1. 1. Several ancient cultures viewed the apple as a feminine symbol and found a
resemblance between the two halves of a vertically cut apple to the female
genital system. Alternatively, an apple cut horizontally resembled a
pentagram, which was considered key in revealing knowledge of good and
evil.
2. The banana tree is not a true fruit at all but a giant herb and the banana is
actually its berry. A banana plant produces only one bunch or “hand” in its life,
10 Random Facts
about Food

2. but that bunch may have between 100 to 400 bananas. Despite its phallic
shape, the banana is sterile and no fertilization takes place in the banana
flowers. A banana plant grows when one of its shoots is planted.
3. Onion is Latin for “large pearl.” A basket of onions was considered a
respectable funeral offering in ancient Egypt, second only to a basket of
bread. Onions, with their circular layers, represented eternity and were found
in the eyes of King Ramses IV who died in 1160 B.C.
4. Kissing may have originated when mothers orally passed chewed solid food to
their infants during weaning.
5. The earliest form of eating processed food occurred in early hunting cultures
when the men who made a kill would be rewarded with a meal of the partially
digested contents of the stomach of their prey.
6. The largest item found on any menu is roasted camel which is still served at
some Bedouin weddings and was offered by royalty in Morocco several
hundred years ago. The camel is cleaned and then stuffed with one whole
lamb, 20 chickens, 60 eggs, and 110 gallons of water, among other
ingredients.
7. Food and sex have been linked throughout history.
Some foods are thought to have sexual powers
because they resemble human genitals. Casanova was
said to offer oysters to his potential partners to whet
their sexual appetite.
8. At Delphi, the spiritual center of Greece, many cooks
were needed to organize and direct sacrifices to the
gods.
9. Drinking fresh milk in the classical world was considered a luxury because
milk was so difficult to preserve.
10. The Arabs invented caramel, which served as a depilatory (hair removal)
for women in a harem.
Oysters have often
been considered
aphrodisiacs