Thursday, February 19, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“I have trouble with toast. Toast is very difficult. You have to watch it all the time or it burns up.”
Julia Child (1912-2004)
FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• National Chocolate Mint Day • National CSA Week (Feb 15-21, 2026) Formerly CSA Day [CSA Innovation Network] Community Supported Agriculture
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1526 Charles de L'Escluse, or Carolus Clusius was born (died April 4, 1609). A pioneering French botanist, he contributed to the establishment of modern botanical science. Published many influential books including ‘Rariorum plantarum historia’ (1601). 1764 Gottlieb Sigismund Kirchhof was born. He discovered glucose, developed a method for refining vegetable oil, and also experimented with brewing and fermentation. 1847 The Donner Party is rescued after being snowbound in the Sierra Nevadas. Almost half of the original 87 members died, and some of the survivors seemed to be well fed considering the ordeal they went through. Cannibalism itself is not a crime, and no charges were ever brought. 1855 Bread Riots in Liverpool. 1881 Kansas became the first state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages. 1888 The Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, California opened, At the time, the 399 room hotel was the largest resort hotel in the world, and today is the second largest wooden structure in the U.S.
[Historical Photos on Hotel website] 1896 The Detroit Convention and Business Mens' League was formed to attract convention business to Detroit, Michigan. 1897 Adelaide Hunter Hoodless founds the Federation of Women's Institutes of Canada which promotes pasteurization of milk as one of its main projects. (Pasteurization Facts) 1903 Tsingtao, China's first brewery, was founded by German settlers. (Some sources say it was 1897). 1906 Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company (W.K. Kellogg Company) was founded by Will Keith Kellogg to manufacture breakfast cereals (cornflakes). (Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Trivia) 1913 Cracker Jack begins to put prizes in each box. 1953 The play 'Picnic' opened at the Music Box Theatre in New York City. 1976 Iceland broke off diplomatic relations with Great Britain when the two couldn't settle their disagreement on the 'cod war' fishing rights issue.
(Cod fish Trivia --- Cod Quotes) 1985 Cherry Coke was introduced. Actually, soda fountains (remember them?) had been making them for decades. 1999 A record 6,000 pound strawberry shortcake was created in McCall Park, Plant City, Florida, the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.
(Strawberry Trivia --- Strawberry Quotes) 2001 UK: The first suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease is detected in Essex. The disease ravages livestock in Britain in the worst epidemic since 1967. By March it has spread to mainland Europe. Millions of animals are destroyed (see also Jan 14, 2002) 2012 A team at Maastricht University in the Netherlands announced they have successfully used stem cells to grow muscle tissue, with the goal of producing the first lab-grown hamburger later this year. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** February 12-March 1, 2026 Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival - Indio, California February 19-22, 2026 South Beach Wine & Food Festival - South Beach, Florida February 19-22, 2026 Newport Seafood & Wine Festival - Newport, Oregon February 20-22, 2026 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic - Minneapolis, Minnesota February 21-March 2, 2026 New York City Beer Week
New York, New York (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?
· Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first U.S. city to fluridate its drinking water, to reduce tooth decay.
· 'Cheerioats' cereal was renamed 'Cheerios'
· Tupperware Corp. is founded by former duPont chemist Earl W. Tupper. 2) This small annual herb, a member of the carrot family, is second in popularity only to black pepper throughout the world. It has dark green leaves and tiny white or pink flowers. The fruit, when green, has an unpleasant taste, but when ripe is aromatic and is used as a spice.
The plant is native to the Mediterranean area, and was used by ancient Persians, Egyptians, Hebrews, and Romans both medicinally and as a condiment. It is referred to several times in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. (i.e. Isaiah xxvii, 25 and 27, and Matthew xxiii, 23) and in the works of Hippocrates, Dioscorides, Horace and Pliny. It was a common ingredient in many recipes of the Middle Ages. It was a symbol of greed to the ancient Greeks, and in Europe it was said to inspire faithfulness in men.
It is used today in India, North Africa, the Middle East, Mexico, America, central and eastern Europe. It is an essential ingredient in mixtures such as garam masala and panch phoron, and is used in pickles, relishes, sausages, stews, baking cheeses, liqueurs and salads.
Can you name this fruit used as a spice? 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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