Thursday, October 8, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“Never allow butter, soup or other food to remain on your whiskers. Use the napkin frequently.”
Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms: Etiquette of the Table (1880)
FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• National Fluffernutter Day (Fluffernutter is a New England classic: Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Fluff on white bread). • National Salmon Day (Salmon Trivia & Facts)
(Salmon Recipes) • National Pierogi Day (Polish stuffed dumplings) • Health Care Food Service Workers Week (October 4-10, 2026) [Assoc. for Healthcare Foodservice] • National 4-H Week (Oct 4-10, 2026) [4-h.org] • UK: [National Curry Week] (Oct 5-11, 2026) Celebrate over 200 years of Indian restaurants in the UK. • UK: Seed Gathering Season (Sept 21-Oct 21, 2026)
[The Tree Council] Gather seeds, fruits and nuts which can be nurtured to grow the trees of the future.
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1850 Alinzor Clark received a patent for 'an improvement in hay-forks' (Pitchfork). 1871 The Great Chicago Fire broke out and destroyed over 17,000 buildings and left almost 100,000 people homeless. It was usually blamed on Mrs. Kate O'Leary's cow kicking over a lamp. However in 1997 the Chicago City Council looked into the evidence, both new and old, and passed a resolution exonerating Mrs. O'Leary and her cow. Many still believe the cow was guilty. (Chicago Food Trivia) 1871 The same night as the Chicago Fire, fire also leveled a broad swath of Michigan and Wisconsin, including the cities of Peshtigo, Holland, Manistee, and Port Huron. At least 1,200 people died (possibly twice as many) as a result of the fire. 1901 The American Sugar Refining Co. registered the "Domino" trademark for sugar. (Sugar Trivia & Facts) 1906 Harry G. Day was born (died Sept 8, 2007). A nutritional biochemist, he helped develop the fluoride additive used in toothpaste to fight tooth decay. Proctor and Gamble funded his research at Indiana University. The FDA approved stannous fluoride in 1955 for use in toothpaste. In 1956 P&G introduced Crest toothpaste with this ingredient, which they called fluoristan. 1919 Congress passed the Volstead Act, which enforced the ban on the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Prohibition begins.
(Prohibition Trivia) 1942 During WWII the element Nickel was highly valued for use in armor plating. Effective today Nickel was was removed from the 5-cent piece (the nickel). The U.S. Mint used a special wartime alloy instead - copper (56%), silver (35%), and manganese (9%), through the end of 1945. 1945 P. L. Spencer applied for a patent for a microwave oven; patent granted January 24, 1950.
(see also July 19, 1894) 1952 'The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette' was published. 1953 'Cattle Call' by Eddy Arnold was #1 on the country music charts. 1956 The first completely enclosed shopping mall, Southdale Shopping Center opens in Edina, Minnesota 1979 'Sugar Babies' opened on Broadway 1990 The first McDonald's restaurant in mainland China opened in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
(McDonald’s Trivia & Facts) 2004 Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart reported to prison to begin serving a sentence for lying about a well timed stock sale (see also March 5, 2004). 2014 An estimated 800,000 Africanized honey bees attacked a group of gardeners in southern Arizona, leaving one man dead and another critically injured. The 4 foot by 6 foot hive was nested in the eaves and attic of the house. The bees were roused from their hive when one of the gardeners turned on a lawnmower. 2015 Paul Prudhomme died (born July 13, 1940). Chef and restaurateur, he owned his first restaurant at the age of 17, and in 1979 opened his world famous Cajun restaurant, K-Pauls. He has also written several best selling cookbooks.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** October 1-11, 2026 - Tulsa State Fair
Tulsa, Oklahoma October 1-November 1, 2026 Arizona State Fair
Phoenix, Arizona October 6-10, 2026 82nd Annual Floresville Peanut Festival - Floresville, Texas October 8-11, 2026 53rd Annual National Shrimp Festival - Gulf Shores, Alabama October 8-18, 2026 Mississippi State Fair
Jackson, Mississippi October 9-11, 2026 54th Annual Cuero Turkeyfest
Cuero, Texas October 10-11, 2026 36th World Championship Gumbo Cook-Off - New Iberia, Louisiana (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?
· Half of all Americans live on farms or in small towns with a population of less than 2,500
· Iceland banned the sale of alcoholic beverages.
· The 'Toblerone' chocolate bar is introduced in Switzerland.
· Chef Auguste Escoffier made his 2nd visit to the United States. He praised Maryland Chicken, and liked soft shell crabs.
· New York City makes it illegal for women to smoke in public. 2) The name of this hard cow's milk cheese dates back to about 1840. It originated in North Yorkshire, and at that time had blue veining. Due to changes in production techniques, the blue veining was eliminated, and it is very hard to find the blue veined version today. Name this cheese. 3) These trees are members of the cypress family, and are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. An essential oil is obtained from the wood, and is used in perfumes and medicines. The fruit have a fragrant, spicy aroma but are too bitter to be eaten fresh. The dried fruit are used in cooking, soft drinks, and the manufacture of wine and spirits. Tea made from the dried fruit is an old folk hangover cure. Galls produced on the trees by a fungal infection are commonly known as cedar apples.
Name this tree and its fruit. 4) When and where were Fig Newton cookies created? 5) These trees are of the genus Ficus, in the mulberry family. The rubber plant, a popular house plant, the Bo tree (sacred to Buddhists), and the Banyan tree are also species of Ficus. The flower is inside the fruit, so there are no blossoms on fig trees. Sort of like an inside out strawberry.
Name this tree and its fruit. 6) Who introduced the first aluminum soft drink can and when was it introduced?
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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