Join the Fun!

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) That expensive coffee made from beans collected from animal droppings.

Who the hell looked at that and said "Why not? Let's give it a go.".

NickFurious82 , www.ebay.com Report

Final score:

133points

POST

Tucker Cahooter 2 months ago

I spoke too soon...

54points

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Cheese is weird.

Hey ogg, that milk you were storing has gone weird and lumpy, should I throw it out?

Nah, it's still good, pass it here.

SirTwitchALot reply:
Rennet, which causes milk to curdle is naturally present in the stomachs of calves. Some speculate that people may have used stomachs as storage vessels. You put some milk in there, and it curdles. Food is scarce, so you're not about to let it go to waste, thankfully the chunky milk actually tastes pretty damn good!

midunda , Maria Report

Final score:

93points

POST

sofacushionfort 2 months ago

Plains Indians ate the solidified milk in bison calves stomachs. It’s how primitive people learned to mix milk and rennet

43points

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Honey. Let's follow these highly territorial murder flies to their stronghold and eat their vomit.

_Molotovsky reply:
That's easy, watch a bear. It's kind of a cliche now because of cartoons but bears LOVE honey, and will climb trees to get to the hive. Probably doesn't hurt that their skin is thicker and getting stung probably tickles, but they will go to some lengths to get it."

"Some enterprising caveman watched the bear go for the hive and probably decided to taste what was left. I wouldn't want to fight the bear for it but it probably was the first sweet thing ever tasted other than fruit, so it was valued."

genetic_ape , ROMAN ODINTSOV Report

Final score:

90points

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Silly-Rabbit 2 months ago

Valued and it has healing and antiseptic properties! So who was the first person to figure out slathering yourself with a sticky liquid would heal wounds. Then you would have to leave it there without licking or eating it off.

41points

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Vanilla flavoring from beaver butt.

Gregskis , Jasper Kortmann Report

Final score:

89points

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Savahax 2 months ago (edited)

Someone ate a beaver and found a part he specifically liked. Come on guys 😉

47points

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) The amount of effort you have to go through to make cashews edible

The f**k did someone figure that out.

Maleficent_Nobody_75 reply:
Yes. The shells that surround the cashews apparently contain very toxic oils and the extraction process they need to do can be hazardous to us humans if not handled correctly. The extraction process has to be done manually, hence why the process is difficult and time-consuming. Probably the reason why they are one of the most expensive nuts on the market when I think about it.

anon , Antoni Shkraba Report

Final score:

85points

POST

ILoveMySon 2 months ago

Well, that's just nuts.

46points

HakimEuphrates , Igor Haritanovich Report

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Ever think about coffee beans? Hey, I'm gonna roast this seed, smash it up and drown it in hot water. Bet it tastes great.'.

TheFerricGenum reply:
This one is not that difficult to come by. The beans are edible when freshly picked, and actually contain more caffeine (caffeine is lost through baking). So I bet people were regularly drawing on these as a food source since they are an upper. Someone along the line probably realized cooking things can keep them from spoiling a bit longer and started roasting their beans. If food was scarce, it’s possible they boiled these beans at one point to try to stretch their food supply. They liked the taste, and realized grinding the beans helped draw out the flavor easier.

Final score:

85points

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Tucker Cahooter 2 months ago

OK, but how about civet coffee? Who was the brave soul who tried that first?

41points

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) The enigmatic durian – a fruit so pungent it could make a skunk blush. It's like someone stumbled upon this spikey orb, dared to take a bite, and thought, "Yes, let's create a culinary sensation that smells like a blend of rotten onions and gym socks." Truly, the mysteries of gastronomy know no bounds!

anon , Kelly Report

Final score:

83points

POST

Firstname Lastname 2 months ago

I just assumed that whoever first tried it had no sense of smell.

48points

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Blue cheese…someone left that out for too long, looked at it, shrugged their shoulders and went for it.

Narf234 , KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA Report

Final score:

72points

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nottheactualphoto 2 months ago

Because hungry.

38points

PathOfTheAncients , cottonbro studio Report

#10

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Gelatin.

I swear whoever invented gelatin was probably a serial killer.

Final score:

72points

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Daniel Atkins 2 months ago

Most likely noticed how after cooking a cut of meat with bones in it would gel when cooled. Now making it into a dessert is kinda weird.

