Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world. Produced in the area of Indonesia and the Philippines, the first step in processing is the consumption and defecation of the coffee beans by the Asian Palm Civet, a catlike mammal. The beans cost upwards of $160/lb.

Hummingbirds in flight have the highest metabolism in the animal kingdom, with a heart
rate that maxes out at 1,260 bpm. Because of this, scientists have calculated that they are hours away from starving to death at all times, necessitating a daily consumption of more
than their body weight of nectar.

Stiftskeller St. Peter, a restaurant within St. Peter’s Archabbey monastery in Salzburg, Austria
is considered the oldest restaurant on Earth, with records of its existence going back to 803 AD.
Their oldest recipes date back to the 1600s and rumored famous diners include
Charlemagne and Christopher Columbus.

Some of the world-renowned wines from regions of Europe such as Bordeaux in France, Trier in Germany and Colchester in England have their origins in ancient Roman garrison towns wherein vineyards were planted to eke out supplies and eliminate the need for long-distance trading.

The difference between dinner and supper: dinner is the heaviest meal of the day, consumed either in the afternoon or evening, supper is consumed solely in the evening, and is more of a
lighter meal than dinner.

Cheat sheet for how top eateries plate their food: Referencing the hands of a clock—carbs at 11, veggies at 2, protein at 6. Carbs and protein should each cover a quarter of the plate while vegetables should cover half of the plate.

The original Long Island ducks were Chinese. In 1873, a New York merchant transported 25 ducks from Peking (the old name for Beijing), China and the four that weren’t eaten by the time he made it back to America took to our sandbar and enthusiastically bred.

A hungry blue whale can consume a maximum of around 1,100 pounds of krill (a shrimplike creature) in one mouthful, which is about 457,000 calories.

Don’t try this at home: When subjected to prolonged microwaving, grapes exhibit such wacky behaviors as electrical arcing and a transformation into small rockets, caused by steam
escaping through the stem hole.

For all of their culinary innovation, the French did not invent modern restaurant service. They preferred preparing all food in advance and in large quantities, then putting it on display on a side table, which led to waste and cold food. Preparing individual plates served immediately came from the court of the Russian czars.

The can opener (patented 1855) did not immediately follow the invention of canned food (first appearing in the 1770s). In fact, one early can featured the instruction “Cut round the
top near the outer edge with a chisel and hammer.”

While it is true that eating dog meat is widespread in Korea, it should be said that the breed, known as Nureongi is raised on farms in the same manner as cows and sheep and is almost never kept as a pet.