Melissa asks: Is honey considered vegan? There’s a reason there’s the expression “busy as a bee.” These buzzing insects’ entire lives are dedicated to making sure the hive keeps humming and the next generation of bees are born. Worker bees are consistently building, cleaning and protecting their home. When they are not tending to the hive, they are foraging for […]
Read more
Dhruv S. asks: Who invented the chocolate Easter bunny? The chocolate Easter Bunny seems to have been invented by people of German heritage, either in Germany or America, sometime around the 19th century. Many believe (although it’s certainly not settled) that the name Easter is derived from Germanic goddess of spring and fertility, Eostra. In support, they point to one […]
Read more
Karl G. asks: Why does cheddar cheese turn orange when the milk used to make it is white? Milk is made up of about 87% water and 13% solids, such as fat and various proteins. Chief among these proteins is something called casein, four types of which make up about 80% of the proteins in milk. The casein protein molecules […]
Read more
The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Oh, the poor potato—a symbol of laziness (couch potato) and unhealthy eating (cheese fries). But it deserves much better. Here’s how the lowly potato altered the course of human history. SPUDS OF THE INCAS For at least 4,000 years, potatoes have been cultivated in the Peruvian Andes. The Incas called […]
Read more
Jan B. asks: Who invented cottage cheese and why did they call it that? The ancient Mesopotamians made a type of salty, sour cheese very similar to cottage cheese that dates back to at least 3000 B.C. A common legend is that it was invented when a desert traveler filled his sheep stomach saddle bags with milk prior to beginning […]
Read more
Stephanie I. asks: Why do beets turn some peoples pee red while others it doesn’t? Asparagus may be the most well-known urine changer, and even Ben Franklin acknowledged that just “a few stems of asparagus eaten, shall give our urine a disagreeable odor.” Although the precise mechanism is not definitively understood (despite extensive study), it is generally thought that a […]
Read more
Matt asks: Why do Americans refrigerate eggs and other countries don’t? How long do eggs last unrefrigerated? In supermarkets across the United States, Australia, and Japan, eggs can be found in the refrigerated section alongside other cold items such as milk and cheese. However, in most other countries of the world, eggs can be found stored at room temperature alongside nonperishable […]
Read more
C. Lani asks: What are those little black spots on some kinds of chips? Corn and tortilla chips are speckled with black spots, but what exactly are they? The staple ingredient for both corn and tortilla chips is, of course, corn. An ear of corn is made up of individual rows of kernels, and each kernel is attached to the […]
Read more
Most of us who have been chewing sticks of Spearmint or Juicy Fruit gum over the last several decades probably assume that the manufacture and sale of gum was what Wrigley was always about. After all, the company, which was founded by William Wrigley Jr., is famous for being the leading gum manufacturer globally, with an array of brands like […]
Read more
For anyone reading this who happens to be from the UK, you’re more than likely already well aware of what a Jaffa Cake is. For our readers that haven’t had the pleasure of sampling one of the greatest comfort foods ever created, they’re little, spongy, chocolate coated disks that contain a small amount of orange flavoured jam- they’re delicious. Oh, and […]
Read more
The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader BEAN THERE, DONE THAT What exactly is a legume? Most people would probably answer that a legume is a bean. And they’d be right—but that’s just one part of the legume story. To be precise, a legume is a plant in the botanical family Leguminosae (also known as Fabaceae). That […]
Read more
Jeff G. asks: How do they get the M on M&Ms without breaking it or missing any? Most of us have probably wondered how each M&M is so perfectly marked with that signature white m. The production of the candy that “melts in your mouth and not in your hand” includes many different steps. First, the chocolate concoction is made […]
Read more
Diane F. asks: Who started the tradition of girls jumping out of cakes? Almost everyone has seen depicted the bizarre bachelor party tradition of a scantily-clad woman jumping out of a giant cake. It turns up most often in decades-old films, TV shows, and comics, but it still persists today at lavish Vegas shindigs—though the cakes are now usually made […]
Read more
The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader If a recipe called for you to blanch some almonds, would you know how to do it? Cookbooks are full of techniques that are a mystery to most of us, even if their names sound familiar. Heat and Serve There are many different ways to cook food, and each method […]
Read more
Lynn asks: Why are some cheeses made in wheels and others are in blocks? Whether a block, a wheel, a cylinder or a pyramid, a cheese’s shape is dictated by concerns with pressure, salt absorption, ripening, economics and/or tradition. Cheeses that are made in wheels, like creamy Brie and Camembert, need equal rates of salt uptake, as well as even […]
Read more
Recent headlines that chocolate supplies could fall short of demand by as much as a million tonnes by 2020 have been alarming. Those in despair over the news can take heart, however, as substitutes are available to get you through the rough times, including one that is actually relatively healthy – black sapote. Native to the coastal regions in and […]
Read more
Pete M. asks: Why is a tiny bit of parsley included with certain meals? Is it true that it is there to cure bad breath? Does it really work? Thanks and keep up the great work! In an age where strong-flavored, nutritiously dense greens like kale dominate, quiet, mild parsley has, for many, been shunted to the side. This is […]
Read more
Mark A. asks: Who invented tea bags? Legend says that brewing tea dates back to around 2737 BC, when tea leaves fell into water being boiled for Emperor Shennong of China. There does not appear to be any hard evidence of tea being discovered this way, but evidence we do have suggests that brewing tea did indeed likely start in […]
Read more