71points

#11

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Foods that are poisonous unless prepared in a specific manner.

I mean who was it who first realised that the kidney beans that were poisoning everyone raw, were perfectly safe after being boiled for 20 mins?

prolixia Report

Final score:

68points

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Serena Myers 2 months ago

Here is our first lonnnggg word for today. "Eating raw or undercooked kidney beans can indeed cause food poisoning. This is due to a natural toxin called phytohaemagglutinin found in the beans."

55points

Multiple-Atrocities , Kindel Media Report

#12

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) F*****g sea urchins. why would you even want to crack that open and eat it.

Final score:

67points

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Snowy Ashton 2 months ago

Well, certain urchins are invasive species, reproduce rapidly and can decimate ocean habitats like kelp forests. Weird to eat, but really we should be eating more of them to help keep their numbers down.

34points

#13

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) One of the first staple foods is kinda weird: Acorns. Acorns were actually farmed very early in human history, but to make them edible you have to soak them and treat them. Sure, you see animals eat them all the time, but animals also eat tree bark and leaves. Somehow people figured out, that you could turn the inside of acorns into flour and basically eradicate hunger by simple picking up acorns for a couple of days.

Zagdil , Ylanite Koppens Report

Final score:

66points

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Pernille 2 months ago

Acorns are poisonous to horses, but pigs love them, and their meat is extra tasty when they have eaten lots of acorns. I have lots of oak trees, and horse, so to prevent them from eating acorns I let a local pig farmer have his mangaliza pigs in my forest all winter. Yesterday he arrived with 20 teenage pigs, and come spring I'll get the meat of one of them.

107points

#14

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Nettles. "Ow, that m**********r stung me! Maybe I should boil it for its crimes....".

CountVowl , Steffen Rühlmann Report

Final score:

66points

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Steve Robert 2 months ago

I learned how to cook stinging nettles in the Boy Scouts. Part of surviving in nature when you're hungry.

27points

EasyBounce , Sesselja María Sveinsdóttir Report

#15

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Hakarl. I think it was probably starvation that led someone long, long ago to eat that rotten dead shark that had been fermenting in beach sand for months. Surely that could be the only reason someone would eat it because I have heard hakarl smells and tastes like p**s.

Final score:

65points

POST

WindySwede 2 months ago

Welcome to surströmmingsskiva! (Baltic herring though)

22points

#16

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Potatoes. Early potatoes were small, hard, and poisonous.

Methods of making them not poisonous included soaking them in running water for weeks or, in the high Andes, leaving them out on rocks high in the mountains so they effectively freeze-dried. Alternatively, you could mix them with clay when eating them - the clay would adsorb some of the toxins.

SuspiciouslyMoist , Pixabay Report

Final score:

54points

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Victoria 2 months ago (edited)

Not just potatoes but the whole nightshade family is poisonous: Tomatoes, Eggplants etc. along with potatoes. Can you imagine if we hadn't made them edible by breeding out the poison? Vegetable selections would be so much restricted. I can't imagine my food life without these vegetables.

51points

AnakinCaesar , flyingdragonnursery.co.nz Report

#17

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) There’s a fruit in Brazil that needs to be cooked around 7 days, otherwise it’s toxic.

Final score:

53points

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mtownmick 2 months ago

Cassava.

33points

#18

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Gummy bears. How are you not scared the bears would attack you from the inside? Actually, I hear the sugar free ones do.

skisushi , kbolbik149668 Report

Final score:

50points

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trevor 2 months ago

The sugar free ones don't so much attack ... they try to escape from the body... quickly.

73points

SimeonDoesStuffBG , Taryn Elliott Report

#19

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Fugu. To even be allowed to make it, you need a license to show that you can consistently make it in a way that won‘t kill your customer(not to mention the training required to get the license which IIRC can only be issued by the Japanese Government). How many tries were needed to figure out the propper way to make it and why did they keep trying after the first two or three tries?

SeiCalros reply:
Fugu fish aren't that lethal. Most people could eat a whole fish including the skin liver and ovaries which are the poisonous parts. One fugu fish COULD be fatal but most people who used to die from fugu liver had eaten several of them.

