Everybody eats food, it’s a part of surviving. Something rather complicated on the topic of food is it’s classification, and how it’s constructed. Most people wouldn’t question anything about it unless another were to bring it up. This opens up the question about just how weird everyday foods are, and just how are they weird in the first place. 

Let’s start with how food is classified, most have heard the statement that strawberries aren’t berries and bananas are, but there are much weirder ones to mention. For example, pistachios are fruit, not nuts. More specifically they are what’s known as a drupe, or a fleshy fruit with a shelled seed on the inside. Peaches or cherries are other examples, and unlike those, people eat the seed of pistachios. 

Another rather bizarre classification comes from raspberries, which are technically from the same family as roses. A lot of fruits are a part of the Rosacea family, including apples, pears, plums, and apricots. This does not stop them from being fruit, they are just simultaneously a relative of roses gifted on Valentine’s Day. 

Looking more at facts about the use of food rather than simply what it is, ketchup used to be a medicine. This sounds rather ridiculous without context, but people in the 1800s believed tomatoes had medicinal properties, so one doctor made it into ketchup which then even later came in pill form. 

 A very odd-sounding medical one is coconut water, only in an absolute emergency, can be used for blood plasma. The primary reason is both have high sodium levels and low potassium levels, but it has some side effects like headaches and itchiness. 

Food can be kind of weird when you look further than just consuming it. Even with this, it’s rather fascinating just how complex everything someone may view as so simple can be. Whether it’s how they’re classified or what they have or actively are used for, it really shows how versatile they can be.