“Unraveling Culinary Curiosities: 30 Unexpected Foods and the Surprising Stories Behind Their Discovery!”
Image credits: badbog42
#22
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.
Image credits: thatoneguy500
#23
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.
Image credits: Onepopcornman
#24
Lobster, crab, shrimp…
Image credits: lionson76
#25
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?
Image credits: sparta981
#26
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.