Final score:

50points

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Justin Tyme 2 months ago

Uh no, SeiCalros. There is enough tetrodotoxin in one average size fugu to kill 30 adult humans.

46points

WindySwede 2 months ago

BP and the facts checking again.. 😅

8points

Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 2 months ago

Either way, I don't want any 👍

4points

Pamelot 2 months ago

Whoa! 😵

2points

Cool crow 2 months ago

"Let's try one and see!"

0points

Victoria 2 months ago (edited)

Seicalros is talking out of his butt. Tetrodotoxin in puffers are lethal. Like in fraction of micrograms can kill you lethal.

17points

justagirl 2 months ago

thus why the emperor was forbidden from eating fugu.

7points

Savahax 2 months ago

The lethality of fugu (pufferfish) depends on the species and how they are prepared. There are over 120 species of pufferfish, and some of them contain dangerous levels of **tetrodotoxin** (TTX), a potent neurotoxin that can be deadly to humans. The most toxic parts are usually the liver, ovaries, and sometimes the skin. Fugu is lethal if not properly prepared by a licensed and skilled chef, as even a tiny amount of tetrodotoxin can cause paralysis and death. The exact number of fugu fish that are "lethal" can't be pinned down, but an untrained person handling any of the more toxic species could risk poisoning themselves or others. Even a single fish can be deadly. In Japan, chefs who prepare fugu are required to undergo rigorous training and obtain special certification to ensure safety.

12points

Stephanie Goadsby 2 months ago

Also, as with most poisonous species, taking it out of its natural environment and therefore altering its diet will alter toxicity levels. Most commercial fugu are farmed and bred to be without toxin.

4points

martymcmatrix 2 months ago

Fish thinks, prepare me wrong and I'll »fug u« up...🤷🏽

5points

Ni Na 2 months ago

I tried it in Japan and chefs who can prepare Fugu have a license in their shop and can be found on a special list (online). If you wanna try it just check it out and pay a lot of money - it takes time. Was it worth it? At least I can say I tried it but my mouth was a little bit dazed and the fish itself has no real taste, so you get some kind of sauce for the dipping. It was an expierence :)

3points

JoMeBee 2 months ago

That's like nothing with the convenience of puffer fish!! Thanks, I'll pass.

3points

Huddo's sister 2 months ago

There was a news story the other day about the youngest person to ever gain the training and licence to prepare fugu, a 9 year old girl.

2points

Cat Chat 2 months ago

I read that, too. It'll still be years before she can legally be employed as a chef, iirc. But I imagine she will have plenty of opportunities to otherwise continue her chef training before actual employment. Apparently she had to travel quite far from her home village to test for the license because where she tested and passed is the only place that allows it for that young of age.

0points

The Doom Song 2 months ago

I learnt about Fugu from the simpsons

0points

Stannous Flouride 2 months ago

A Japanese 10-year-old has become the youngest person authorized to prepare fugu puffer fish — a delicacy that can kill if its poisonous parts are not properly removed. Fifth grader Karin Tabira passed a test this summer that certifies her to slice and gut the fish for consumption. She recently used her new skills to serve a platter of paper-thin slices of fugu sashimi to the governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, where she lives. "I was happy when the governor said 'oishii' (delicious)," she told reporters at an event where Gov. Takashi Kimura ate the dish. Tabira was among 60 people — mostly professional chefs — who passed the test in Yamaguchi Prefecture this summer, out of 93 people who tried. Screen-Sho...78-png.jpg

0points

Stannous Flouride 2 months ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

cerinamroth 2 months ago

Someone tried to sell fugu to my Filipino husband when we were in Okinawa. He looks Okinawan apparently - I also see what they mean - and everyone spoke Japanese to him. They nearly dropped their fugu when the little European lassie responded in Japanese! :D

0points

Edith 2 months ago

But can you imagine our persistence on this - I will still eat you fugu fish, I will inspect which parts of you are poisonous , I will still find a way to eat you!

0points

Peggygirl 2 months ago

0points

Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 2 months ago

My thoughts exactly.

1point

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#20

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Chocolate. I mean don't get me wrong I get why they were playing around with the plant and all.

The sheer process of getting to Chocolate as a product is so weird and bizarre and kinda gross...and then it comes out as the lovely candy we know and love.

