Stevia is a zero-calorie plant-based sweetener native to Paraguay and discovered by a heavily bearded anarchic chemist hoping to establish a utopian colony in the South American jungle. That old story.
Potatoes? Europe was not a fan of this weird, dirt-colored knob when it first arrived from Peru. So the French showily planted acres of spuds outside Paris, placing armed guards around the plots. As expected, attentive thieves came in and stole every potato they could lay their hands on; right out from under the secret grins of the phony guards. Voila!
Goji berries have been the real thing for twenty centuries—but who's counting? In this modern investigative age of clinical research, lab coats, and endless footnotes you have to squint to see (he confessed), the pharmacological workings of the Goji berry are well-documented. And then there's the story of Li Ching-Yuen...
As kale’s ticker-tape parade nears its end, the briefly-beloved leaf prepares to trudge sadly back to its old job as the inedible garnish used to liven-up the crushed ice in Pizza Hut’s® salad bar. Poor kale. Yes, it remains a superfood.
Daddy's home with his strange groceries! Say, did you know the misunderstood pumpkin is a nutrient treasure trove? Yes, yes—you can reach into its slimy interior, hollow it out and make a Jack O'Lantern. And who wouldn't! But we’re here to tell you that there is more to the pumpkin than a slimed forearm.