World Food Day 2024: 5 Interesting Facts About Food We Bet You Didn't Know

Every year, World Food Day is observed on October 16 to raise awareness about food security and promote action to combat hunger and malnutrition around the world.

During the 1979 FAO Conference, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) officially established World Food Day as a worldwide event. More than 150 nations followed suit after that milestone, recognising World Food Day as an important day for international celebrations.

This year, World Food Day falls on Wednesday, October 16. While the world celebrates the joyous occasion of Food Day, here are five interesting facts about foods worldwide that we bet you didn't know.

Interesting facts about food

World's most expensive spice

One of the most expensive spices in the world is saffron. Known for its unique flavour, aroma, and bright yellow colour, it is made from the stigma of the saffron crocus flower. Due to the labour-intensive procedure of manually picking the delicate threads, saffron is the most expensive spice worldwide.

Longest pizza ever created

Pizza

The Guinness World Record for the longest pizza ever made was created in 2017 in Naples, Italy. Its length was an incredible 1.15 miles (1.85 kilometres). One and a half tonnes of tomato sauce and more than two tonnes of mozzarella cheese were used to create the tallest pizza ever back then.

World's spiciest chilli pepper

Chilli pepper

The Guinness World Record for the spiciest chilli pepper in the world is currently held by the Carolina Reaper. Some peppers have over 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU), whereas the average is about 1,641,183 SHU. A jalapeño is not quite as hot as that!

Honey never spoils

Honey

Pots of honey that are more than 3,000 years old and still absolutely edible have been discovered by archaeologists in ancient Egyptian tombs. Honey may last for a very long time because of its low water content and natural acidity, which make it a hostile habitat for the majority of germs and microbes.

Bananas are berries, but strawberries aren't

Banana and berries

Did you know? Bananas are classified as berries in botany because they are made from blooming plants of the Musa genus, develop from a single ovary, and contain seeds. However, since strawberries are made from a bloom containing several ovaries, they are not regarded as real berries.