10 food items that have undergone historical metamorphosis

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

We treat products like the most mundane things. And often we don't even think about how they looked before. Many fruits and vegetables a few hundred years ago looked completely different from what they are today. But because of the desire to tailor food to personal needs, humanity has changed certain types of vegetables and fruits beyond recognition. The examples from this material will surprise anyone.

1. Corn

Long road to glory.

The evolution of corn began with a small plant. The Mexican species of wild grass had only a few grains that fit on a thin spikelet. They were hidden in a thick and hard shell, so they were extremely difficult to get. Several blows with a hard object, for example, a stone, could split this "shell". The original corn tasted like dry raw potatoes. To transform it into a modern tasty version, only the largest grains were taken for planting. Years of effort have resulted in the corn getting bigger, softer and 4 times sweeter.

Corn as we are used to seeing it.

2. Cucumbers

Wild cucumbers are not at all like their cultivated counterparts. Rather, their relatives can be called cacti, thanks to ominous thorns up to several centimeters and a spherical shape. Wild cucumbers are completely inedible as they are highly toxic. At first, this species was grown only in India specifically for medical purposes. Through many years of experimentation, cucumbers have acquired a modern, elongated shape and become pleasant to the taste.

3. Bananas

The wild version of this tasty treat has tough, large seeds and a hard rind. It was absolutely impossible to eat such bananas raw, so they boiled them. It is believed that the history of the transformation of bananas began 10 thousand years ago. The modern version is soft, rich in flavor and amazingly nutritious. And most importantly, the seeds in it are practically invisible.

4. Peaches

Peaches used to look very different.

The painstaking work and care of breeders helped to give the peaches a modern look. The best fruits were chosen for planting so that the harvest would become more juicy, large and tasty. The first peaches were discovered as early as 4000 BC. The Chinese are considered their discoverers, who made the species agricultural.

At first, the fruit was very small, no bigger than a cherry. Its main part was occupied by a bone. The peach tasted sweet and earthy. But what amazed most of all was its color: white! It took more than one millennium to make the fruit of the peach tree 64 times larger. Additional benefits: they also became softer, 4% sweeter and 27% juicier. The size of the bone has decreased, so that the sweet treat has become much larger.

5. Strawberries

Most of our favorite vegetables, fruits and berries tasted better after gardening. Strawberries are an exception. The wild version of the berry is much sweeter, though small in size. That is why breeders have focused on increasing the strawberry, to the detriment of its taste. Disease resistance and presentable appearance sell better - eat well.

6. Tomatoes

Tomatoes took 1000 years to get their modern appearance. At first, they grew very small, like today's cherry blossoms. And they were also yellow, so they were called golden apples. Having made the tomatoes red, the gardeners began to increase their size. Thanks to this, the picture has become nicer, but the taste is worse. Modern tomatoes are more watery than their sweet and rich ancestors.

7. Carrots

Wild carrots have nothing to do with modern ones in appearance. It was first discovered in the 10th century in Persia, and its color was white, yellow or purple. The taste of wild carrots was very intense, but their size was not striking: a very thin root vegetable. The seeds of the plant were sent to Europe, where they did a good job on the appearance and improving the taste. The main suppliers of carrots were the Dutch and they chose their preferred color: orange. In the 17th century, they dedicated delicious fruits to their monarch, William III, Prince of Orange, for whom orange was a family color.

8. Avocado

Scientific developments are still very useful.

Wild avocado is not at all impressive in size. It contains practically no edible pulp. Almost everything a wild avocado is a seed. To get to our tables, the fetus had to go through a serious transformation. First of all, in size: the modern fruit is 10 times larger than the wild version. And secondly, wild fruits have a dense dark crust and not an impressive taste. Long-term selection has created a miracle thanks to which everyone can now enjoy a real healthy avocado.

9. Eggplant

Real eggplants are usually round in shape. Even their original name came from the word "egg", since not only the shape coincided, but also the color - white. At first, the fruits were very diverse: there were also various sizes, and shapes, and colors, for example, blue and yellow. Due to their bitter aftertaste, they were not used for cooking, but were used in medicine. A useful discovery in the form of eggplant was made by the Chinese, Thais and Indians. The fruit acquired its modern elongated appearance and purple color thanks to selection.

10. Watermelons

This berry has undergone the most impressive changes. The first harvest of watermelons was harvested in Egypt 5 thousand years ago. The berries were tiny in size and had a not particularly pleasant bitter taste. But thanks to the colossal efforts of breeders, by the 17th century, watermelons acquired the usual appearance for us. Their size has increased 1500 times! However, inside they were still different: the dry pulp had a light pink tint. Several years of additional scientific endeavor were taken to improve the flavor and juiciness.