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20 Amazing Facts About Tomatoes

Eating tomatoes again, have you ever thought about what they are? Hardly what it is – after all, they are so accustomed, you can buy them in any store, even in winter, even in summer. In fact, these vegetables are quite interesting, besides, they are popular almost all over the world. Their various varieties are grown on all continents, except Antarctica, as well as on most inhabited islands.

  1. In the presence of moisture and nutrition, additional roots can form on any part of the tomato stem. The plant needs only a few days for this.
  2. Some varieties of tomatoes can grow up to 2 meters in height. And the height of the smallest of them usually does not exceed 30-35 centimeters.
  3. Choline, a substance found in tomatoes, helps lower blood cholesterol levels.
  4. In Mediterranean countries, particularly Italy and Spain, tomato-based cold soups are popular. For example, the famous gazpacho soup.
  5. Tomatoes are used as a seasoning and in dried form, and in 5-10 days of drying they lose up to 85-90% of their mass.
  6. Historically, tomatoes come from South America. There, wild varieties are still found in nature.
  7. Tomatoes came to Europe only in the middle of the 16th century, after the Europeans discovered the New World.
  8. The world’s first tomato-based recipe was published in a recipe book published in 1692 in Naples. At the same time, the author of the recipe claimed to have borrowed it from Spain.
  9. Scientists are working in many countries to develop new varieties of tomatoes. For example, when a cultivar was crossed with a wild tomato from the Galapagos Islands at the University of California, it was possible to obtain a cultivar with a salty taste. Experiments have shown that salted tomatoes grow well on sandy soils when watered with sea water.
  10. For a long time, tomatoes were considered inedible and even poisonous, and therefore gardeners grew them as an exotic ornamental plant.
  11. In the first place in the production of tomatoes, and by a huge margin, is China. India and the United States follow.
  12. Every third tomato in the world is grown in China.
  13. The pulp of ripe tomatoes in folk medicine is often used to treat wounds and burns. Fast healing occurs due to the high content of so-called plant antibiotics in the pulp of tomatoes – phytoncides, which prevent infection from developing.
  14. At temperatures below +10 degrees, tomatoes lose their ability to reproduce, and the plant dies without leaving fruit.
  15. Under suitable conditions, tomato seeds can be stored for up to 6-8 years without losing germination.
  16. Unlike some other vegetables and fruits, green and unripe tomatoes, when picked, ripen well on their own.
  17. From a botanical point of view, tomatoes are not vegetables or even fruits, but berries.
  18. For a long time it was believed that the tomato is an aphrodisiac, but studies have shown that this is not the case.
  19. Tomatoes are rich in fiber and vitamins A and C.
  20. The world’s largest tomato was grown in the USA, in the state of Wisconsin. He weighed a whopping 2.9 kg.
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Food

18 Amazing Facts About Chilies

Everyone will immediately recognize this spicy hot burning taste that slowly spreads in the mouth and the tongue begins to burn. What do we know about chili peppers? Here are some interesting facts.

  1. Chili peppers contain capsaicin, a colorless, pungent, crystalline substance that gives the pepper its flavor.
  2. Interestingly, the pungent taste of the pepper is stronger closer to the heart of the fruit.
  3. Pepper is known to kill harmful bacteria in food.
  4. More than 140 varieties of chili peppers are grown in Mexico.
  5. When eating very spicy food, a general reaction of the body occurs in the form of sweat.
  6. Chili peppers contain more vitamin A than carrots (especially red chili).
  7. Chili peppers can help you lose weight and improve your metabolism.
  8. Chili peppers contain aphrodisiacs and their use increases libido.
  9. Green chili has more vitamin C than citrus fruits.
  10. Chili is the second most common spice in the world, after salt.
  11. Chili pepper was first cultivated in Central and South America around 3000 BC.
  12. The Mayans rubbed hot pepper on their gums to stop toothaches.
  13. The smaller the pepper, the hotter it is. The hottest peppers are up to 5 centimeters long.
  14. The first European to taste chili was Christopher Columbus in America in 1493. Over the course of a century, it spread throughout the world.
  15. The Incas believed that chili peppers improved vision.
  16. An interesting fact in Mexico is chili laden soup is a hangover cure.
  17. Due to the extreme pungency, some peppers should not even be touched, as they can burn the skin. They are prepared by wearing gloves.
  18. The degree of hotness of a pepper is measured on a special scale. The most pungent of all is the habanero.
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9 Amazing Facts About Spinaches

Spinach is a very healthy and tasty greenery! How much do you know about Spinach?

