Did you know....by Divinity

“LMAO at Mutt!

I read it before the answers were posted and didn't see the chocolate on chocolate thing...weird...so I picked #1, then cracked up when I saw the answer...”

“now to me, chocolate cake and brownies are two very different things...I like chocolate frosting on chocolate cake, but am not a fan of brownies, especially with frosting...I like a piece of fudge now and again, but don't like candy bars...”

“It sucks to be me?????




...think I'll go camping this weekend.
last edited: 3/27/08 3:28:32 AM”

“that'll change your attitude/latitude..........”

“Sounds like a good plan, Div.”

“TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Chocolate Mousse Day

1829 James Carrington of Connecticut patented a coffee mill.

1845 William James Farrer was born. An Australian agriculturist, he developed several new cultivars of wheat.

1860 The first Pony Express mail delivery service by horse and rider between St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California began. The 1,800 mile run took 10 days.

1956 Elvis Presley sings 'Heartbreak Hotel' on the 'Milton Berle Show.' An estimated 25% of the American population tuned in to hear him.

1959 The Coasters song 'Charlie Brown' is banned by the BBC because it refers to “throwin' spitballs.” The ban only lasted 2 weeks.

1974 The Super Tornado Outbreak. 148 tornadoes in 13 states in 26 hours. The world's largest tornado outbreak in recorded history. It included six F5 tornadoes and 30 F4 tornadoes. The first tornado hit at 1 p.m. and the final tornado hit at 2 a.m. the following morning.

1985 The Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood, California closed after 57 years. Robert Cobb, owner of the Brown Derby, created the Cobb Salad there in 1936
(View Culinary Calendar of Events for the year)


DID YOU KNOW? Food Trivia
Americans eat 3 pounds of peanut butter per person every year. That's about 700 million pounds, or enough to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon!
Peanut Advisory Board www.peanutbutterlovers.com


this is one of my fav sites!!!”

“yeah, but.....”

“TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Pecan Day

1828 The first edition of Noah Webster's dictionary is copyrighted.

1912 The British luxury liner Titanic struck an iceberg shortly before midnight. It sank at 2:20 a.m. on April 15.

1927 Clarence Birdseye of Massachusetts received a U.K. patent for frozen fish fingers.

1939 'The Grapes of Wrath' by John Steinbeck was published.

1964 Rachel Louise Carson died. An American biologist and author of 'Silent Spring,' about environmental pollution, especially the dangers of DDT.

1989 'She Drives Me Crazy' by Fine Young Cannibals is #1 on the charts
(View Culinary Calendar of Events for the year)


DID YOU KNOW? Food Trivia
Lunch Counter Lingo
'A blond with sand' - Coffee with cream and sugar.
'Bloodhounds in the Hay' - Hot dogs with sauerkraut.
'Burn one, take it through the garden, and pin a rose on it'
Hamburger with lettuce, tomato and onion.”

“Why did I read that in Garrison Kieler's voice? LOL!”

“fish dont have fingers, and penguins dont have nipples!”

“If penguins did have nipples, then fish with fingers would..well, you know...”

“i dont wanna even think about it”

“I red it in Vinitys werds like she sayed it /o:3”

“A Mobile man died from injuries he received when he jumped from the Little River Falls near Fort Payne to save his 5-year-old son from drowning.
FORT PAYNE, Ala. (AP) - The boy survived.

DeKalb County Coroner Tom Wilson says the 38-year-old father,whose name was being withheld until relatives are notified, died Friday at DeKalb Regional Hospital. His son was treated at the same hospital for minor injuries and released.

The incident occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m. Friday near the G.E. Hill Bridge on Alabama 35. Little River Canyon begins at the 45-foot waterfall - a popular tourist site.”

“how sad”

“http://www.dsart.com/Gallery/backpack.htm

check this out!!!!”

“"Gorp-tex" and "bug oil," lol!”

“did i know...what?”

“TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE
“Oysters are the most tender and delicate of all seafoods. They stay in bed all day and night. They never work or take exercise, are stupendous drinkers, and wait for their meals to come to them.”
Hector Bolitho 'The Glorious Oyster' (1960)


TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Applesauce Cake Day
* National Cow Day

1519 Andrea Cesalpino was born. An Italian philosopher and pioneering botanist. He concentrated his studies on fruits and seeds, and he classified them by logical principles, instead of supposed medical properties.

