Eight unbelievable truths about food
As another series of The Unbelievable Truth ends, the game show in which guest panellists try and smuggle astonishing hidden facts about a given subject past their opponents, we take a look at eight of the most outrageous claims about food that actually turned out, unbelievably, to be true...
1) Vegans and vegetarians have higher IQs
In tests carried out in 1970, men who were vegetarian or vegan had average IQ scores of 106, compared with 101 for non-vegetarians, while female vegetarians or vegans averaged 104, compared with 99 for non-vegetarians.
Do vegetarians have a higher IQ than meat-eaters?
Henning Wehn on the average IQ of meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans.
2) Fake chicken eggs are a problem in China
They first appeared in the mid-90s and production spread all over China. The fake eggs are made from a mixture of resin, coagulant and starch, complete with pigment for colour, as well as a counterfeit shell. One person can make approximately 1500 per day.
3) Some fruits called banana aren't actually bananas
A "winter banana" is a popular American apple variety, known for its banana-like flavour. Additionally, the small and sweet bananas grown in Antigua are known locally as figs.
When is a banana not a banana?
Sindhu Vee on the many fruits called banana that aren't actually bananas.
4) Crabeater seals don鈥檛 eat crabs
Ninety-five per cent of their diet is krill which they suck into their mouths before expelling the water through specially-adapted sieve-like teeth. It is the seal-eater penguin that eats crabs.
5) Scrambled eggs inspired one of the most famous songs ever written
The song Yesterday came to Paul McCartney in his sleep. To remember the melody, McCartney wrote some temporary lyrics to the song about his breakfast. "Scrambled legs, oh baby how I love your legs".
How did scrambled eggs inspire one of the most famous songs ever written?
The importance of eggs in Paul McCartney's song, Yesterday.
6) Vegetarianism was once banned in Russia
For decades after the 1917 Russian Revolution, vegetarianism was essentially banned. Leaders of vegetarian societies were persecuted and sometimes arrested, and the word "vegetarian" was removed from Russian dictionaries.
7) Butterflies get drunk on the juice of rotten fruit
They become still, stagger around, or even flop to the ground making them vulnerable to predators.
Do butterflies gamble or get drunk?
Lucy Porter suggests some Unbelievable Truths about the delicate flying beasts.
8) In China you can buy live crabs in vending machines
Between August and October, crabs sell like hot cakes in China, particularly live hairy crabs. Many of these are sold via vending machines which are run at a temperature of between 5 - 10 degrees Celsius to keep the live crabs in a dormant state. The vending machine crabs come in an edible transparent container - designed to make them feel like they're in a cave - together with some crab vinegar and two bags of ginger tea. You simply drop the container in boiling water to cook.
Where can you can buy live crabs in vending machines?
How live hairy crabs sell like hot cakes, and even come in edible transparent containers.
