12 Vegetables That Grow Different Than You Think

Some products of plant origin that are part of our daily lives have an interesting history and characteristics that we often don’t even imagine. For example, did you know that healthy eaters eat the same as the ancient Aztecs? Or that many fruits originally have no smell?

To satisfy this curiosity, the awesome.club below will show you how some of our favorite products are grown and cultivated, as well as revealing interesting facts about them. Read and be surprised along with us.

Did you know that dates have no smell? Therefore, it is recommended to keep them in airtight containers, as fruits, especially when dry, quickly absorb other odors. Dates grow on palm trees that can reach up to 25 meters in height. One tree can harvest about 100 kilos of dates.

Currently, the popular food gives a spicy flavor to dishes and goes very well with fish. This spice is made from the non-flowering buds of the caper bush. Capers cannot be eaten raw, so they are salted and marinated before consumption. By the way, Russian salad, the original recipe of which is in a cookbook from 1897, is prepared with capers, not cucumbers.

The fig would not exist without the fig wasp, as the insect is essential for the plant to be pollinated. Female wasps penetrate male figs (which we don’t eat), lay their eggs there, but then fail to get out. Those who come out of the fruit are the offspring that, in turn, often penetrate the female fruits, allowing the reproduction of the plant. So, when you eat a fig, you will certainly be eating a fig wasp with it. Were you impressed? But know that, thanks to a special enzyme, the tissues of the insects disintegrate into a protein that does not influence the taste of the fruit.

It may even seem strange, but in large cities many people have simply never seen a papaya tree. In antiquity, unripe papaya was used as a contraceptive method, as the pulp, before ripening, contains a substance that reduces reproductive function in both men and women.

The cranberry is grown on special plantations, installed in marshy areas. The fruits have small air spaces, and come out to the surface when they are ripe. At harvest, farmers pour water on the plantations: this way, the ripe cranberries fall and are collected with the help of a special net.

The Brazil nut seeds are in a kind of capsule that weighs up to two kilos. In each of them, there can be between 8 and 24 seeds, these covered by a very hard shell. In the image above, you can see a freshly cut Brazil nut, which must go through a drying process before consumption.

If you are curious to know what a cactus tastes like, try a dragon fruit, as it is, in itself, a cactus. When flowering, the plant is covered with beautiful and fragrant buds, which open at night. To enjoy a pitaya, you should consume it a little chilled, without combining it with other foods with a strong flavor.

Real wasabi is grown in streams of ice water, which has an anti-microbial effect, which explains the popular combination of the root with raw fish. The price of wasabi reaches 200 euros per kilo, and the product is only found in Japan. For this reason, far from the Asian country, what is served is an imitation that looks like wasabi, but is actually a mixture of spicy horseradish, spices and dyes.

Adding dried turmeric root to your meals helps ward off Alzheimer’s disease. This is believed to be why, in India — where turmeric is traditionally used in cooking — only 5% of people over 60 develop the disease, while the average in other countries reaches 20%.

The popular spice that grows mainly in winter are dried buds of the clove tree, which have not bloomed. Cloves have a characteristic flavor and aroma, but the stalk is responsible for the spiciness, while the strong aroma is perceived with greater intensity in the upper part of the bud.

Mustard is an excellent antiseptic, and this effect is not caused by the seeds alone. For some time now, winegrowers have used this plant a lot to enrich the soil where the vines are planted. Mustard root extracts contain sulfur, which fights soil pests.

Chia seeds are a favorite of healthy eaters. This food is known for its balanced composition, which brings beneficial fatty acids, antioxidants, proteins and fibers. In Mexico and other Andean countries such as Peru and Bolivia, it has been an indispensable part of traditional cuisine since Aztec and Inca times.

Do you know more about your favorite foods? In your opinion, which ones could make our list? Leave your comment!