3 Awesome Food Periodic Tables that inspire!

1. Paleo Food Staples

2. Unscientific yet interesting criteria!

3. Plain and healthy Food Groups

5 interesting facts about Wheat

1. Wheat is native to the Levant region.

2. Wheat is grown on more land area than any other commercial food. Currently, it is second only to rice as a human food crop.

3. China is the world’s largest producer of maize followed by India.

4. World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined!

5. Apart from white and red wheat, other naturally evolved species include black, yellow and blue wheat!

5 interesting facts about Maize

1. Maize is native to the Mexico.

2. Maize is biologically a kernel. It is often erroneously called a seed.

3. The United States is the world’s largest producer of maize followed by China.

4. Maize ears along with tobacco leaves are carved into the capitals of columns in the United States Capitol building.

5. Maize is used as fish bait in coarse fishing and by hunters as bait for animals like deer and wild hogs.

5 interesting facts about Papaya

1. The Papaya is native to the Tropic of Americas.

2. Papaya plants grown in three sexes: Male, female and hermaphrodite. All commercial papaya orchards only contain hermaphrodites.

3. India is the world’s largest producer of Papaya followed by Brazil.

4. Green Papaya and the tree latex contain papain which is used to tenderize meat.

5. The Papaya tree was the first transgenic fruit tree to have its genome sequenced.

5 interesting facts about Cherries

1. The Cherry is native to the Northern Hemisphere (America, Europe and Asia).

2. The Cherry is part of the Rosaceae family. Other members of this family include almonds, peaches, apricots, plums and of course, roses!

3. Turkey is the world’s leading producer of Cherry followed by the United States.

4. A chemical reaction between cherries and alkaline products like baking powder causes a blue discoloration in baked goods.

5. The wood of some cherry trees is especially esteemed for the manufacture of fine furniture.

5 interesting facts about Cashew nuts

1. The Cashew nut tree is native to Brazil.

2. Vietnam is the world’s largest producer of Cashew Nuts, followed by Nigeria.

3. The shell of the Cashew Nut contains oil compounds which cause contact dermatitis. This is similar in intensity to that caused by poison ivy!

4. In traditional Mayan medicine, the leaves and bark of the Cashew tree are used in a tea to treat diarrhea!

5. Alcoholic drinks can be produced by fermenting the cashew apple.

5 interesting facts about Peanuts

1. Peanuts are native to South America.

2. The Peanut is not really a nut. Biologically, it is classified as a legume. However, for culinary reasons it is accepted as a nut.

3. China is the world’s leading producer of peanuts followed by India.

4. Paint, varnish, furniture polish, insecticides, soap, cosmetics and nitroglycerin are some industrial products made with peanut oil.

5. Peanuts can also be used to make peanut-milk, a kind of lactose-free milk like beverage that helps fight malnutrition in Africa.

5 interesting facts about Beetroot

1. Beetroot is presumed to be native to Scandinavia.

2. The original beet roots were long and thin like carrots. The modern round beetroot is presumed to have appeared only after the 16^th century.

3. Russia is the world’s largest producer of beetroot followed by France.

4. Apart from being used as food, beetroot is commonly used as a coloring agent and as medicine.

5. Beetroot can also be used to make wine!

5 interesting facts about Spinach

1. Spinach is native to Ancient Persia.

2. Spinach is related to beets and belongs to the same family!

3. China is the world’s leading producer of Spinach followed by the United States.

4. Spinach contains an appreciable amount of iron. However it also contains oxalate – an iron-absorption inhibiting substance!

5. The cartoon character Popeye is credited in increasing US domestic consumption of spinach. Crystal City, Texas has a statue of him!

5 interesting facts about Cabbage

1. Cabbage is most likely native to Europe.

2. China is the world’s largest producer of cabbages followed by India.

3. The characteristic flavor of cabbage is caused by glucosinolates, a class of sulfur-containing glucosides. When cabbage is overcooked, hydrogen sulfide gas is produced!

4. In cuisine, cabbages can be boiled, steamed, stewed, sautéed, braised, pickled, fermented for use in Sauerkraut, or even eaten raw!

5. The ancient Romans described the medicinal properties of cabbage, recommending it to counter drunkenness and cure hangovers!

5 interesting facts about Peaches

1. Peaches are native to Northwest China.

2. Peaches are a type of prune and are closely related to cherry, apricots, almonds and plums. They are a member of the rose family.

3. China is the world’s leading producer of Peaches followed by Italy.

4. Peaches have always been significant in Oriental cultures like China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. In Europe, several renaissance artists have painted still life paintings of fruits with the peach given a prominent position.

5. Some 110 chemical compounds contribute to the characteristic peach aroma, including alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters, polyphenols and terpenoids.

5 interesting facts about Watermelon

1. Watermelon is native to Southern Africa.

2. The watermelon fruit is actually a kind of berry. Botanically, it is called a Pepo.

3. China is the world’s largest producer of watermelon, closely followed by Turkey.

4. Although the flesh is the most often consumed part, some cuisines make use of the rind and even seeds. Pickled watermelon rind is a Southern US speciality.

5. Naturally round or oblong, farmers in the Zentsuji region of Japan have successfully grown cubic watermelons! The shape was designed to make the fruit easier to stack.

