BY KIM ATIENZA
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WE often hear people say “as American as apple pie.’’ But did you know that neither apple pies nor apples originally came from America?
Apples are, in fact, native to Asia, and the first recorded recipe for apple pie was actually written in England, says Goodhousekeeping.com.
Apple trees originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found today.
Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe and were brought to North America by European colonists.
Apples, pears, cherries and strawberries are all members of the rose family.
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NOT FRENCH: French Fries, as we know and love it today, has absolutely nothing to do with France.
Turns out that during World War I, American soldiers stationed in Belgium were first introduced to French fries.
Google notes that as the official language of the Belgian army was French, soldiers nicknamed the delicious fried potatoes “French fries.” The name stuck, and to this day, the world is still giving credit to the wrong country.
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TRIVIA PA MORE (Various Sources): In 15th century France, chocolate could only be eaten by members of the royal court.
There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.
Want to speed up the ripening of a pineapple? Let the fruit stand upside down (on the leafy end). It will hasten ripening.
Mangoes also ripen faster when you turn them upside down.
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Send your questions on anything and everything to Kuya Kim through my Twitter account @kuyakim_atienza using #AlaminKayKuyaKim.