1882 Henry Seely of New York City received the first American patent for an electric iron.

1899 James Ricks patented a rubber overshoe for horses.

1907 Persil, the first household detergent, was marketed by Henkel et Cie of Dusseldorf.

1932 The Revenue Act creates the first gasoline tax in the U.S. (1 cent per gallon).

1933 The first drive-in theater was opened in Camden, New Jersey by Richard Hollingshead. It had nine rows of parking on ten acres, with room for at least 400 cars. Where's the popcorn!

1944 Edgar Froese of the music group 'Tangerine Dream' was born.

1988 Three 50 pound snapping turtles were found in a Bronx, New York sewage treatment plant. They had probably been pets that were flushed down the toilet when very small.”

“They missed one:

http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/June/doughnutday.htm”

“1374 An outbreak of Dancing Mania (sometimes known as 'St. John’s Dance') occurred in Aix-la-Chapelle, France. People were overcome with bouts of uncontrollable, manic dancing. Frothing at the mouth, screaming, and sexual frenzy were other symptoms. Ergot (fungus) poisoning (from grain) is now believed to have been the ultimate cause.

LOL.....sounds like some of this bunch!!!”

“Funny, we were discussing ergot contamination over dinner last night, in regards to possible links to the Spanish Inquisition.”

“They better be careful or the Puritans will burn them at the stake.”

“1951 Pabst aired the 1st color beer commercial on TV”

“1976, chili had his first beer
last edited: 6/25/08 5:07:23 AM”

“1) Herbert Hoover was not the first to promise a 'chicken in every pot.' Who said it first?

2) In the 16th century, boiled hedgehog was a common dish in what city?
a) London
b) Paris
c) New York
d) Berlin
e) Oslo

3) Despite a physical similarity and a frequent confusion with their names, yams and sweet potatoes are not even distantly related. They are in two different botanical families. What are yams actually related to?
a) alfalfa
b) lilies
c) grasses
d) carrots
e) radishes

4) Legend has it that tofu was developed by prince Liu An (179-122 B.C.) while searching for something. What was he searching for?

5) What type of oil did the ancient Egyptians use before olive oil was known?
a) radish seed oil
b) sunflower seed oil
c) avocado oil
d) whale oil
e) palm oil

6) All of the following events took place in the same year, what year was it?
* August Escoffier of London's Carleton House created Cherries Jubliee.
* Jerome M. Smucker of Orrville, Ohio made apple butter and his wife peddled it to local housewives. This was the beginning of the J.M. Smucker company, now the largest U.S. producer of jams, jellies and preserves.
* John T. Dorrance of the Joseph Campbell Preserve Co. developed his idea of double-strength 'condensed' soup, which gave Campbell's Soup dominance in the industry.
* The first known published recipe for brownies appeared in the Sears, Roebuck catalog. Housewives had been passing the recipe by word of mouth for some time.
* Grape Nuts was introduced as a health food by C.W. Post.
* Jell-O was introduced by cough medicine manufacturer Pearl B. Wait. His wife Mary named the product.
* Purina breakfast cereal was introduced by Robinson-Danforth, a St. Louis livestock food company.
* The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel opened in New York.
* H.P. Hood in Boston began distributing milk in glass bottles instead of ladling it from large cans in customers pitchers.
* More than 1.2 million pounds of sturgeon were landed in New York and New Jersey.”

“5 - e”

“ANSWERS

1) In a conversation with the Duke of Savoy, Henri IV of France (1553-1610) said "If God grants me a longer life, I will see to it that no peasant in my kingdom will lack the means to have a chicken in the pot every Sunday."

2) b) According to Larousse Gastronomique, boiled hedgehog was a common dish in Paris in the 16th century. It tastes similar to wild rabbit.

3) b) and c) Yams are actually related to grasses and lilies.

4) Liu An was searching for a substance to help him achieve immortality. Liu An was the grandson of Liu Bang, the founding emperior of the Han Dynasty.

5) a) The ancient Egyptians used radish seed oil before olive oil was known.

6) The year is 1897.”

