Foods That Make People Think 'How Did Humans Discover This Was Edible?'

The origins of food are fascinating.

For generations, most humans just shoveled in meals without ever asking...

"Who ate this first? And when?"

People have died learning lessons about nuts and berries.

In this day and age of processed and poisoned foods, it might be a good idea to learn about how far we've come and fallen.

And it's always good to know about what foods can kill you.

That's never a fun way to go.

Redditor needmoresleeep wanted everyone to share exciting facts about food, so they asked:

"What is a food that makes you think, 'How did humans discover this was edible?'"

A Wait Period

"There’s a fruit in Brazil that needs to be cooked for around 7 days, otherwise it’s toxic."

- AnakinCaesar

"Ate it 2 weeks ago, Maniçoba is really tasty."

- czarmascarado

Fruit Penguin GIF by Pudgy Penguins Giphy

Potat-oh no

"Potatoes. Early potatoes were small, hard, and poisonous."

"Methods of making them not poisonous included soaking them in running water for weeks or, in the high Andes, leaving them out on rocks high in the mountains so they effectively freeze-dried. Alternatively, you could mix them with clay when eating them - the clay would adsorb some of the toxins."

- SuspiciouslyMoist

Rooted

"Our earliest ancestors in Africa likely ate a ton of yams, which were basically hard roots that I believe are also sometimes toxic. People were probably dead set on making the root vegetables where they ended up edible. Eating root vegetables as a staple might be the most engrained human tradition."

- BonerSoupAndSalad

Google First

"Almost every edible mushroom. Lots of trial and error there, I bet."

- Leeser

"Shiitake mushrooms are like this. They're not deathly poisonous, but if eaten raw in medium to large amounts can cause severe itching for up to several weeks. Now imagine my face as I read that little tidbit on Google... after I had popped a raw shiitake mushroom in my mouth and had already swallowed most of it. The moral of the story, if you aren't sure, google before taste testing. my logic was since there's no warning on the store packaging, it must be fine! I didn't get the severe itching thankfully."

- shadowa1ien

Extraction

"The amount of effort you have to go through to make cashews edible. The f**k did someone figure that out."

- Vanilla_Neko

"Yes. The shells that surround the cashews apparently contain very toxic oils and the extraction process they need to do can be hazardous to us humans if not handled correctly. The extraction process has to be done manually, hence why the process is difficult and time-consuming. Probably the reason why they are one of the most expensive nuts on the market when I think about it."

- Maleficent_Nobody_75

The Yummy Process

"Chocolate. I mean don't get me wrong I get why they were playing around with the plant and all. The sheer process of getting to Chocolate as a product is so weird and bizarre and kinda gross... and then it comes out as the lovely candy we know and love."

- Onepopcornman

Hungry Cbs GIF by Paramount+ Giphy

Get Curdled

"Cheese is weird."

"Hey ogg, that milk you were storing has gone weird and lumpy, should I throw it out?"

"Nah, it's still good, pass it here."

- midunda

"Rennet, which causes milk to curdle is naturally present in the stomachs of calves. Some speculate that people may have used stomachs as storage vessels. You put some milk in there, and it curdles. Food is scarce, so you're not about to let it go to waste, thankfully the chunky milk actually tastes pretty damn good!"

- SirTwitchALot

"Think of it in stages. We domesticated cows because they can pull farm equipment, and give us leather and meat. They produce milk which something needs to happen to if there is no calf. Now people may go 'Ew, not touching that!' but we drink milk as babies. They probably would have breastfed longer back then. They were desperate and starving, you wasted nothing. If there was too much milk then ways would have been found to preserve or store it - you end up with cheese."

- terryjuicelawson

Historic

"One of the first staple foods is kinda weird: Acorns. Acorns were actually farmed very early in human history, but to make them edible you have to soak them and treat them. Sure, you see animals eat them all the time, but animals also eat tree bark and leaves. Somehow people figured out, that you could turn the inside of acorns into flour and basically eradicate hunger by simply picking up acorns for a couple of days."

- Zagdil

Until Death

"Fugu."

"- Let's eat this fish (Dies)."