Onepopcornman , elements.envato.com Report

Final score:

46points

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Peter Parker 2 months ago

Well, but every step/ingredient is edible, so it's not far fetched to combine them.. Are you equally amazed by cake? Imagine the process of mixing so many different things and then heating the result up. How crazy is that?!

26points

#21

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) What the f**k was bread guy doing? What compelled him to collect tiny pieces of grain, dry them out, smash them into a powder, get them wet again (but not too wet), and then put the whole thing over fire?

sparta981 , Flo Maderebner Report

Final score:

43points

POST

Two_rolling_black_eyes 2 months ago

There's decent evidence that bread was made by accident. A slurry Guinness like mixture was made because heating soaked grains opened the outer husks release the edible part inside. The heat along with fermentation killed some nasty bugs in the water. Some drunk dude fell asleep with a batch over some coals and the water baked off leaving the first bread.

40points

BonerSoupAndSalad , Wavy_ revolution Report

#22

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Our earliest ancestors in Africa likely ate a ton of yams, which were basically hard roots that I believe are also sometimes toxic. People were probably dead set on making the root vegetables where they ended up edible. Eating root vegetables as a staple might be the most engrained human tradition.

Final score:

43points

POST

Miss Mali 2 months ago

I think taro is the root that can make u sick if not prepared correctly.

17points

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

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#23

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Almost every edible mushroom. Lots of trial and error there, I bet.
shadowa1ien reply:
Shiitake mushrooms are like this. They're not deathly poisonous, but if eaten raw in medium to large amounts can cause severe itching for up to several weeks. Now imagine my face as I read that little tidbit on Google... after I had popped a raw shiitake mushroom in my mouth and had already swallowed most of it. The moral of the story, if you aren't sure, google before taste testing. my logic was since there's no warning on the store packaging, it must be fine! I didn't get the severe itching thankfully.

Leeser , Egor Kamelev Report

Final score:

42points

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Sky Render 2 months ago

The morel of the story, on the other hand, looks like the mushroom equivalent of Swiss cheese.

56points

#24

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Lobster, crab, shrimp...

lionson76 , Kindel Media Report

Final score:

41points

POST

Sky Render 2 months ago

This is 100% a historical starvation food. Being unable to farm or hunt with weapons (due to a lack of land, weapons or hunting prowess), many people living near the sea would chase down whatever they could catch in the surf and eat it.

49points

#25

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) The french are masters at this :

- engorged livers from geese and ducks that have been force fed
- snails : they’re everywhere but for some reason only the French eat them, but not slugs because that would be weird
- frogs : they’re everywhere but for some reason only the French eat them, but not toads because that would be weird
- cheese with maggots in (my Norman FiL)
- Camembert cheese dipped coffee (my Norman FiL)
- Pigs ear salad
- pig and sheep’s brain (they sell them at my local supermarché)
- Normandy sausage made from god knows what (delicious it is) but I think it comes from the stomach / intestine (my Mum calls it A**s Sausage)
- not to mention turning rotten grapes into an art form / national obsession
- sheep’s testicles (FiL)
- raw beef (and if its not dodgy enough well add a raw egg too)
- Horse (like really good beef, but better).

badbog42 , Atypeek Dgn Report

Final score:

38points

POST

iseefractals 2 months ago

Fois Gras was actually developed in ancient egypt, ancient greece and some parts of turkey, the, Casu martzu (maggot cheese) is Sardinian and illegal throughout europe

26points

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#26

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Maybe not quite food, but like tobacco and Marijuana. The amount of trial and error of just smoking random things to see what happens must have been an interesting time.

Steamed-Barley reply:
It's brewed from a combination of Chacruna leaves and the vines of Banisteriopsis caapi - two completely different plants. The leaves contain DMT, while the vines contain MAOIs, which inhibit enzymes and allow DMT to enter the bloodstream and reach the brain. Both are necessary for the potent psychoactive effects to occur, you can't take one without the other.
It's been used since at least 1000 years ago. How the hell they found the correct combination is just... wow.

thatoneguy500 , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:

36points

POST

Libstak 2 months ago

Fires in the vicinity of tobacco plants? Trying to put out a raging fire and discovering the smoke makes you feel a certain way but only when these leaves were involved. Or adding dried leaves to camp fires, same deal and then cos it felt good they got closer to the fire to inhale more smoke then some bright spark rolled up a leaf, lit it on fire and got a direct hit...