“DID YOU KNOW? Food Trivia
In the 11th century the Christian Church was opposed to the use of forks. So much so, that when a Byzantine princess who used a 2 tined gold fork died from the plague, her death was called "a just punishment from God."”

“Using a fork may lead to forking.”

“1000 years later, yet another religous zealot would declare a hurricane to be just "a punishment from God"”

“TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Corn Fritters Day

1439 In an effort to stop the spread of disease, kissing is banned in England.

1827 Josiah Spode II died. Inventor of Fine Bone China (Spode porcelain). It became the standard English bone china.

1867 Reinforced concrete was patented by F. Joseph Monier. He was a Paris gardener, and developed reinforced concrete to use in garden tubs, beams and posts.

1951 The controversial novel 'Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger was published.

1967 Arlo Guthrie performs a new song, the 20 minute 'Alice's Restaurant', at the Newport Folk Festival.

1980 The California Supreme Court rules that Ted Giannoulas can appear in public in his San Diego Chicken suit as long as it does not have the call letters of the radio station (KGB) that first used it as a promotional gambit.

1981 Shukuni Sasaki spins 72 plates simultaneously.

2004 The City Manager of Key West, Florida fired its Official Chicken Catcher. Armando Parra was hired in January to catch and relocate some of the more than 2,000 'wild' chickens that roam this small island city. They did not feel he would meet his contract quota to relocate 1,000 chickens by September.”

“He would have hit his contract number, but everytime they checked up on him, he was choking his chicken.”

“Hey, easy on the chicken jokes. Us Poultry Professionals don't take kindly to that:)”

“If he had imported a half dozen hawks, he could have hit his number while drinking beer and listening to Buffet tunes.”

“ya'll are sooooo bad....but I admit....funny!!!!


TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Peach Ice Cream Day

1763 John Jacob Astor was born in Waldorf, Germany. His descendants built the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

1845 Charles Grey, 2nd Earl died. Grey (also Baron Grey and Viscount Howick) was supposedly given the recipe for Earl Grey Tea by a Chinese mandarin with whom he was friends (and/or whose life either he or another British diplomat saved).

1867 Harvard School of Dental Medicine was founded in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the first dental school in the U.S.

1948 Mick Tucker of the music group 'Sweet' was born.

1955 Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California.

1959 Mary Leakey, wife of Louis Leakey, discovered the oldest human skull in Tanganyika (Tanzania). It is about 1.8 million years old.

1961 The Supremes first single recording was released, 'Buttered Popcorn.'”

“TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Caviar Day

1892 Thomas Cook died. In 1841 Cook hired a special excursion train between Leicester and Loughborough in England for a temperance meeting. The beginning of Thomas Cook & Son, the worldwide travel agency.

1936 The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is invented. It is a giant hot dog on wheels. Invented by Carl Mayer, nephew of Oscar Mayer, it was built by General Body Company at Chicago, Illinois. There are now a fleet of six.

1949 Wally Bryson of the music group 'The Raspberries' was born.

1968 'Grazing In The Grass' by Hugh Masekela is #1 on the charts

1994 Crayola introduced scented crayons.”

“DID YOU KNOW? Food Trivia
Collards are the oldest known greens in the cabbage family dating back to ancient times. Ancient Greeks and Romans cultivated collard greens.
Collards are native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Asia Minor. In approximately 400 B.C. they were brought to Britain and France by either the Romans or Celts. The first documentation of collard greens in America was in 1669 though it is possible they were present in the colonies at an even earlier date.
Collard greens grow best in warm weather though they can withstand the cold temperatures of late autumn. Interestingly enough, the flavor of collard greens is enhanced by a light frost.”

“Here's something i learned the other day.

Salt water taffy has been around a long time. A recipe for it was found in Baghdad, dating back more than 1000 years.”

“TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Daiquiri Day
* St. Vincent De Paul, patron saint of horses.

1104 Flitch Day. A married couple who can prove to a mock court with a jury of bachelors and maidens, that they have 'not wished themselves unwed,' are awarded a 'flitch' of bacon (half a pig). The origins of this custom are in Dunmow, Essex, England, details are not certain, but references to it go back to 1104. It has been a regular civic event in Dunmow since 1855. Now held every 4 years, and frequently televised.

1863 Curtis Fletcher Marbut was born. An American geologist and one of the founders of modern soil science. He was with the U.S. Bureau of Soils for 25 years.

