An overwhelming majority of what we eat is made from plants and animals. This means that composition of our almost entire food is chemicals from the realm of organic chemistry (carbon-based large molecules). Water and salt are two prominent examples of non-organic foodstuffs - which come from the realm of inorganic chemistry. Beside some medicines is there any more non-organic foods? Can we eat rocks, salts, metals, oxides… and I just don’t know that?

  • Lvxferre@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide: common food additives to balance its pH. Technically included by the OP, as they’re made from water and salt.

    Silica: another common food additive (anticaking agent). Arguably “not food” because your body will simply poop it, undigested.

    Metallic iron: if you’re cooking in a metallic pot, some of the metal leaks into the food. Actually good in this case as iron is an essential mineral.

    Metallic lead [historical]: the Romans used lead pots quite a bit, specially to boil either vinegar or barely fermented wine (mustum). The result is extremely sweet due to lead acetate, the first artificial sweetener that I’m aware of …and extremely toxic. (OK, it’s a partially organic salt due to the acetate anion, but still.)

    Calcium carbonate: already mentioned by another user. It’s essential to nixtamalise maize, but it’s also used for stuff like candied pumpkin cubes.