Tag: Food history

For centuries, Native Americans consumed corn as a dietary staple without suffering from the nutritional deficiencies that plagued European populations who adopted the crop without traditional preparation methods. So, can Native Americans digest corn properly? The key lies in nixtamalization, an ancient process developed by Mesoamerican cultures that unlocks the grain's full nutritional potential.

First introduced in 1964, the powdered drink mix known as Carnation Instant Breakfast was rebranded with a new name in 2022. The new name for Carnation Instant Breakfast is Carnation Breakfast Essentials®, a change that reflects its updated nutritional focus.

For centuries, the world's most vibrant and coveted red dye came from a tiny source: the cochineal insect. This remarkable creature produces carminic acid, the core component of what is widely known as the original red food dye, and it has a long and fascinating history.

The word "breakfast" was first recorded in the 15th century, derived from the phrase "to break one's fast". This simple phrase perfectly captures the fundamental reason why we break our fast with breakfast—it is the first meal of the day after a long period without food during sleep.

Over a decade after Charlie Sheen first claimed to have "tiger blood" in a 2011 interview, search interest in what the enigmatic substance actually tastes like remains high. The surprising truth is that the "tiger blood" people often refer to is a popular shaved ice syrup, not the blood of an actual tiger.

Recent studies confirm that many fruits and vegetables today contain significantly fewer vitamins and minerals than those grown several decades ago. This raises a critical question: did food used to be more nutritious? The answer lies in the complex interplay of agricultural practices, environmental changes, and breeding priorities over the past century.

Between 1945 and the 1970s, the American food system radically transformed from relying on wholesome food to a daily diet laden with ultra-processed options. This shift prompts a critical question: when did food become unhealthy, and what were the key drivers behind this change?

It may come as a surprise, but the first crystalline sugar was likely a gritty, salt-like powder developed in ancient India over 2,500 years ago. This discovery set in motion a remarkable journey that transformed a rare luxury into a global commodity with a complex and often painful history.

Native to India, jackfruit trees can produce up to 200 fruits per year, with a single fruit weighing as much as 100 pounds. This exceptional abundance is one of the primary reasons why jackfruit is called the poor man's fruit, especially in its native South and Southeast Asian regions.

For thousands of years, Indigenous Australians developed a complex and seasonal diet from native flora and fauna. However, modern Australian cuisine is a vibrant tapestry, begging the question: what is Australian food influenced by today?