1947 Bernie Leadon of the music group 'Flying Burrito Brothers' was born

1996 Mervyn Hugh Cowie died. Cowie was a British wildlife conservationist, founder and director of Kenya's Royal National Parks.

View: Culinary History Calendar for the year -- July Food Festivals -- August Food Festivals


DID YOU KNOW? Food Trivia
Common garden nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) also called Indian Cress, Mexican Cress, Peru Cress and Jesuit's Cress, is native to Central and South America (not to be confused with the genus Nasturtium, which is Watercress). Nasturtiums are one of the most widely recognized edible flowers.
Nasturtiums, Tropaeolum majus, are grown worldwide, both as garden flowers and for culinary uses. The brilliant yellow, orange or red flowers and peppery flavored leaves are used in salads (See Nasturtium Salad recipe). The flowers may also be chopped and used to flavor butters, cream cheese and vinegar; the immature flower buds and seed pods may be pickled and used like capers. There is also a species found in the Andes which is a vegetable tuber crop.”

“TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE
“Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.”
Carl Sandburg


TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Penuche Day.

1376 Rat Catcher's Day. The Pied Piper got rid of all the rats in the German town of Hamelin. When the townspeople refused to pay, the Pied Piper led all the towns children away.

1461 Charles VII of France was born. His mistress, Agnes Sorel, was a celebrated cook who created several dishes, and had several culinary creations named in her honor.. (Agnes Sorel soup garnish, Agnes Sorel Timbales, etc.).

1822 Gregor (Johann) Mendel was born. Mendel was an Austrian botanist whose work was the foundation of the science of genetics. Working mainly with garden peas (some 28,000 plants over 7 years), he discovered what was to become know as the laws of heredity.

1915 Sir Sanford Fleming died. He devised the present system of time zones while working for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

1956 Curnonsky (Maurice Edmond Sailland) died. At the age of 84, he leaned too far out of his window and fell to his death. French writer, novelist, biographer, and gastronome. Curnonsky was known as the "Prince of Gastronomes," a title he was awarded in a public referendum in 1927, and a title no one else has ever been given.

1967 The rock group Vanilla Fudge made its concert debut in New York

View: Culinary History Calendar for the year -- July Food Festivals -- August Food Festivals


DID YOU KNOW? Food Trivia
Crab apple trees produce small, very tart (acid) fruit, sometimes used to make jellies and preserves. They are also spiced and preserved whole. In the Middle Ages crab apple juice was used much like vinegar is used today.”

“Mmm, I love pickled crabapples.

It's been years since I studied Mendel's work. All those years of research, and his techniques are taught in a week's time now.”

“TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE
“Life, within doors, has few pleasanter prospects than a neatly-arranged and well-provisioned breakfast-table. We come to it freshly, in the dewy youth of the day, and when our spiritual and sensual elements are in better accord than at a later period; so that the material delights of the morning meal are capable of being fully enjoyed, without any very grievous reproaches, whether gastric or conscientious, for yielding even a trifle overmuch to the animal department of our nature.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne, ‘The House of the Seven Gables’ (1851)


TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Vanilla Ice Cream Day
* St. Phocas the Gardener, patron of farmers and gardeners.

1894 Arthur Treacher, actor, announcer was born. He later founded Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips restaurant franchise.

1904 The Ice Cream cone was invented. Charles E. Minches invents the ice cream cone for his customers convenience at the St. Louis World's Fair (The Louisiana Purchase Exhibition). This is only one account, there are several other candidates.

1915 Vincent Sardi Jr. was born. Owner, Sardi's Restaurant, New York, N.Y.

View: Culinary History Calendar for the year -- July Food Festivals -- August Food Festivals


DID YOU KNOW? Food Trivia
Crisco, introduced in 1911, was the first solid hydrogenated vegetable shortening. Initially it was not a huge success - women were even reluctant to accept 1 1/2 pound cans of Crisco as free samples! Many of the early users of Crisco were Orthodox Jews, since it contained neither lard or butter (meat & dairy) it could be used at any meal without violating kosher dietary laws. Commercial success for Crisco came during the First World War due to shortages of lard.”

“For entertainment in Alabama they just break out a can of Crisco and a plastic sheet.”

