by Andrew Barrow, Posted Aug 12th 2006 @ 2:03PM

Did you know -
- that Bangladesh used to have a large export industry of frogs to the USA, until the government noted a vastly increased fly population. Frogs (the flies' natural predator) were cheaper than insecticides and so the export of frogs was banned.
- that there is a special verb (and perhaps a special utensil), invented just for kiwis: sloop. (from Toast Point)
- that the first reference to Welsh Rabbit (as in Welsh Rarebit) was in 1725, sixty years before "rarebit". There are also English and Scottish Rarebits too - see The Old Foodie for details.
- that you can walk on custard. Custard is a non-Newtonian fluid. When thickened with starch, custard's physical properties change from those of liquid to those of a solid depending on the amount of pressure applied to it, so much so that a person is able to walk across a swimming pool full of custard.
- that Thyme was one of the ingredients used to preserve and embalm mummies in ancient Egypt. The Ancient Greeks believed that thyme was a source of courage and, in the Middle Ages, the herb was placed beneath pillows to aid sleep and ward off nightmares.
- that in the UK there are over 11,500 shops selling more than 250 million fish and chip meals annually. The sector employs around 61,000 people. [From Seafish]
- today (August 12th) is The Glorious Twelfth the official start of the game season in the UK. [more info]
Filed Under: Food Oddities, Did you know?, Ingredients
Tags: cheese, did you know, oddities
8-12-2006 @9:16PM David T said... OK, I would like to see someone walk across custard. Time to fill up a swimming pool with it.
Reply