*The fortune cookie was invented in San Francisco in 1909, at the Japanese Tea Garden Restaurant. Makoto Hagiwara, caretaker of Golden Gate Park’s Japanese Tea Garden, was the creator of the cookies, which he served to guests.

*The deadly tonka bean (often added to perfume as a cheap alternative to vanilla) is banned in the United States as a food additive. Despite its highly poisonous qualities, it is enjoyed in France in quality pastries.

*Chicken tikka masala, the hugely popular Indian curry, is not Indian. It was invented in Glasgow, Scotland. It is, according to statistics, the most popular “Indian” dish in Britain.

*In Korea, when a young person is eating with someone older, they must turn away from the elder member of the table and shield their lips with their hand when taking a sip of alcohol as a sign of respect.

*Shark and Tatties (pronounced “shark and tay-tees”) is the New Zealand slang term for fish and chips. As the name suggests, the most commonly used fish in New Zealand for this delightful dish is shark.

*Cooking with charcoal inside the house can be deadly, due to the release of carbon monoxide.

*If you visit the British Empire you might be surprised at what you get if you ask for tea. For most commoners and many Brits, tea means the main meal of the day (at night) – not a cup of tea with scones in the afternoon – as it was and is known by upper class English.

*Have you ever eaten a peppermint and inhaled at the same time, only to find that your mouth burns? In fact, your mouth is getting cold! Peppermint contains high traces of menthol which triggers your mouth’s cold receptors.

*Jelly and jam are two different things. Jam is cooked crushed fruit, jelly is gelatinized fruit juice but is called Jell-o in the United States