Fun Facts

The average American eats approximately 3 pounds of oranges per year.

Cantaloupes are also called “muskmelons” in the United States.

Americans’ combined consumption of orange juice and fresh oranges makes oranges the most consumed fruit in the United States.

Tomatoes and avocados, both of which contain seeds, are technically fruits, not vegetables.

Ancient Greeks and Romans used asparagus as medicine for healing toothaches and preventing bee stings.

Sweet potatoes are not related to potatoes but in fact belong to the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae). By contrast, potatoes are members of the Solanaceae family alongside tomatoes, red peppers, and eggplant. Sweet potatoes are tuberous roots, while potatoes are actually swollen stems.

Libyans have the highest per capita consumption of onions.

A bell pepper’s flavor becomes sweeter and milder the longer the pepper ripens.

The average American consumes approximately 27 pounds of melons each year, according to the Ag Marketing Resource Center, with the U.S. one of the world’s leading melon consumers.

Ancient Egyptians used honey for embalming the dead.

The majority of cabbage used in the United States is used for processing coleslaw.

While peaches and nectarines are very similar and of the same species, a gene variant between the two means that peaches are covered in fuzz, while nectarines are not.

The average orange consists of 10 segments.

White asparagus and green asparagus come from the same plant species. The only difference is in how they are grown. White asparagus is grown underground and deprived of light, while green asparagus is grown above the ground. Both can be used interchangeably in cooking.

It’s said that Christopher Columbus introduced melons to the New World, transporting their seeds across the ocean.

Broccoli has been grown in the United States since 1925.

What U.S. consumers typically think of as orange “yams” are actually sweet potatoes. A true yam is generally imported from the Caribbean and contain a pinkish white center.

Watermelons get their name from their high water content (approximately 92%).

Artichokes were considered a delicacy and aphrodisiac by ancient Romans. The wealthiest Romans would eat artichokes with honey, vinegar, and cumin.

The average American eats 11.6 pounds of apples per year.

Corn (maize), beans, and squash have been called the “three sisters” because Native Americans historically planted them in a group, believing they thrive best when together.

Darker lettuce greens are considered more nutritious than lighter greens because they are richer in nutrients like vitamin A and carotenoids.

18th-century European sailors called avocados “midshipman’s butter” and spread it on their hardtack.

The average American eats 11.3 pounds of bananas each year.

Mangoes, cashews, and pistachios are all part of the cashew family (Anacardiaceae).

Ninety-five percent of U.S.-grown apricots are grown in the San Joaquin Valley and other parts of northern California.

Chewing fresh parsley helps get rid of onion breath.

The word pineapple was coined in the mid-17th century due to the fruit's resemblance to a pine cone.