  1. Spinach is one of the oldest vegetables. Interestingly, spinach is really a leafy vegetable, not a herb. The first mentions of it date back to the 6th century AD – it was at this time that they began to eat it in Persia. After 1,500 years, he came to China, and from there to Europe, where he immediately became one of the favorite dishes of kings due to its useful and nutritious properties.
  2. Spinach is considered to be a superfood: it contains many vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. It also has a very low-fat content, which makes this vegetable a real boon for those on a diet. 100 grams of spinach contains 25 calories, 2.8 grams of protein, 0.8 grams of fat, and 1.6 grams of carbohydrates.
  3. Spinach has a good effect on vision, helps to maintain youthfulness and skin tone, strengthens the immune system and the nervous system, improves memory, helps relieve stress, and regulates blood pressure.
  4. Many stars include spinach in their diets – for example, Nicole Kidman regularly eats spinach for breakfast and adds it to salads. Reese Witherspoon, Alessandra Ambrosio, Jessica Alba, and other stars cannot imagine their start to the day without a glass of spinach smoothie.
  5. If you want to include spinach in your menu, keep in mind that fresh spinach has a softer and more neutral flavor than cooked spinach. By the way, if you overexpose this vegetable on fire, it will taste bitter, and the dish will turn out to be not very tasty and even harmful. Oxalic acid will be released from spinach, which negatively affects the body and is contraindicated in diseases of the joints and kidneys.
  6. It is not worth boiling it: most vitamins will be destroyed. If you want to add spinach to your soup, add it at the very end of cooking.
  7. Spring is a great time to make fresh greens smoothies. By the way, if your kids don’t want to eat spinach, offer them spinach and banana pancakes or a healthy and delicious shake!
  8. Spinach does not lose its vibrant green color during cooking, making it an excellent food coloring. Rotate a bunch of spinach through a meat grinder, squeeze the juice – the paint is ready!
  9. Juice can be used to color butter, sour cream or cream, ice cream, omelets, dough – for example, for pasta or dumplings.

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14 Amazing Facts About Fennels

Fennel is a herbaceous plant with no more than 10 species in the wild. In cooking, they use any of them – the tubers are stewed, baked, eaten fresh, fresh juices are made, greens are put in salads, and seeds are added to stewed vegetable and meat dishes as a strong, spicy seasoning.

  1. The homeland of the fennel is the Mediterranean coast, from where it came to the north of Europe, to the south to Egypt, and to the east to India and China. The Greeks were the first to use fennel, and we owe its distribution to the ancient Romans. By the way, fennel can be included in the famous Italian minestrone soup, and in our opinion, in vegetable soup.
  2. Ignorant people often confuse fennel with dill. In fact, it is a close relative of celery, and its seeds resemble anise in the aroma. And yet we, following the botanists, assert: fennel is a completely independent plant.
  3. All parts of the fennel are eaten: the leaf part, the stems, and the root. They are used both as a seasoning and as an ingredient in a dish, Byway, fennel seeds are included in the Chinese mixture of five spices (fennel, cloves, cinnamon, anise, and Sichuan pepper) – the personification of the balance of five basic taste sensations: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and salty). Why fennel can be the basis of a meal. For example, it is very original to cook mashed potatoes on a side dish not from the usual potatoes, but from fennel.
  4. The word fennel comes from the Latin feniculum, which means hay. But this name was assigned to the plant later – in the era of Ancient Rome. Initially in ancient Greece, it was called a “marathon”. And all because in 490 BC. e. in the battle with the Persians, the Greeks won a convincing victory on the battlefield called Marathon. In the heat of battle, the Hellenes took notice of the herb with a spicy-sweet scent that grew in that very field. Since then, the fennel has become a symbol of military success and victory.
  5. The same Greeks endowed fennel with mystical abilities, believing that its roots are able to save from evil spirits and bring good luck. They inserted pieces of the plant into the keyhole as a ward against evil spirits at home.
  6. Fennel can also be called the prototype of modern chewing gum. In the late Middle Ages, it was often chewed during important meetings to freshen the breath. Well, in India, fennel seeds are still served after a meal for this very purpose.
  7. Fennel has been honored to be immortalized in the name of the city. The capital of the Portuguese island of Madeira – Funchal – is named after him.
  8. There is, probably, the most implausible legend about fennel. It seems like thanks to this plant, snakes shed their skin every year and are reborn again. Of course, I would like to understand how they use fennel for this. But a legend is a legend, not a scientifically proven fact, to talk about outlandish things…
  9. Stern, but with a great sense of humor, the English respected fennel in ancient times so much that they even came up with a saying: “Whoever sees fennel and does not collect it is not a man, but a devil.”
  10. The most famous and widespread in gastronomy are fennel seeds – as a spicy-aromatic seasoning. They have a licorice smell and a sweet, spicy aniseed flavor. Fennel seeds are part of the famous 5 Chinese Spice Blend and the Indian counterpart, punch phoron.
  11. When choosing, note that the fennel tubers should be white, firm, and juicy, and the stems and herbs should be green and fresh. They contain many vitamins of group B, A, C, as well as trace elements sodium, calcium, magnesium, and selenium.
  12. Fennel is considered to be one of the best vegetables for weight loss. It removes excess fluid from the body, stimulates metabolism, satisfies hunger, and also calms the nervous system, and lowers cholesterol levels.
  13. The simplest and most delicious fennel dish is to fry the tubers cut into 6-8 parts in olive oil until golden brown, grind with crumbs and parmesan.
  14. Before use, fennel seeds can be slightly calcined in a dry hot pan – this will enhance not only the sweetness but also their pungency. In India, these seeds are used after meals as a breath freshener.
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