Food
Why Does Swiss Cheese Have Holes?
Carbon dioxide made by propionic acid bacteria gathers inside ripening cheese and expands its eyes. Tiny air cavities in trace plant particles such as hay provide nuclei where bubbles can begin.
FOOD
Food
The science, history, and culture hidden inside everyday food.Food
Why Does Bread Dough Rise?
A gluten network traps carbon dioxide made by yeast fermentation. Gas and steam expand in the oven before proteins and starch set the airy structure.
Food
Why Does Chili Feel Hot When It Isn't?
Capsaicin opens the same TRPV1 sensory channels activated by damaging heat. The brain receives a heat-and-pain signal even without a large temperature rise.
Food
Why Do Cut Apples Turn Brown?
Broken cells let polyphenol oxidase and phenolic compounds meet oxygen. The resulting oxidation chain creates brown-colored products on the cut surface.
Food
Why Does Popcorn Pop?
A popcorn kernel's tough hull traps steam and lets pressure build. When the hull fails, softened starch expands rapidly and sets into a crisp foam.
Food
Why Do Onions Make You Cry?
Cutting onion cells triggers enzyme reactions that release a volatile irritant. Your eyes produce tears to dilute and wash it away.
Food
Cacao Beans Were Money Before They Were Chocolate
In Mesoamerica, cacao beans served as valuable drink ingredients, trade goods, and units for taxes and exchange.
Food
A Pineapple Is Many Fruits Fused Into One
A pineapple forms when fruits from many flowers merge with the central stalk into one multiple fruit.
