1. Cilantro and coriander are the same thing.
2. Peaches and nectarines are basically the same, too.
3. In the U.K., arugula is called rocket.
4. The all-time bestselling food items at Costco are rotisserie chicken, bacon, and food court hot dogs.
5. The cheapest item at Trader Joe's is bananas. They cost 19 cents each — and the reason why is a little dark.
6. Trader Joe's employees use a bell system to communicate with each other because higher-ups didn't like the way P.A. announcements sounded at other grocery stores.
7. This is how quinoa grows:
8. And this is how cranberries grow:
9. A few years ago, Butterfinger changed its entire recipe.
10. Glass Gem corn! It exists.
Harvested our first corn of this season. I’m blown away!!!
Oklahoma farmer Carl Barnes spent years breeding the colorful corn as a way to reconnect with his heritage.
11. Elephant garlic exists, too. 👀
12. Allspice isn't a mix of other spices.
13. But chili powder *is* a mix of other spices.
14. McDonald's fries were cooked in beef fat until 1990.
15. And in France, McDonald's offers thick-cut potato wedges — in addition to the regular fries.
16. Jam is made with fruit — and jelly is made with fruit juice.
17. Fruity Pebbles are just grains of white rice that have been flattened and puffed up again.
18. Pomegranates grow on trees.
19. Asparagus grows straight outta the ground.
20. On Sesame Street, Cookie Monster's cookies are actually painted rice cakes.
21. Rhubarb leaves are poisonous in large doses.
22. Raw cashew shells are poisonous too.
23. The same guy invented Cool Whip, Pop Rocks, and Tang.
24. A chipotle pepper is just a dried and smoked jalapeño.
25. European chocolate generally tastes better than U.S. chocolate because it's required by law to have more milk fats and dry milk solids.
27. Mahogany cake was America's first chocolate cake — though it's been largely forgotten since.
28. A single spaghetti noodle is called a spaghetto.
29. Too much nutmeg can get you high.
30. Paprika is made of ground up red bell peppers.
31. Reese's Pieces have a different filling than Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
32. A few years ago, Nabisco redesigned its famous animal crackers box after PETA flagged it.
33. Pineapples can take two to three years to grow.
34. It can take at least three years for a vanilla plant to produce its first vanilla bean.
35. Jelly Belly is one of the few jelly bean companies that flavors both the inside *and* the outside of the bean.
36. Ritter chocolate bars were invented to be square so they could fit into jacket pockets without breaking.
37. Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kohlrabi all come from the same plant.
38. One of the most bizarre food-related disasters in history was the Great Molasses Flood in Boston.
View this video on YouTube
In 1919, a storage tank that contained more than 2 million gallons of molasses exploded. It flooded Boston streets, crushed buildings, and killed 21 people and injured 150 more.
39. Out of all the popular alcoholic drinks, red wine makes you the sleepiest.
40. Tootsie Rolls start out as gigantic 13-pound logs that are then shaped down to their mini size.
