26Stripes on Cucumber
There is a reason for creating stripes on a cucumber, besides making it look fancy. The skin is slightly bitter and can overwhelm the mellow flesh. Removing a portion of it reduces the bitterness without taking away all the flavor and nutrients.
27. Tomatoes are harvested while still green and are ripened by being exposed to ethylene gas. This gas turns them red, but their flavor remains unchanged and bland.
28. Some people's aversion to bitter vegetables like cabbage and broccoli is related to genetic variations that increase the amount of a protein in their taste receptors that interacts with phenylthiocarbamide. A very similar compound is found in brassicas, causing a similar reaction.
29. A blooming onion from Outback Steakhouse has 1954 calories, while a pound of onion has just 191 calories.
30. There is as much nicotine in 20 pounds of eggplant as there is in one cigarette. Tomatoes, green peppers, potatoes, eggplants, and cocoa plants also contain trace amounts of nicotine.
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31Breeding of Corn
The Native Americans spent hundreds of years carefully breeding corn to improve its qualities. It was developed from teosinte, a short wild grain that is barely edible.
32. One pound of spinach has about the same number of calories as two Oreos.
33. All the potatoes used to make fries at Five Guys are required to be grown north of the 42nd parallel.
34. Celery was regarded as a delicacy and one of America's most popular dishes in the early 1900s. The world's celery capital was Kalamazoo, Michigan.
35. In 2010, Korea temporarily lifted duties on napa cabbage and radish imports due to a national crisis caused by excessive rains and agricultural losses, resulting in a shortage of kimchi.
36Pea Plant in Lungs
If you inhale a pea, it can sprout and grow in your lung. In 2010, a retired teacher was struggling for breath for months and was amazed when doctors told him there was a pea plant growing in his lung.
37. Energy-wise, yam accounts for around 20% of the average Nigerian and West African's daily caloric intake. People's social standing during parties and religious ceremonies is often judged by the amount of their yam holdings, which is why the saying goes, "Yam is food, and food is yam."
38. In a fight against the Saxons, King Cadwaladr of Gwynedd allegedly had his warriors wear leeks on their helmets as a form of identification. The leek continues to represent Wales as its national symbol.
39. The hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower is known as broccoliflower. Some people prefer it to other members of the cabbage family because of its mellower and somewhat sweeter taste.
40. Onions make you cry because they have a defense mechanism that keeps them from being eaten by animals that would otherwise eat them.
41Bootle Gourd Uses
The bottle gourd (also called a calabash or a lauki) was used by ancient cultures for a wide variety of purposes, including as a food container, a musical instrument, and a means of buoyancy. When harvested early, it may also be prepared as a vegetable.
42. Okra has been dubbed "plant viagra" because of its potential to increase blood flow to the heart. Cholesterol-lowering, anti-diabetic characteristics are another possible benefit.
43. Garlic kept in oil is very susceptible to botulism, a food illness that can cause blurred vision, trouble breathing, gradual paralysis, and even death.
44. Depending on when they were picked, bell peppers can look green, yellow, or red, but these colors do not mean that they are different species.
45. Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, and kai lan are all cultivated varieties of the same plant, Brassica oleracea, despite their apparent dissimilarity.
