Friday, February 6, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“Nature understands her business better than we do.”
Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-1592)
FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• [Bubble Gum Day] (Feb 6, 2026 - 1st Friday) Bubble Gum Day offers schools a fun way to raise money without kids having to sell stuff. (Gum Trivia) • Frozen Yogurt Day • National Chopsticks Day (Chopstick Trivia) • New Zealand: [Waitangi Day] (National Day)
(New Zealand Food Trivia) • Feast of St. Amand, patron of bartenders, brewers, and vintners.
• St. Dorothy's Day, patron of brewers, gardeners and florists. • Pride in Foodservice Week (Feb 2-6, 2026)
[Assoc. of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals] • [African Heritage & Health Week] February 1-7
(commemorates the foods, flavors and healthy cooking techniques that were core to the wellbeing of African ancestors from Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the American South.)
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1617 Prospero Alpini died. An Italian physician and botanist, he is said to have introduced coffee and bananas to Europe and to have been the first to artificially fertilize date palms. 1685 Charles II, king of England, died. Known as the 'Merry Monarch.' Tea was introduced to England during his reign. On December 23, 1675, he issued a proclamation suppressing Coffee Houses. The public response was so negative that he had to revoke it on January 8, 1676. (Coffee Trivia) 1788 Massachusetts became the 6th state to ratify the U.S. constitution. (Massachusetts Food Trivia) 1796 John Stevens Henslow was born. This British clergyman and botanist was a mentor of Charles Darwin. To help get farmers to apply scientific methods, he gave lectures on the fermentation of manure. He also showed Irish farmers how to get starch from rotten potatoes during the potato famine of 1845-1846. 1829 Bollinger Renaudin & Cie. was established. Producers of Champagne Bollinger in the village of Ay in Champagne, France. (Champagne Trivia & Facts) 1864 Frederic Tudor died (born Sept 4, 1783). 'The Ice King' He created an export trade for block ice harvested from frozen ponds in New England during the winter. The ice was shipped in insulated cargo holds to the Caribbean, India and Europe and stored in insulated warehouses. 1865 A horse meat banquet is held at the Grand Hotel in Paris. (Horses & Horsemeat Trivia & Facts) 1865 Isabella Beeton died (born, March 12, 1836). A famous Victorian home economist, author of 'Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.' The book, popularly known as 'Mrs Beeton's Cookbook,' contained a compilation of over 900 recipes and advice on all aspects of running a middle class household. 1894 Ontario, Canada votes in favor of alcohol prohibition. 1898 Rudolf Karl George Friedrich Leuckart died. A German zoologist and pioneer in the modern study of parasites. He showed that trichinosis was caused by a worm-like parasite. (Pork & Trichinosis) 1914 Thurl Ravenscroft was born (died May 22, 2005). Voice actor best known as the voice of 'Tony the Tiger' in Kellogg's Frosted Flakes commercials - "They're grrrreeat!" 1937 Robert H. Brooks was born (died July 16, 2006). Founder of Naturally Fresh Foods in 1966, he also helped create The Hooters restaurant chain. 1985 Perrier introduced Perrier with 'a twist of lemon' - its first new product in 125 years. 1989 At about 11:30 am in the town of Rosewood, Queensland, Australia, a light rain of hundreds of small fish (bream) was reported to police.
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** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** January 20-Feb 12, 2026 NYC Restaurant Week
New York, New York February 5-16, 2026 - Florida State Fair
Tampa, Florida February 6-8, 2026 Bonita Springs Seafood & Music Festival - Bonita Springs, Florida February 6-15, 2026 79th Annual Holtville Carrot Festival - Holtville, California (SEE ALL FOOD FESTIVALS and OTHER FOOD EVENTS)
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** FOOD TRIVIA QUIZ (new DAILY questions)1) All of the following events took place in the same year. What year is it?
· The Arizona Territory was created.
· There were 2,004 breweries in the United States producing about 2 million barrels of beer.
· Granula, probably the first breakfast cereal is introduced.
· Gerard A. Heineken bought an Amsterdam brewery, which dated back to 1592. The beginning of Heineken beer. 2) WHAT AM I: This plant, native to Mediterranean Europe, is an ancient symbol of wisdom and immortality.
A perennial shrub about 2 feet high, it is a member of the mint family and has over 500 varieties. Its flowers are fragrant, usually purple or blue, sometimes white, red or pink. They are rich in nectar, and it's honey is in great demand in Europe because of its spicy flavor. Some varieties, have broad leaves; others have foliage variegated with red, yellow, or white.
Valued by the Chinese in the seventeenth century, they would trade three chests of China tea for just one chest filled with its leaves from Dutch merchants.
For most of its long history it has been a healing herb (supposedly curing everything from snake bites, eye problems, infection, epilepsy, intoxication, memory loss, worms and intestinal problems) or prescribed as an aphrodisiac.
As far back as ancient Greek and Roman times, healers advocated it for a variety of ailments. Charlemagne ordered that it be grown in his royal gardens. Arab physicians in the 10th century went so far as to claim that it extended life to the point of immortality.
It was an old custom to rub leaves on the teeth to clean them and benefit the gums. American Indians used it for medicinal purposes. The oil is valued in perfumery and toilet preparations, especially those for men. Placed among linen, it discourages insects. Also helps repel cabbage butterflies and improves the flavor of cabbage.
The dried leaves are employed by food manufacturers in seasoning meats, baked goods, and beverages. They are also used to flavor vermouth and various bitters. For years it has been used in the preserving of foods. Now it is known that it contains powerful anti-oxidants which slow spoilage. It is also antibacterial in nature, it is effective in treating sore throats and is even effective as an antiperspirant. Click Here for Today’s Quiz Answers
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Read an article about Chef James and the FoodReference.com website published in the Winona Daily News, Minneapolis StarTribune, and numerous other newspapers: Click here for the Article
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** 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.
· Barbara Saba, my sister, who taught me how to dance.
· 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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