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THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2008 Food quiz is below (New on July 24)
TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE
“Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea.”
Henry Fielding, 18th century English novelist
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
* National Tequila Day
* St. Christina of Bolsena, patron of archers, mariners and millers.
1802 Alexandre Dumas was born. French author (‘The Three Musketeers’, etc.) he was also well known as a gourmet. He also wrote 'Grand Dictionnaire de la cuisine,' which he finished a few weeks before his death in 1870, and which was published in 1872.
1910 The first publication of the Paul Bunyan stories of oral folklore, by James MacGillivray in the Detroit News-Tribune. A mythical hero of giant proportions who had an appetite to match his size. His camp stove had a griddle that was greased by men with sides of bacon strapped to their feet.
1936 The Army Subsistence Research Laboratory opened. It was devoted solely to developing foods for the Army. One of its first products was the 'Logan Bar,' developed by Paul P. Logan, used in the Army's emergency 'D Ration.'
1938 Nestle introduced Nescafe Instant Coffee in Switzerland.
1949 The largest muskellunge ('Muskie') caught with rod and reel weighed over 67 pounds and was caught in Hayward, Wisconsin.
1959 Then vice president Richard M. Nixon argued with Soviet Leader Nikita Khruschev while Khruschev was touring the United States. They were touring a kitchen at the time, and the discussion became known as the ‘Kitchen Debate’.
View: Culinary History Calendar for the year -- July Food Festivals -- August Food Festivals
DID YOU KNOW? Food Trivia
Curry Leaf Tree (Murraya koenigii) Fresh leaves from this tree are an indispensable ingredient in Indian cooking. The leaves are pretty much unknown in the West because they lose most of their flavor when dried. They have a distinct, spicy curry-like flavor and odor.
(This is NOT the same plant called 'Curry Plant' [Helichrysum angustifolium] which is grown for its essential oil, used in fruit flavors for candies, ice cream, chewing gum, and perfumes).
CULINARY QUIZ
1) What well known cocktail takes its name from iron mines in Cuba?
2) What was the first ready to eat cereal?
3) What percentage of all the French fries sold in the U.S. is sold by McDonald's?
a) 10%
b) 20%
c) 33%
d) 50%
e) 66%
4) Domesticated geese have many uses: their meat, their eggs, their feathers (quill pens), their down (insulation, pillows) - can you name another use?
5) A classic British food has one of its earliest mentions in Charles Dickens' 'Tale of Two Cities (1859),' Can you name this food?
a) Christmas pudding
b) 'chips'
c) trifle
d) Yorkshire pudding
c) Worcestershire sauce
6) What plant root contains a compound that is 50 times sweeter than sugar?
7) 99% of the U.S. blueberry crop comes from one state, and 90% from just one county. Can you name the state, and the county?
8) During the Alaskan Klondike gold rush (1897-1898) what vegetable was so valued for its vitamin C content that miners freely traded gold for it?
Click here for the answers to the Culinary Quiz
JULY Variable Date Events (See Festivals & Shows for specific dates)
• Avocado Festival
• Black Eyed Pea Jamboree
• California Wine Tasting Championships
• Central Maine Egg Festival
• Spain: Fiesta de San Fermin begins (Running of the Bulls, Pamplona, Spain)
• Gilroy Garlic Festival
• Ice Cream Festivals, various locations
• International Brick and Rolling Pin Throwing Tournament.
• International Cherry-Pit Spitting Contest
• Lobster Festivals at various locations.
• Canada: Lobster Carnival, Nova Scotia
• Luxembourg: Beer Festival
• National Animal Agriculture Week
• National Baby Food Festival
• National Blueberry Festival
• National Canned Luncheon Meat Week
• National Cherry Festival
• National Ice Cream Day
• National Salad Week
• Spam Festival
• World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Summerfest Birthday Party
Dedication
This website is dedicated to:
Gladys Ehler, my mother, who taught me patience and how to make Sauerbraten (it is still my favorite)
Edward Ehler, my father, who taught me a love of books and history.
Cpl. Thomas E. Saba, my nephew. Died in action on Feb. 7, 2007 in Iraq. He was 30 yrs. young
Chef James
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