5 interesting facts about Rice

1. Rice is native to China.

2. Rice is an agricultural commodity with the third-highest worldwide production. China is the world leader in production followed by India.

3. The largest collection of rice cultivars, number over 100,000 is housed at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines

4. Apart from being a staple food source, rice and its by-products are used to make straw, rope, paper, wine, biscuits, beer, cosmetics, packing materials and even toothpaste!

5. Two Japanese car brands were named after rice. Toyota means ‘bountiful rice field’ and Honda means ‘the main rice field’.

5 interesting facts about Potatoes

1. Potatoes are native to South America.

2. Potatoes are the world’s fourth largest food crop. China is the largest producer followed by India. Together, these two countries account for a third of the world’s production.

3. There are over 5,000 varieties of potatoes grown worldwide. Nearly 3,000 varieties are found in the Andes region alone. There are even purple and blue potatoes!

4. Potatoes contain toxic compounds called glycoalkaloids. These are concentrated in the green flowers, sprouts and leaves.

5. Vodka, Potcheen and Akvavit are alcoholic beverages brewed from potatoes!

5 interesting facts about Oranges

1. Oranges are native to Southern China and North-Eastern India.

2. Orange trees are estimated to be the most cultivated fruit trees in the world! Brazil is the world’s leading producer of oranges, followed by the United States.

3. Over two thirds of all orange produce goes for juice extraction. The rest is sold as fruit or converted to marmalade, preserves and Orange Oil.

4. After chocolate and vanilla, orange is the world’s favourite flavor!

5. Orange peel is used by gardeners as a slug repellent!

5 interesting facts about Bananas

1. Bananas are native to tropical Indo-Malaya and Australia.

2. The banana plant is the largest herbaceous flowering plant. Indian is the world’s largest cultivator of Bananas followed by China.

3. Nearly every part of the banana plant is useful. The fruit is consumed either ripe or raw. The flowers and trunk are used in Asian cuisine. The leaves are used as temporary utensils or waterproof roofing. The fiber is used to make textiles and paper!

4. Because of their high potassium content, Bananas are naturally radioactive!

5. The Banana has its own emoji! The Unicode standard includes U+1F34C to represent the banana. In HTML, this is &#127820.

5 interesting facts about Onions

1. It is believed that onions are native to Central Asia.

2. Over 170 countries produce onions as a agricultural product. China is the largest cultivator closely followed by India.

3. The stinging sensation caused by freshly cut onions is due to the presence of the volatile gas Syn-propanethial-S-oxide. This gas stimulates the nerves in the eyes.

4. Raw and cooked onions contain traces of sulfoxide. While not harmful to humans, this could potentially be deadly for dogs, cats, guinea pigs, monkeys and other animals.

5. Onions are also used in divination! Divination by onions is called Cromniomancy!

5 interesting facts about Mangoes

1. The mango is native to South Asia.

2. The mango is the most-cultivated fruit in the tropics. India is the leading cultivator of the Mango with almost 50% of global production. China is the second largest producer.

3. The mango is the National Fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines. The mango tree is the National Tree of Bangladesh.

4. Mangoes are related to cashews and pistachios.

5. Mango trees can grow up to a 100 feet tall. Even trees as old as 300 years continue to bear fruits!

5 interesting facts about Apples

1. Apples are native to Central Asia.

2. There are over 7,500 known varieties of Apples grown today. China leads with 49% of the total world production.

3. The Apple tree was perhaps the earliest tree to be cultivated. This is probably why Apples are remarkably significant in many cultures including Norse, Greek and European Christian.

4. The seeds of Apples contain a sugar and cyanide compound called cyanogenic glycoside. In small doses, these are not harmful to humans.

5. Apples are actually part of the Rose family – just like pears and plums!

5 interesting facts about Tomatoes

1. Tomatoes are native to Central and South America.

2. Although considered a culinary vegetable, a tomato is actually (biologically) a fruit!

3. Tomatoes are the eighth most valuable agricultural commodity worldwide. Currently, China is the world’s largest producer and exporter of tomatoes. India occupies second place.

4. There are over 7,500 varieties of tomatoes grown for various reasons. It is used in diverse culinary ways including raw in salads, processed in juices and ketchup, breaded and fried for salsa, pickled, as sauces etc.

5. Leaves, stems and unripe green fruit of the tomato plant contain small amounts of the toxic alkaloid tomatine. Tomato plants can be highly toxic to dogs!

5 interesting facts about Fenugreek!

1. Fenugreek is native to Iran and Iraq. It has also been found in the tomb of Tutankhamen proving that the ancient Egyptians knew about it.

2. Fenugreek is a semi-arid plant of the family Fabaceae. It is used as a herb (dried or fresh leaves) spice (seeds) and vegetable (fresh leaves, sprouts and micro-greens).

3. The largest Fenugreek producer in the world is India. The state of Rajasthan produces more than 80% of India’s output.

4. Fenugreek is an important ingredient in South Indian, Turkish, Persian, Egyptian and Jewish cuisine.

5. Highly nutritious, 100 grams of Fenugreek leaves provide up to 40% the recommended Daily Nutritional Value of Calcium.