26points

#27

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Artichokes.

oldcrustybutz reply:
I kinda feel like they're a specialization from a generalization though.
There are the more generalized Cardoon thistles where you more eat the stalk and stems which wouldn't be that big of a stretch to throw them on some coals, peel, and enjoy. Later someone found that the flower base was even better because you can use it as a bunch of tiny spoons to deliver copious amounts of butter to your cardoon hole.

soserva , KAJU style Report

Final score:

35points

POST

Paul Gerrard 2 months ago

The mystery of why anyone cooked or ate brussell sprouts remains

17points

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#28

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) That blowfish stuff. The kind that they have to be super careful when preparing. How'd they figure out being good enough to prepare it?

Onlyhereforthelaughs , www.earthandanimals.com Report

Final score:

32points

POST

LonelyLittleLeafSheep 2 months ago

Fugu

12points

ResponsibleJaguar109 , www.nipino.com Report

#29

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Balut. A duck embryo still in the shell.

Final score:

27points

POST

Zedrapazia 2 months ago

In Europe, there's something quite similar to that (found in Germany, Austria and France amongst others). For that you basically take a small songbird, poke the eyes out or place it into permanent darkness so it forgets day and night, and feed it constantly until it's very fat. Then, the bird is drowned in alcohol, roasted and eaten whole with a napkin over your head. However, most people won't eat it anymore and I myself also find it really weird. If someone wants to know more, look up (Fettammer/Ortolan).

16points

#30

"What Is A Food That Makes You Think, 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'" (30 Answers) Green Olives? Poison until soaked in brine? How did that get figured out?

Dyrogitory , Hamid Eshafah Report

Final score:

21points

POST

Justin Tyme 2 months ago

Unprocessed olives are not toxic. In fact, the opposite is true. Olives contain oleuropein, which studies have found to be very beneficial to human health. However it also has an extremely bitter taste.

32points

I am a writer at Bored Panda. Despite being born in the US, I ended up spending most of my life in Europe, from Latvia, Austria, and Georgia to finally settling in Lithuania. At Bored Panda, you’ll find me covering topics ranging from the cat meme of the day to red flags in the workplace and really anything else. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, beating other people at board games, cooking, good books, and bad films.

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Greta is a Photo Editor-in-Chief at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication.In 2016, she graduated from Digital Advertising courses where she had an opportunity to meet and learn from industry professionals. In the same year, she started working at Bored Panda as a photo editor.Greta is a coffeeholic and cannot survive a day without 5 cups of coffee... and her cute, big-eared dog.Her biggest open secret: she is a gamer with a giant gaming backlog.

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What do you think ?

POST

Hugh Crawford 2 months ago

A long history of desperation and hunger

24points

Betta Fish 2 months ago

Okay but how desperate was the person who discovered cow milk...

2points

Mavis 2 months ago

I think a lot of these things occurred when humans noticed the unintentional results of doing something else entirely. Sitting around a campfire that you made out of old dug up roots....hey that burnt root actually smells delicious and the dogs are eating it. Lets try it too.

20points

Rocket Surgeon 2 months ago

Yeah like Lobsters. You really can't imagine someone who has gone their entire life eating different animals, looking at an animal and *not* thinking about eating it?

7points

Auntriarch 2 months ago (edited)

These questions say more about the poster's ignorance of even very recent history and dislocation from food sources than anything else. But as ever, Pandas to the rescue!

11points

Ace 2 months ago

What most of these fail to recognise is that the development of many of these foods took place a long time back in evolutionary history, so in fact the food came before the humans who ate it, doing what their ancestors had already been doing for eons.

8points

John Harrison 2 months ago

None of this is the slightest but mystifying when you consider the sheer amount of history that has historied. Billions of people have lived and died, and for most of our history, we had little to do except figure out how to feed ourselves.

5points

greenideas 2 months ago

I think a lot of it was about survival. Humans ate whatever was edible, and learned to process the leftovers in order to make them edible as well. Nothing was wasted because every calorie counted, flavor was less important (at least at first).

