Food Trivia, Quizzes, and Brain Teasers

Food

Big Question

Why Does Turkey Make You Tired?

Most people blame tryptophan, but that's not really the main culprit. So why do people have such a hard time staying awake after Thanksgiving dinner? And what is tryptophan, anyway? ... READ ON

Food

11 Foods Inspired by Candy Corn

Candy corn's tri-color design has become a classic symbol of Halloween treats. It’s so iconic, in fact, the color combination can now be found in all kinds of foods, many of which even those who hate candy corn will still enjoy.... READ ON

Big Question

How Do You Juice a Prune?

Reader Joe writes in to say, I recently bought a bag of "dried plums" only to later learn that a delicious dried plum is the exact same as a horrible old prune. That got me thinking about prune juice, and wondering how it's possible to juice dried fruit!”... READ ON

Big Question

Why Are Grape-Nuts Neither Grapes Nor Nuts?

Post Company founder Charles W. Post might have been good at creating popular cereals, but he wasn't the best at naming them.... READ ON

Big Question

Did Calling Junk Email "Spam" Hurt SPAM Sales?

Hormel Foods introduced SPAM, a delicious portmanteau of “spiced ham,” in 1937. The use of the email term “spam,” on the other hand, is harder to trace.... READ ON

Big Question

Where Are These Thousand Islands?

Is the delicious dressing that gives a Reuben its tanginess named after an actual chain of islands? You bet it is.... READ ON

Big Question

Why Are Potato Chip Bags Always Half-Empty?

As disappointing as it can be to tear into a bag of Lay’s to find empty air where your afternoon snack should be, that extra space in the package is there for a reason.... READ ON

Big Question

Don't "Chai" and "Tea" Both Mean the Same Thing?

Next time you order a chai tea from your corner coffee shop, take a moment and appreciate your killer multi-lingual skills. After all, etymologically speaking, the words “chai” and “tea” refer to exactly the same thing, just in different languages. So what’s the deal? ... READ ON

Big Question

Why Does Food Taste Bad After You Brush Your Teeth?

If you have no idea why we're pondering that question today, go brush your teeth and chug some orange juice.... READ ON

Food

Why Are Whole Foods Typically More Expensive Than Processed?

Close perusal of a Wonder loaf’s list of ingredients reveals some 29 tongue-tying components, while the whole grain loaf has five or six, none over two syllables. So why are more heavily processed foods and those with more ingredients typically less expensive than whole foods?... READ ON