Buzz
There's a reason why many restaurants don't allow patrons to witness the cooking process; it ties into the notion that 'what you don't know can't harm you.' We consume all sorts of peculiar items, from those rejected by different cultures to seemingly normal snacks with unsettling ingredients. Here are ten strange tales about the food we devour, ranging from our beloved desserts to decayed elephants and even the flesh of our neighbors.
10. Canadian Maple Syrup Robbery
Maple syrup is among the priciest toppings for pancakes, with a bottle typically costing over $20. The high cost can be attributed to the inefficiencies in its production process, which requires anywhere from 5 to 13 gallons of sap to yield just one quart of syrup. To ensure there is enough syrup to meet global demand, Quebec, Canada, maintains a Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve. In 2012, an audit revealed that 6 million pounds of syrup (worth roughly $18 million at wholesale) had been stolen in an audacious heist. This was no quick snatch and grab; it would have taken a fleet of trucks to move so many barrels. Over the next few months, several people were arrested, and about two-thirds of the stolen syrup was recovered.
9. Most Frequently Stolen Food
If asked to name the most stolen food around the world, some might guess candy, alcohol, or even steak. However, according to various studies, as much as 4% of the cheese sold ends up being stolen. The next time you visit a store, notice how the cheese, especially the pricey imported varieties, is displayed—typically centrally placed and under bright lights to deter thieves. While the reasons behind this are not fully understood, researchers suggest that cheese is expensive, easy to hide, and can be resold to stores or restaurants. The black market for cheese is a thriving industry.
8. Eggs
American and Canadian tourists traveling outside their countries are often surprised to find eggs stored at room temperature. They may be even more shocked to learn that in the European Union, the eggs they are getting are directly from the chicken without being sanitized or washed. A chicken naturally coats its egg with a protective layer called a cuticle, which helps prevent contamination. This layer is usually removed by washing the egg with water above 90 degrees and an odorless detergent. However, this cleaning process actually makes the egg more porous, increasing the risk of contamination, which is why eggs must be refrigerated. Despite the inefficiency and cost of this process, American consumers remain resistant to change.
7. Ice Cream
With countless ice cream options available, having a unique flavor helps a brand stand out from the competition. Dreyer’s, which includes Edy’s and Häagen-Dazs, is the largest ice cream producer in the U.S., largely due to their official taste tester, John Harrison. Harrison travels to various Dreyer’s factories across the country to share his expertise. He uses a gold spoon, ensuring the ice cream's flavor remains unchanged. His taste buds are insured for $1 million. Harrison played a key role in creating popular flavors, including the Oreo-based Cookies and Cream.
Other ice cream makers adopt different philosophies. For example, Vermont’s Ben & Jerry’s has a loyal following due to its use of fresh, local ingredients. Their ice cream is known for having large chunks of treats like brownies and fruits, a decision driven by co-founder Ben Cohen’s anosmia (he is unable to smell and has a limited sense of taste). Since Cohen couldn’t fully taste his food, he would add extra ingredients to satisfy his need for texture.
6. Mushrooms
Mushrooms tend to evoke strong reactions in people; they are either adored or loathed. Regardless of individual preferences, these fascinating organisms are undeniably interesting. Some, such as the ominously named 'Western North American Destroying Angel,' can be fatal, while others, like psilocybin-containing 'magic mushrooms,' induce powerful psychedelic experiences. There are 71 known species of mushrooms that glow in the dark, and one variety, Laetiporus, is said to have a chicken-like taste. Recently, scientists discovered that applying electricity to mushrooms can significantly boost their production—a technique Japanese farmers have known for generations. Lightning strikes on fields of shiitake mushrooms send voltage through the soil, enhancing the farmer’s yield. Although scientists are still uncertain about the cause, it is likely a defense mechanism that increases reproductive capacity when faced with danger.
5. Gatorade
Gatorade was created in 1965 by Robert Cade, a nephrologist at the University of Florida, and his team to help football players stay hydrated. While today's product range includes a vast array of flavors, the original recipe was simple: water, sugar, salt, and a splash of lemon juice for flavor. When Cade first introduced the drink to the Gators team, tackle Larry Gagner tasted it, declared, 'This stuff tastes like piss,' and poured the rest over his head. The team was intrigued by the comparison. According to Cade, 'None of us had tasted urine... We peed in a cup and dabbed a finger. You know what? There's a significant difference in flavor.'
4. Sushi
Before sushi became widely popular, many fish species, like the Bluefin tuna, were so abundant that they were even used as cat food. Today, Bluefin tuna is one of the most prized fish in the world, with prime specimens selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars. With rising costs and declining ocean populations, many sushi restaurants take advantage of people’s inability to tell different fish species apart, often substituting less expensive varieties. In the U.S., many places that serve 'tuna' are actually offering escolar, also known as oilfish or snake mackerel. Escolar has an extremely high oil content, which can have a laxative effect on many individuals. Escolar is considered toxic by many countries, and its sale has been banned in Japan since 1977, but many American diners still consume it unknowingly and face the consequences later in the bathroom.
3. Perfect Food
It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t love the taste of ketchup, and for good reason. Heinz, in particular, is a unique blend that satisfies all five basic tastes: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami (savory, thanks to MSG). Heinz is crafted with precision to ensure none of its ingredients overpower the others, creating a balanced flavor profile. In contrast, other ketchup brands often emphasize one flavor, like vinegar or the sweetness of tomatoes. This perfect balance has made Heinz the top choice for over a century, with around 650 million bottles sold annually. Interestingly, Heinz rarely introduces ‘new and improved’ versions because it’s already the best.
2. Cannibalism
Cannibalism is considered by most modern societies as the ultimate taboo, yet it has been practiced across the world, and still occurs more often than we would like to think. Civil conflicts in places like the Congo, particularly in central Africa, have seen instances of cannibalism, and tribes such as the Korowai of New Guinea still partake in eating human flesh. The inevitable question that arises is: 'What does human flesh actually taste like?'
Accounts vary somewhat, but a rather concise explanation comes from William Buehler Seabrook, a reporter who received a chunk of flesh from a hospital intern at the Sorbonne in Paris. Seabrook cooked it, later writing: “It was like good, fully developed veal, not young, but not yet beef. It was very definitely like that, and it was not like any other meat I had ever tasted. It was so nearly like good, fully developed veal that I think no person with a palate of ordinary, normal sensitiveness could distinguish it from veal.”
1. Ancient Snack
Woolly mammoths lived beside early man, but the vast majority became extinct around 10,000 years ago. The last isolated populations died out around the time the Great Pyramid of Giza was built. We know so much about these magnificent creatures because many of them roamed in areas like the Siberian tundra, where they were frozen and quite well preserved after death. So well preserved that modern humans have eaten thawed mammoth meat. There are many stories of feasts of these ancient elephant ancestors, and while many are dubious, some are quite well verified. Not surprisingly, descriptions of the meat range from “awful” to “rotten”. Zoology professor Dale Guthrie offers a remarkably generous explanation of the flavor; he and his team cooked some mammoth from a 36,000 year old carcass found near Fairbanks, Alaska into a stew. He wrote “the meat was well aged but still a little tough, and it gave the stew a strong Pleistocene aroma.” Whatever that means.
