There’s more to the food we eat and the beverages we drink than meets the eye, as these facts prove.

Oranges can be ripe when they’re yellow or green but as this confuses people they’re often ripened using ethylene gas to reach the preferred color.

Added sugar comes under all sorts of guises – there are nearly 60 names for it in the US alone, according to a presentation by Robert Lustig, MD and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California. These range from natural sources such as honey to the more obscure diastatic malt and dextran.

When we eat oysters in a half shell the shellfish is still technically alive. We consume them this way because bacteria growth renders them unsafe to eat when they’re dead.

Peanuts are actually legumes that grow underground, which explains why people with nut allergies can usually eat peanuts and people with a peanut allergy can eat nuts.

After the shell and hull is removed, the part of the almond we eat is a seed not a true nut. The almond tree is actually part of the same tree species as the peach.

Natural yogurt is largely regarded as healthy but Greek yogurt or Icelandic skyr contains more protein – up to twice the amount as normal yogurt. Go for the natural, strained variety though, as some Greek (or ‘Greek-style’) yogurt is thickened with additives.

Carrots contain the pigment beta-carotene and consuming too much of it can result in a harmless condition called carotenemia where the skin develops a golden tint. It’s most commonly seen in areas where we sweat, such as the soles of our feet or our palms, and children are more prone to it. Just three large carrots a day can cause this effect.

If you’re always the one making dinner at home it could be that your partner or roomies have mageirocophobia, a very real fear where sufferers panic at the thought of being harmed or harming others by cooking.

It’s only a small amount – up to 16mg compared to 100-200mg for an 8oz cup of brewed coffee – but it’s still caffeine.

In the 1830s, Dr John Cooke Bennet recommended that vitamin-rich tomatoes could cure a number of ailments, including indigestion and rheumatism, and sold pills made from the sauce. The idea fell out of favor a couple of decades later.

Of all the foods we eat 90% of allergies are attributed to eggs, fish, shellfish, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, soy and wheat.

Agar (or agar-agar) and carrageenan are natural thickening agents made from seaweed which are present in many manufactured foods, including ice cream.

According to research conducted by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) of 47 foods studied for fiber, potassium, protein and vitamins, watercress had the highest nutritional density, followed by Chinese cabbage, chard, beet greens and spinach. So don’t skimp on leafy greens.

In 2014, more than 114 million metric tons of bananas were grown worldwide, followed by watermelons (111 million).

This spice contains a mind-altering substance called myristicin that can be hallucinogenic, but it only occurs in large doses and causes unpleasant side effects such as vomiting and nerve problems.

It's called Casu Marzu and it's a local delicacy in Sardinia. It's intentionally infested with the live maggots of cheese flies and is said to be very ripe tasting and quite crunchy.

In 2008 an American artist called Sam Van Aken created a tree of 40 fruit using a process called chip grafting. It evolved as an expression of art and conservation and produces 40 types of stone fruit including apricots, cherries, peaches and plums.

In the early 20th century an American tea merchant called Thomas Sullivan sent out tea samples in small mesh bags that some customers assumed were infusers. Sullivan listened to feedback, tweaked the fabric, and the teabag was born.

Pork and bacon lovers beware – pigs have been known to turn the tables on us. There have been numerous cases of pigs eating people, including an Oregon farmer who was consumed by his herd in 2012, but it’s not porcine revenge – pigs are opportunistic and have voracious appetites.

The US Food and Drug Administration permits a certain amount of insect fragments and rodent hair in manufactured foods. These hidden extras are known as natural defects.

To liven up a cocktail party shine ultraviolet light on a gin and tonic. According to Scientific American, the small amount of quinine in the tonic makes the water ‘fluoresce a brilliant, bright blue’.

In 2014, China produced more than 20 million tons of garlic. The second biggest producer was India, with a mere 1.2 million.

A hen’s egg takes five minutes to soft-boil while an ostrich egg takes 45-50 and provides 2,000 calories to a hen’s 80.