You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[Lee Stewart]

Brazil’s national drink is a popular cocktail around the world, but it can only be sold as a caipirinha if it’s made using the original recipe – as decreed by both Brazilian state law and the International Bartenders Association. Authentic caipirinhas are made with half a lime cut into four wedges, 2tsp of sugar and 50ml (1.8 fl oz) of cachaça, (a fermented Brazilian spirit). And it's always served on the rocks.

[Lee Stewart]

Do you know what sets an authentic Neapolitan pizza apart from the rest? According to the international regulations of Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, it has to be round-ish, with a raised crust (cornicione) and burn-free. The pizza dough has to be made only from type 00 or type 0 flour and it must be prepared by hand. Toppings must only come from the Campania region: extra virgin olive oil and either buffalo mozzarella or fior di latte cheese.

[Lee Stewart]

Monkfish: The freaky-looking fish was considered so ugly, fishmongers were banned from selling it with its head on for fear it could scare customers. It was even banned from some markets because of its lack of commercial value. Nowadays, it’s gained a reputation within the culinary world as the ‘poor man’s lobster’ thanks to its luxurious taste and texture.

[Lee Stewart]

White King salmon: There was a time when fishmongers couldn’t convince people to try white salmon. It wasn’t seen as commercially desirable at all. Nowadays, the novelty in cooking it is a big selling point and it can be found on the menus of many high-end restaurants and chic sushi bars, and at an even higher price than its pink counterparts.

[Lee Stewart]

Garlic: This pungent vegetable was largely avoided in the US and Britain because of its strong flavor and overpowering taste. It wasn’t until immigrants from Italy, Germany and Poland settled and revealed how tasty it could be that its popularity, and its price, increased.

[Lee Stewart]

Sushi was first created in Southeast Asia during the 4th century as a cheap and transportable snack. Although it’s still a common and affordable meal in many countries, you can expect to pay a hefty check in some upscale sushi restaurants offering exotic concoctions with expensive fish, particularly in the West.

[Lee Stewart]

You might not think of chicken wings as pricey, especially as you’ll often find them in a bargain bucket, but they are the most expensive part of the bird. At one time, they were so unappealing, they were thrown away or used in stock. But the popularity of buffalo wings in the 1960s led them to become a staple of many fast-food chains and bar menus so prices increased.

[Lee Stewart]

Around 70% of all coffee is grown from the same plant: the arabica. A 2012 study by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew predicted these Ethiopian plants will be so badly damaged by climate change their numbers would decrease by 85% before the end of the century. Numbers are also dwindling in this region thanks to deforestation, which could result in higher coffee prices far sooner.

[Lee Stewart]

Until the mid-19th century, lobsters were considered so ugly and undesirable that eating them was a sign of poverty, so they were eaten by prisoners and servants. Many servants rebelled against the lobster overload and had their contracts changed to prevent them from having to eat it more than three times a week. It was only when people learned to cook the meat properly that lobster became an expensive delicacy.

[Lee Stewart]