5points

UKGrandad 2 months ago (edited)

What a lot of people don't realise is that the vast majority of the vegetables we eat doesn't exist in the wild. They have been selectively bred (evolved by artificial selection) from wild ancestral plants that neither look nor taste like the ones we eat today. So to ask 'who was the first person to see a Brussels sprout and think "ooh, looks tasty"?' is to ask the wrong question, since sprouts were deliberately developed entirely by humans, along with cabbages cauliflowers, broccoli, kale, and so-on, from a single species of brassica originating around the Eastern Mediterranean, a coastal plant with leaves that look similar to those of dandelion leaves and that grows a tall (1-2m / 3-7ft) flower spike covered in small, yellow flowers. Even the wild cabbage found in Europe, while almost identical to the original species, is most likely feral rather than wild, deriving from seeds blown from the early domesticated plants in gardens and fields.

4points

JL 2 months ago

Always wondered about the first person who saw corn turn into popcorn. Must have freaked them out.

3points

catastrophegirl 2 months ago

from what i've read we probably got to booze from whole fruits that naturally fermented. either on our own or by watching birds and primates go for them

3points

Livingwithcfs 2 months ago (edited)

Rhubarb. I mean how? Why? Three guys sitting there each given a part to try and everyone goes, yip we can eat the stalks. Oh and BTW throw those guys in the pit, they're not hungry anymore, just dead

3points

Serena Myers 2 months ago

"During World War I, the British government suggested using rhubarb leaves as a food source to help ease food shortages. However, this recommendation was quickly withdrawn after reports of sickness and even death due to the toxic nature of rhubarb leaves" Our government was never the sharpest knife in the drawer, and still isn't.

6points

marianne eliza 2 months ago

Most of these foods were being eaten by our ancient ancestors, long before we became homo sapiens. Just observe what monkeys and apes eat in the wild. The ones that require some prep were all probably accidents. Serendipity. It's believed soap came from a sudden rain storm that flooded a cooking firepit, and the water mixed with wood ashes and fats from cooked food and made a slippery foam on everything. Surprise! the things under that foam were clean.

2points

Stannous Flouride 2 months ago

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!) but “That’s funny …” — Isaac Asimov (I think that applies to most of these too)

1point

tuzdayschild 2 months ago

Who looked at a brown spriggy weed and thought, I'll grind this up and make flour. Then I'll add water and oil and sugar and yeast. I'll squish it and squish it and squish it. Then I'll walk away and let it puff up. Then I'll punch the puff and walk away again. Then I'll throw it in the oven and make one of the most delicious things in the history of ever.

1point

Petra Schaap 2 months ago

i feel like the biggest part of this story is untold because so many people died while trying!

1point

Adam Zad 2 months ago

Beer. The brewing process is so complicated and convoluted.

1point

ohjojo (you/your's) 2 months ago

Terrific article. Really thoughtful subject.

1point

Mimi M 2 months ago (edited)

I like that BP poster Justin took the time to include educational comments (even though they were not fact checked - c'mon, if you are taking all reddit comments as fact without doing your own follow-up...)

1point

I need a nap. 2 months ago

So no one here is wondering about milk? Just me? It’s quite literally breast milk (which most of us only drink as an infant) from ANOTHER ANIMAL. Why the cow of all animals? I know yak’s milk is a thing, but what about other types of milk? Pigs milk? Horse milk? I could go on. My 2 questions are these. Who discovered and had the absolutely insane idea to milk a cow, and why don’t we do the same thing with other animals?

1point

UKGrandad 2 months ago

Goats' milk and sheeps' milk are both widely consumed. The reason we don't use milk from other animals probably has a lot to do with flavour and practicality. As to why we started using milk from other animals; my guess is that it was simply another food source that we could exploit. Why cows? Because they naturally produce high volumes, can be selectively bred to produce even higher volumes all-year round, and the flavour is the most acceptable to humans.

5points

TheBlueBitterfly 2 months ago

Cattle, goats and sheep milk is consumed all over the world. Cow milk is the most popular because of taste and volume - cows are bigger therefore can produce more milk. These animals were already being kept for meat, and anyone who raises (or is around) those animals knows they feed their young milk. (As do, yknow, humans.) So it wasn't much of a stretch to milk these animals in times of desperation. (Mother dies in childbirth, family lives on an isolated farmstead, no other women around who can nurse - "but the goat just had a kid, maybe we can keep the baby alive with goat milk until something else can be worked out!"

