Food Facts & Fun

This tropical fruit, grown all over the tropics, has lots of health benefits. Even its leaves get in on the act.

By Alia Hoyt

Sassafras has a long history of culinary, medicinal and aromatic use, but safrole, a toxic compound found in its essential oils, has been banned by the FDA because of its potential carcinogenic properties.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Citric acid is added to everything from food to medicines to cleaning supplies. Although it occurs naturally, it's mostly manufactured from black mold. But does that mean we need to be worried?

By Alia Hoyt

Fried cheese curds are ooey, gooey and oh-so-delicious!

Cold brew coffee is coffee that's cold. And brewed. Right? Yes, but there's way more to it than that.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Forests in the city? A growing collection of urban edible forests aims to put a dent in world hunger and food insecurity.

By Alia Hoyt

Did you love cereal as a kid? Do you still love it? Discover how much you do with our cereal quiz.

By Alia Hoyt

Raw milk is actually blamed for foodborne illnesses across the United States, and it's illegal to sell in several. But is it really warranted?

By Shaun Chavis

Canned foods are super convenient, but there's often a stigma attached to serving them. Is that warranted?

By Shaun Chavis

Ice cream made with insect milk? A start-up in South Africa hopes you'll say, "Yes please!"

By Nathan Chandler

Once just an afterthought of the beer industry, today's nonalcoholic beer is tasty and outpacing the alcoholic stuff globally by two to one.

By Adina Solomon

Ruby chocolate is a growing worldwide sensation, but the exact recipe and processing techniques are closely guarded secrets.

By Tara Yarlagadda

They all taste good but they don't mean the same thing.

By Kathryn Whitbourne

Poutine is just fries, gravy and squeaky cheese curds — how did it get to be Canada's national dish?

By Jesslyn Shields

Grocery store tomatoes are all but flavorless anymore. A group of scientists is out to bring the ripe, red taste of summer back.

By Shaun Chavis

This banana has soft, sweet flesh and tastes a lot like vanilla custard or ice cream. One scoop or two?

By Tara Yarlagadda

HowStuffWorks heads to Atlanta's Varsity drive-in to learn about the historic restaurant's car hops, and chat with Frank Jones, a car hop that's worked there for nearly 65 years.

Espresso, latte, macchiato. The coffee bean didn't even originate in Italy, so why do so many coffee drinks have Italian names?

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

Female chickens lay eggs whether they've mated with a rooster or not.

By Jesslyn Shields

Did you know that sourdough starter has to be constantly fed?

By Stell Simonton

They are different, aren't they?

By Jesslyn Shields

We throw out tons of perfectly good parts of vegetables and fruits often because we don't know what to do with them. But there's a lot of treasure in the trash.

By Alia Hoyt

Which do you prefer?

By Loraine Fick

It's a pie. Filled with squash. Who in the world decided that was a good idea?

By Shaun Chavis

As quinoa's popularity skyrocketed on the world stage, concern grew that it was becoming too expensive for the South Americans who originally depended on it. But what was really happening?

By Alia Hoyt