What is in your pantry?
Did you know that several of the foods we use every day are the product of selective breeding, and did not exist the way we know them as few as one hundred years ago? Take carrots, watermelons, and bananas for example.
When you think of a carrot, you may think of an animated bunny, or the rumors that they help with eyesight, but what do you truly know about them? Well, one hundred years ago the iconic orange carrot available in your local supermarket did not exist. Orange carrots are the result of selective breeding with the intent of producing a uniform product. Carrots were originally white or purple and often had more than one root.
Watermelons originated in Africa. They were named, and prized, for their high water content. They contain an enzyme which fortifies your body against heat stroke, and they used to taste horrible! The juicy and sweet watermelon flavor you have come to love is also the result of selective breeding.
Bananas are also a genetic variant of a recent ancestor plant. The strain that was commonly available sixty years ago went extinct, it was also the banana that was the basis for the artificial flavoring. Artificial banana flavoring still tastes like a banana, just not one you can buy today!
What food is next?