1point

Liz The Biz 2 months ago

I was thinking that too. I don't drink milk as it turns my stomach, but I often wonder who looked at a cow and thought hey why not squeeze liquid out of a cow and the drink it?

0points

Dorian Gabriel 2 months ago

Historians asked a Native man how his people first learned to tap maple trees for syrup. He told them, "A squirrel taught us." The historians decided that this was a silly story and the truth had been long lost, and likely they would never find out the truth. Decades later, a white man watched a squirrel only to realize that it was using a rock to tap a maple tree.

0points

Lotekguy 2 months ago (edited)

We should have a moment of silence in gratitude for all who suffered nausea, diarrhea and death from guessing wrong about what was edible or how it should be prepared. Many died for our gluttony to exist.

0points

Carla Phillips 2 months ago

I often wonder about magic mushrooms. Who saw some fungus growing out of a cow patty and thought, I wonder what will happen if I eat that??

0points

Jaguarundi 2 months ago

Tapioca. Peel, wash, rinse, boill, wash, rinse, boil, until it's nontoxic. Then use it as a thickener or pudding.

0points

Purple_bio 2 months ago

i give you LARD

0points

Guess Undheit 2 months ago

Nobody mentioned rhubarb? The stalks are edible, eating the leaves will kill you. On the same freaking piece of the plant. rhubarb-66...148f70.jpg

0points

Ben Aziza 2 months ago

I like how gmo have been a thing since himans could write history. Now ppl are afraid of making food better when we actually have better tech? Why?

0points

Angela C 2 months ago

I think with most of these the question is not why did we try to eat it, so much as why did we keep eating it when other things were available?

0points

_-DungeonKeeper-_ 2 months ago

Can't believe no one mentioned milk, like who first saw a cow and thought "she's hiding something really good in there and I'm gonna get jt"

0points

Doofnuts 2 months ago

Poke Weed (as in Poke Salad Annie). Has to be boiled three times before it won't off you or make you sick. Who agreed to test this?

0points

Roxy222uk 2 months ago

A lot of these things were already a known and common food stuff before we evolved into Home sapiens, and we just kept eating what we'd always eaten. It's not that bloody hard to work out.

0points

brittany 2 months ago

vegemite. i love it honestly, just wonder how hungry the person was who discovered it was edible.

0points

ThatOneFish She/Her 2 months ago

Here's mine: What the hell was the person who discovered milk doing?

0points

Johnny McFearless 2 months ago

I'm surprised no one mentioned octopus ink, which gives nice salty oily flavour to rice. It's a delicacy of the adriatic region in Europe.

0points

Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 2 months ago

Always curious about the stuff they cook at state fairs. Deep fried butter? What? 😳

0points

Space Invader 2 months ago

It might be fun to imagine all the things people desperately tried to turn edible to no avail. "Hey, I bet you can eat sand if you boil it long enough.... Still nothing? Maybe soak it in brine.... Or maybe feed it to the donkey and try it once it comes out again!"

0points

Rocket Surgeon 2 months ago

Tartar sauce always amuses me. "Hey you know what would go great on this fish? Mayo and dill pickles!"

0points

David Paterson 2 months ago

I am a person who has eaten a lot of strange things. Lead, yes. Oxalic acid, yes. Ricin, yes. Wild mushrooms, yes. Acorns, yes. Lantana, yes. And even things I would never eat I can see why hunger would make people try them. And some weird foods such as the deadlier spices have come from experiments in food preservation. But even I can't see how some foods came to be. Including chocolate, saffron (takes forever to harvest), castor oil (the beans are deadly let's press them and extract the oil), nettles.

0points

nm (he/him) 2 months ago (edited)

To my greatest shame and at late age, I confess that just learned that castor oil is derived from beans and not the beaver (castor in Latin or κάστωρ in Greek). Mea maxima culpa. To my defense, some time in my life I heard that castor oil was used as lubricant and was expensive. Never knew the existence of castor beans until now.

0points

POST

Hugh Crawford 2 months ago

A long history of desperation and hunger

24points

Betta Fish 2 months ago

Okay but how desperate was the person who discovered cow milk...

