Food Facts & Fun
Food Facts is a listing of articles that teaches you how all types of foods, drinks and diets work.
How Do Today's Brewers Make Non-alcoholic Beer?
You Don't Want to Know How Maraschino Cherries Are Made
Growing Mushrooms at Home Is Easier Than You Think
The 'Straight Up' History of the Iconic Martini Glass
What's the Difference Between Liquor and Liqueur?
The Spicy History of Chai and How to Make It
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
Why Sriracha Is Everybody's Favorite Hot Sauce
Why Everybody Is Hooked on Fish Sauce
What Is Jaggery and Is It Better For You Than Sugar?
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?
Move Over Turducken. The Christmas PieCaken Is Here
Marzipan Is the Sweet Almond Treat You Need This Holiday
Who Invented the Fortune Cookie?
The French Baguette Receives UNESCO World Heritage Status
General Mills Resurrects 4 Classic Monster Cereals
Would You Eat Casu Marzu, the Illegal Cheese With Maggots?
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
It's Nuts How These 6 Nuts Look Before Processing
What Are Hot Dogs Made Of?
Does Canned Food Really Deserve a Bad Rap?
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?
Learn More / Page 2
Filled with a variety of ingredients, such as cinnamon, honey, seeds and brown sugar, hotteok is a fried pancake that's an extremely popular street food in Korea.
Don't let its name — or strong aroma — turn you off. Fish sauce is a savory sauce used in Southeast Asian cuisine, and we promise if you try it, you'll never let your kitchen be without it.
By Mark Mancini
America just can't do without Mexican avocados. And the Mexican cartels want a piece of the pie.
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They're two popular types of long-grain rice, both with roots in Asia. But what makes them different from each other?
By Alia Hoyt
You probably won't find a pawpaw in your grocery store or local farmers' market, so what's the deal with this most elusive of fruits?
Eating a pomegranate may seem intimidating at first, but once you learn how to do it, it's easy — and those shiny, jewel-toned seeds are well-worth the trouble.
Jaggery is an unrefined sugar made from sugarcane that is frequently used in both savory and sweet dishes prepared throughout southwest Asia.
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You've seen the ads and surely you've seen the "left" and "right" candy bars. But come on. Are they playing mind games with us or are these two bars really different?
Sour cream and crème fraîche have a lot in common. But these two rich toppings aren't exactly the same. We'll tell you how they differ.
Even if you think you hate fruitcake, a taste of Caribbean black cake could go a long way toward changing your mind. Let's dive into its rich and delicious history.
By Dave Roos
It's marketed as an alternative to refined sugar. But is coconut sugar really a healthier option?
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You might have survived off ramen noodles in your 20s. Certainly you've had them at some point in your life. But have you ever considered how Cup Noodle made its way to the U.S.?
Fermented from honey, yeast, water and gesho and served chilled in beaker-shaped bottles known as bereles, t’ej is Ethiopia's most popular drink and one of the oldest in the world.
By Katie Carman
Science has made it possible for some apples to be stored as long as a year before selling. How is that done, and is it safe?
You think the turducken is a glutinous holiday dish? Let us introduce you to the Christmas PieCaken.
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Nothing adds heat to a dish quite like hot sauce. Think you're hot sauce savvy? Take this quiz and prove it!
By Alia Hoyt
The café Alice Waters opened in Berkeley, California, in 1971 launched California cuisine and the farm-to-table movement. Fifty years later Chez Panisse is still one of America's most influential restaurants.
Some of your favorite "international" foods might not have roots outside of America. Instead, they may have been created in the good old U.S.A. Think you know which dishes were first cooked where?
By Alia Hoyt
It's a "controversial" condiment if there ever was one. But what is liquid smoke anyway and why do some people hate the stuff?
By Jeremy Glass
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Coca-Cola decided to change the recipe of its popular Coke Zero to make it taste more like the regular version. But fans are already up in arms. Dare we say another New Coke?
By Sarah Gleim
Frozen yogurt is fine, but everyone knows that ice cream is where the flavor's really at. How much do you know about this beloved chilly treat?
By Alia Hoyt
Bitters are high-proof alcohol infused with spices, fruits and herbs, and they're key ingredients in cocktails like the Manhattan, Old-Fashioned and whiskey sour. So if you want to mix great drinks at home, you need to know your angostura from your Campari.
Ah, food. It's different all over the world, and what's strange to you is totally mundane to someone else. Come along as we discover some interesting breakfast options from around the globe.
By Jeremy Glass
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In a country with a radically altered economic landscape due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public libraries across the nation are partnering with local food banks help keep hunger at bay.
By Noah Lenstra
Congee is simple comfort food at its best. This rice dish dates all the way back to ancient China, but its roots aren't based solely in Chinese food. Have you tried it?