“wow....no one told me about that one...I have heard of Wesson Oil & sheets of plastic tho!!!!...might need to try that one!!!”

“Crisco is much less prone to spillage.”

“TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE
“Men & Melons are hard to know.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) ‘Poor Richard's Almanac’


TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Coffee Milkshake Day
* St. Anne, patron of broommakers, homemakers and housewives

1856 George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright, was born. You will find many food related quotes from his works on the Food Reference Website. Quote: "There is no love sincerer than the love of food."

1866 Beatrix Potter was born. English author of children's books, her first and most famous story is 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit,' originally written as an illustrated letter to a sick child.

1922 Blake Edwards, American film director and producer. Among his films are 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' 'Days of Wine and Roses,' and 'The Tamarind Seed.'

1926 Roquefort cheese is the first cheese designated with an appellation d'origine controlee. Only cheese that is processed in Roquefort, France and aged in the caves there may be called 'Roquefort Cheese.'

1989 Leslie Merry was hit with a turnip thrown from a passing vehicle in London. He was knocked down and suffered a broken rib and a ruptured spleen. He died of respiratory failure, due to the accident.

View: Culinary History Calendar for the year -- July Food Festivals -- August Food Festivals


DID YOU KNOW? Food Trivia
Domestic Paprika is characteristically fresh, green and vegetable-like, while the Spanish Paprika exhibits a more fermented and piquant flavor. Historically, the Central European varieties were more pungent, but they now exhibit a sweetness similar to Spanish Paprika.”

“TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Lasagna Day
* St. Martha's Day, patron saint of butlers, dietitians, cooks, innkeepers, waitresses.

1796 Walter Hunt was born. He invented the first safety pin in 1849, which he called a 'dress pin.'

1878 Don Marquis, American journalist and poet was born. He wrote 'archy and mehitabel,' a book of poems written by a cockroach who couldn't use the shift key.

1914 Baron Marcel Bich was born. French inventor of the Bic Pen in 1949.

1974 Mama Cass Elliot (The Mamas and the Papas) died today in London. The rumor that she choked to death on a ham sandwich is not true. She actually died of a heart attack.

1977 Buffalo, New York declared this day 'Chicken Wing Day' in honor of the famous Buffalo Chicken Wings, created by Teressa Bellissimo in October, 1964. Buffalo Wings were created by Teressa Bellissimo at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, for her son and some friends for a midnight snack.

1984 Fred Waring, musician, died. Frederick Osius worked on improving the electric blender, and went to Waring for financial backing. Waring backed its development, in part, so he could puree raw vegetables for the ulcer diet his doctors prescribed. The Waring Blender (originally called the Miracle Mixer) debuted in 1937 and sold for $29.75. By 1954 one million Waring Blendors had been sold.”

“I am guessing that not a lot of people could afford a $30 blender in 1937.”

“TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Frozen Custard Day
* Sneak Some Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Porch Night

1899 A.T. Marshall of Brockton, Massachusetts patented the refrigerator.

1927 Alfalfa was born on this day. Actually, it was Carl Switzer who played Alfalfa in the ‘Our Gang’ short film series.

1983 Rolla N. Harger died. A biochemist, he invented the first successful test machine for blood alcohol content, the Drunkometer, in 1931.

1988 'Kid Chocolate' (Elgio Saldana) died. He became Cuba's first world boxing champion in 1931 after defeating Benny Bass for the Jr. Lightweight Championship.

2006 Krispy Kreme donuts opened its first Asian outlet in Hong Kong.

View: Culinary History Calendar for the year -- July Food Festivals -- August Food Festivals


DID YOU KNOW? Food Trivia
Dill (Anethum graveolens), a member of the parsley or carrot family (Umbelliferae), is native to southern Europe, and is widely cultivated and naturalized throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. Both the seeds and leaves are widely used in cooking, and the plant has also been used to make a green dye.
Dill is reputed to have a calming effect on the digestive tract. It was once given to crying babies, thus deriving its name from the Old Norse, dilla, meaning "to lull." Dill is also reputed to cure hiccups, stomach aches, insomnia, and bad breath. Dill's most famous culinary use - the Dill pickle - is at least 400 years old.
Dill seeds are very small and very light. It takes more than 10,000 dill seeds to make an ounce.”