Matcha contains L-theanine — an amino acid that produces calm alertness by modulating caffeine's effects.

Durian fruit is banned from many hotels and public transport in Southeast Asia because of its extremely strong odor.

A single strand of spaghetti is called a spaghetto.

Brazil nuts are the richest dietary source of selenium — just 1–2 nuts per day meets the daily requirement.

Raisins, prunes, and currants are all dried fruits with higher natural sugar concentration than their fresh counterparts.

A single saffron flower yields only three stigma threads, which is why saffron is the most expensive spice by weight.

Black pepper was once so valuable it was used as currency and to pay ransoms.

The Caesar salad was invented in Tijuana, Mexico, not in Rome.

Umami, the fifth basic taste, was identified by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908 from kombu seaweed.