2points

Mavis 2 months ago

20points

Rocket Surgeon 2 months ago

Yeah like Lobsters. You really can't imagine someone who has gone their entire life eating different animals, looking at an animal and *not* thinking about eating it?

7points

Auntriarch 2 months ago (edited)

These questions say more about the poster's ignorance of even very recent history and dislocation from food sources than anything else. But as ever, Pandas to the rescue!

11points

Ace 2 months ago

8points

John Harrison 2 months ago

5points

greenideas 2 months ago

5points

UKGrandad 2 months ago (edited)

4points

JL 2 months ago

Always wondered about the first person who saw corn turn into popcorn. Must have freaked them out.

3points

catastrophegirl 2 months ago

from what i've read we probably got to booze from whole fruits that naturally fermented. either on our own or by watching birds and primates go for them

3points

Livingwithcfs 2 months ago (edited)

Rhubarb. I mean how? Why? Three guys sitting there each given a part to try and everyone goes, yip we can eat the stalks. Oh and BTW throw those guys in the pit, they're not hungry anymore, just dead

3points

Serena Myers 2 months ago

6points

marianne eliza 2 months ago

2points

Stannous Flouride 2 months ago

1point

tuzdayschild 2 months ago

1point

Petra Schaap 2 months ago

i feel like the biggest part of this story is untold because so many people died while trying!

1point

Adam Zad 2 months ago

Beer. The brewing process is so complicated and convoluted.

1point

ohjojo (you/your's) 2 months ago

Terrific article. Really thoughtful subject.

1point

Mimi M 2 months ago (edited)

1point

I need a nap. 2 months ago

1point

UKGrandad 2 months ago

5points

TheBlueBitterfly 2 months ago

1point

Liz The Biz 2 months ago

I was thinking that too. I don't drink milk as it turns my stomach, but I often wonder who looked at a cow and thought hey why not squeeze liquid out of a cow and the drink it?

0points

Dorian Gabriel 2 months ago

0points

Lotekguy 2 months ago (edited)

0points

Carla Phillips 2 months ago

I often wonder about magic mushrooms. Who saw some fungus growing out of a cow patty and thought, I wonder what will happen if I eat that??

0points

Jaguarundi 2 months ago

Tapioca. Peel, wash, rinse, boill, wash, rinse, boil, until it's nontoxic. Then use it as a thickener or pudding.

0points

Purple_bio 2 months ago

i give you LARD

0points

Guess Undheit 2 months ago

Nobody mentioned rhubarb? The stalks are edible, eating the leaves will kill you. On the same freaking piece of the plant. rhubarb-66...148f70.jpg

0points

Ben Aziza 2 months ago

I like how gmo have been a thing since himans could write history. Now ppl are afraid of making food better when we actually have better tech? Why?

0points

Angela C 2 months ago

I think with most of these the question is not why did we try to eat it, so much as why did we keep eating it when other things were available?

0points

_-DungeonKeeper-_ 2 months ago

Can't believe no one mentioned milk, like who first saw a cow and thought "she's hiding something really good in there and I'm gonna get jt"

0points

Doofnuts 2 months ago

Poke Weed (as in Poke Salad Annie). Has to be boiled three times before it won't off you or make you sick. Who agreed to test this?

0points

Roxy222uk 2 months ago

A lot of these things were already a known and common food stuff before we evolved into Home sapiens, and we just kept eating what we'd always eaten. It's not that bloody hard to work out.

0points

brittany 2 months ago

vegemite. i love it honestly, just wonder how hungry the person was who discovered it was edible.

0points

ThatOneFish She/Her 2 months ago

Here's mine: What the hell was the person who discovered milk doing?

0points

Johnny McFearless 2 months ago

I'm surprised no one mentioned octopus ink, which gives nice salty oily flavour to rice. It's a delicacy of the adriatic region in Europe.

0points

Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 2 months ago

Always curious about the stuff they cook at state fairs. Deep fried butter? What? 😳

0points

Space Invader 2 months ago

0points

Rocket Surgeon 2 months ago

Tartar sauce always amuses me. "Hey you know what would go great on this fish? Mayo and dill pickles!"

0points

David Paterson 2 months ago

0points

nm (he/him) 2 months ago (edited)

0points