Food Facts & Fun
Food Facts is a listing of articles that teaches you how all types of foods, drinks and diets work.
What's the Dill? The History of the Pickle
How Do Today's Brewers Make Non-alcoholic Beer?
You Don't Want to Know How Maraschino Cherries Are Made
Mezcal vs. Tequila: A Guide to Agave-based Spirits
A Bottle of the World's Most Expensive Tequila Sold for $225,000
Diet Coke vs. Coke Zero: Is There Actually a Difference?
What's the Difference Between Grits and Polenta?
What's the Difference Between Basmati and Jasmine Rice?
Congee Is the Food Equivalent of a Warm, Heated Gravity Blanket
Is Tomato Catsup the Same as Tomato Ketchup?
14 Hottest Hot Sauces in the World
Why Sriracha Is Everybody's Favorite Hot Sauce
Get the Scoop on Our Ice Cream Quiz!
What Is Halloumi Cheese, and Why Is It Suddenly So Popular?
What's the Difference Between Clarified Butter and Ghee?
Macaroon vs. Macaron: Differentiating Between Sweet Treats
Move Over Turducken. The Christmas PieCaken Is Here
Marzipan Is the Sweet Almond Treat You Need This Holiday
Chow Mein vs. Lo Mein: Comparing Chinese Noodle Dishes
Stromboli vs. Calzone: Different Branches of Pizza Lineage
Is a Hotdog a Sandwich? We Try to Settle the Debate
How Food Tasters Work
Top 5 Reasons You Know You Should be a Pastry Chef
How to Get Your Big Break into the Baking Business
What Is Imitation Crab Meat? Is the Crab Substitute Vegan?
It's Nuts How These 6 Nuts Look Before Processing
What Are Hot Dogs Made Of?
How to Eat Dragon Fruit
What's the Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams?
Does Fruit Really Ripen Faster in a Brown Paper Bag?
7 of the Hottest Peppers in the World
Where Does Vanilla Flavoring Come From?
Lemongrass Is a Prized Herb in Asian Cuisine
10 Flaming-hot Facts About Cheetos
Korean Street Treat Hotteok Is Like a Warm Hug
Is There Really a Difference Between the Left and Right Twix?
What's the Difference Between Champagne and Sparkling Wine?
What's the Difference Between Port and Sherry?
Why Does Your Wine Bottle Have a Dent in the Bottom?
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Chow mein and lo mein are two noodle dishes that are staples in Chinese restaurants worldwide, each boasting its own loyal following. However, for many diners, distinguishing chow mein vs. lo mein and vice versa can be perplexing.
By Marie Look
Ordering a stromboli vs. calzone is a matter of personal preference, but the difference between them is clear. One is folded in half like an apple turnover, and the other is rolled up like a jelly roll cake.
By Sascha Bos
In short, yes. Tomato-based catsup and ketchup are more or less the same condiment. There may be slight recipe variations on the traditional tomato-based version, but the main difference between ketchup and catsup is the alternative spelling of the same word.
By Mitch Ryan
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If you've had a grocery store California roll or mixed seafood salad, you've probably eaten imitation crab meat. But what is imitation crab, exactly?
By Sascha Bos
Macaroons and macarons — they sound similar, but they look quite different. So how did we end up with two popular cookies that sound almost the same?
By Sascha Bos
Tequila and mezcal are two of the most famous agave-based spirits from Mexico, and bartenders sometimes use them interchangeably in mixed drinks. Mezcal cocktails will often have a smokier flavor than ones made with tequila, but what are the other differences?
By Sascha Bos
In the world of rare tequila, the price is often just as much about the luxury bottle as it is about the smooth taste of high-quality liquor. These expensive spirits are not only aged in everything from Cabarnet to Cognac to well-seasoned sherry barrels, they also come in fancy, hand-painted ceramic or crystal decanters.
By Sascha Bos
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If you've wondered whether a hotdog is a sandwich, you probably haven't spent much time on the internet in the last 10 years. That's OK; we'll catch you up on the debate.
Which gets your vote in the great Diet Coke vs. Coke Zero debate? The labels say the differences are slight, but fans will say the diet sodas are worlds apart.
By Sascha Bos
Explore the culinary showdown of Nigiri vs. Sashimi. Learn the differences, flavors, and how to savor these Japanese delicacies.
By HowStuffWorks
In search of the hottest hot sauce in the world, we found the bottles with the highest Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) to bring you this list of the 14 most diabolically spicy hot sauces.
By Mitch Ryan
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People have been pickling vegetables, cucumbers specifically, since the time of Cleopatra. Why the cucumber and why is the pickle always served with your deli sandwich?
By Muriel Vega
One of the most expensive cups of coffee in the world is made from beans harvested from civet poop. Why would anybody want to drink it?
By Carrie Tatro
You know the story behind the martini: James Bond always orders his "shaken, not stirred." But what's the story behind the classic glass it's always served in?
Craft beer is big business. And breweries are banking on non-alcoholic beer as their new cash cow. But how do they brew beer without alcohol?
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There are hot peppers and there are mouth-scorchers. Have you tried any of these seven extremely hot peppers?
By Dylan Ris
Call it bubbly or bubbles, but don't call what's in your glass Champagne unless it truly is. How do you know? It depends on where and how it's made.
Sherry and port are both fortified wines. But their similarities end there.
By Muriel Vega
Ah, vanilla. You can almost smell it right now, can't you? From pure vanilla extract to essence and imitation, it comes in all forms. But where does vanilla flavoring come from?
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Liquor and liqueur are spelled so similarly, it's easy to confuse them for being the same. But they're not. So how are they different?
The expression "the cherry on top" is supposed to refer to a very good thing. You may think differently once you learn how maraschino cherries are actually made.
By Alia Hoyt
There are a lot of theories about why wine bottles have dents (or punts) on the bottoms. Do they still serve a purpose?
Don't know how to eat dragon fruit? This stunner of a fruit is as simple to slice as it is pretty to look at. So give it a try. You won't regret it.
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The baguette is the most popular kind of bread eaten in France. So it only makes sense UNESCO would protect it as an iconic part of its cultural heritage.
Think sweet potatoes and yams are the same? Think again. These two tubers are totally different. Yams aren't even potatoes.
By Lauren David