Interesting Facts

A record-breaking stollen that weighed in at over 4,000 kilograms was created to celebrate the opening of Dresden's Christmas market. (If you want to make your own you will need approximately:-Stollen (rounded figures): 1,500 kilos flour 990 kilos seedless raisins (sultanas) 790 kilos butter 455 kilos sugar 200 kilos candied lemon peel 150 kilos almonds (sweet) 110 kilos icing sugar 95 kilos yeast 55 kilos almonds (bitter) 45 kilos lemon peels 44 kilos Jamaica rum 44 kilos powdered milk 30 kilos salt 5 kilos spices) Source

According to research carried out at the University of California, margarine can make you aggressive. (The study found that chemicals called 'trans fatty acids' (TFAs), which can be found in large quantities in margarine, but also in some fast foods - makes people aggressive and irritable. Maybe they should reshoot that advert:  "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT BUTTER!")

Researchers from Cambridge University have found that the buttercup's unique anatomical structure is why they glow yellow under people's chins. (The plant has evolved an epidermal layer on its petals that reflects a significant amount of UV light with an intensity that is comparable to glass, the plant has developed this to attract pollinating insects, but of course it is also used to tell if you like butter or not. In the UK a children's game involves placing a buttercup under your chin, and if your chin glows yellow, it proves you like butter.)

According to the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) the cheapest lunchtime meal in Britain is the toast sandwich. (This shouldn't be confused with the toasted sandwich, or toasty. A toast sandwich, popular in mid-Victorian times, consists of two slices of bread around a slice of toast. The meal, which will cost you 7.5p to make, was first promoted by Victorian food writer Mrs Beeton. Here is the recipe:- Ingredients 3 slices of bread Butter Salt and pepper Method 1. Toast a thin slice of bread. 2. Butter two slices of bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. 3. Place the toast between the two slices of bread-and-butter to form a sandwich. 4. Eat. Bon appetite!)

Denmark has introduced what is believed to be the world's first fat tax: (Now this isn't a tax on fat people, it's a surcharge placed on foods that are high in saturated fat. Foods that contain saturated fat include, butter, milk, cheese, pizza, meat, oil and processed foods, which are all subject to the tax if they contain more than 2.3% saturated fat. So, not so much a stealth tax, as a health tax.)

According to research from Brown University, Rhode Island, eating dairy food, like cheese and butter doesn't increase your risk of a heart attack. (Contrary to earlier beliefs that saturated fat might lead to a heart attack, researchers found that nutrients in dairy products actually counteract the harmful effects. I knew it! Now where's my Lurpack and block of cheddar?) Source

Researchers studying shoppers' baskets found people who bought wine also tended to buy poultry, cooking oil and low-fat cheese. Beer buyers, on the other hand, tended to buy chips, pork, butter, margarine, and sausages. (What about people like me, I buy both wine and beer! But not sausages and certainly not low-fat cheese - what's the point?)