"- Ok he died, let me try eating this other part of the fish (Dies)."

"- OK... how about I eat only this part of the fish... not too bad."

- Reddit

"My best guess is that people figured out about the poison bit first (with how much people love killing people, I wouldn't be surprised), then they learned how to remove it as efficiently as possible and then figured why not cook the actual fish part leftover."

- Dr_Bodyshot

"Fugu fish aren't that lethal. Most people could eat a whole fish including the skin liver and ovaries which are the poisonous parts. One fugu fish COULD be fatal but most people who used to die from fugu liver had eaten several of them."

- SeiCalros

Smashed

"Ever think about coffee beans? Hey, I'm gonna roast this seed, smash it up, and drown it in hot water. Bet it tastes great."

- HakimEuphrates

"The legend is that a goat herder saw his goats eat the coffee berries and then get all hyper."

- Majestic-Macaron6019

"This one is not that difficult to come by. The beans are edible when freshly picked, and actually contain more caffeine (caffeine is lost through baking). So I bet people were regularly drawing on these as a food source since they are an upper. Someone along the line probably realized cooking things can keep them from spoiling a bit longer and started roasting their beans. If food was scarce, it’s possible they boiled these beans at one point to try to stretch their food supply. They liked the taste, and realized grinding the beans helped draw out the flavor easier."

- TheFerricGenum

More than Food

"Maybe not quite food, but like tobacco and Marijuana. The amount of trial and error of just smoking random things to see what happens must have been an interesting time."

- thatoneguy500

"Ayahuasca is a fascinating one."

"It's brewed from a combination of Chacruna leaves and the vines of Banisteriopsis caapi - two completely different plants. The leaves contain DMT, while the vines contain MAOIs, which inhibit enzymes and allow DMT to enter the bloodstream and reach the brain. Both are necessary for the potent psychoactive effects to occur, you can't take one without the other."

"It's been used since at least 1000 years ago. How the hell they found the correct combination is just... wow."

- Steamed-Barley

Beach Findings

"Hakarl. I think it was probably starvation that led someone long, long ago to eat that rotten dead shark that had been fermenting in beach sand for months. Surely that could be the only reason someone would eat it because I have heard Hakarl smells and tastes like pee."

- EasyBounce

Weird Fish Reaction GIF by MOODMAN Giphy

The Spikey Flower

"Artichokes."

- soservaI

"I kinda feel like they're a specialization from a generalization though."

"There are the more generalized Cardoon thistles where you more eat the stalk and stems which wouldn't be that big of a stretch to throw them on some coals, peel, and enjoy. Later someone found that the flower base was even better because you can use it as a bunch of tiny spoons to deliver copious amounts of butter to your cardoon hole."

- oldcrustybutz

Follow the Lead

"Honey. Let's follow these highly territorial murder flies to their stronghold and eat their vomit."

- genetic_ape

"That's easy, watch a bear. It's kind of a cliche now because of cartoons but bears LOVE honey, and will climb trees to get to the hive. Probably doesn't hurt that their skin is thicker and getting stung probably tickles, but they will go to some lengths to get it."

"Some enterprising caveman watched the bear go for the hive and probably decided to taste what was left. I wouldn't want to fight the bear for it but it probably was the first sweet thing ever tasted other than fruit, so it was valued."

- _Molotovsky

Gag!

"The enigmatic durian – a fruit so pungent it could make a skunk blush. It's like someone stumbled upon this spikey orb, dared to take a bite, and thought, 'Yes, let's create a culinary sensation that smells like a blend of rotten onions and gym socks.' Truly, the mysteries of gastronomy know no bounds!"

- BowlFruit3

milk carton box GIF by America's Funniest Home Videos Giphy

It was only a few years ago when I began to add salt and pepper.

YES! Salt and pepper.

The basics of basics.

So there is no way I'm eating a killer fish.

And don't get me started on some of the things that come out of the ocean.

How are humans this adventurous?

I am glad some people have been brave over the course of history.

I'll always be grateful for the coffee and chocolate discoveries.

But the rest you can keep.

Do you have anything to add to this list? Let us know below.