxes.

• The first ketchup didn’t contain tomatoes.

It was created in China in the end of 17th century and consisted of marinated fish, shellfish and spices. A modified ketchup recipe, which is now widely used, appeared at the beginning of the 20th century in the United States.

• Drinking red wine is better than not drinking it at all.

Several studies have shown that drinking red wine in moderation is good for human health. The antioxidants found in red wine reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease, mortality, and type 2 diabetes.

• White chocolate isn’t chocolate

White chocolate doesn’t contain cocoa fibers. Therefore, it is light and has almost no cocoa flavor. It turns out that if we grind cocoa butter, sugar and milk powder, we get a product called white chocolate.

• Tomatoes in the fridge lose their flavor.

Storing tomatoes below 12°C interferes with their ability to produce substances that contribute to aroma and flavor. The thing is that the cold temperature reduces the functionality of the genes that are responsible for the aroma and ripening of the fruit. For this reason, tomatoes should be stored in a dark place at room temperature.

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