Friday, December 26, 2025Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.” (unknown) FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• National Candy Cane Day • Boxing Day (UK, Canada, Australia & New Zealand) Traditionally celebrated the day after Christmas Day, when servants and tradespeople were given gifts, a 'Christmas box', from their employers. • St. Stephen the Martyr, patron of horses. • [Kwanzaa] begins (Dec 26 to Jan 1) A celebration of African American family, community and culture. (see 1966 below) TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1791 Charles Babbage was born. He invented the adding machine, and among his other inventions is the cowcatcher, the V shaped front end on locomotives. 1850 Territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey declares Minnesota's first Thanksgiving Day. 1865 James H. Nason (or Mason) of Franklin, Massachusetts received the first U.S. patent (No. 51741) for a coffee percolator. (Coffee Trivia) 1878 John Wanamaker installed the first electric lighting in an American store. He illuminated his Grand Depot department store in Philadelphia with 28 Brush arc lamps. (see also July 11, 1838). 1903 Elisha Cook Jr. was born. A well known character actor in films and TV. He played Wilmer, in the 'Maltese Falcon'. 1913 Elizabeth David was born (died May 22, 1992). "Britain's first lady of food." Food writer who strongly influenced home cookery in Britain after the austerity of WW II, writing about European cuisines and traditional British cookery. 1917 World War I: The U.S. government takes over control of the country's railroads. 1931 Melvil Dewey died. He created the Dewey Decimal Classification system for cataloging library books. 1946 Mobster Benjamin ‘Bugsy’ Siegel opens The Pink Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada 1947 New York City is buried under 25.8 inches of snow in 16 hours. 1966 The first day of the first Kwanzaa is celebrated in Los Angeles under the direction of Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University at Long Beach. Designed as a celebration of African American family, community, and culture. 1967 Wham-O Mfg company received patent No. 3,359,678 for improvements to the Frisbee, reducing aerodynamic drag. (See also Sept 30, 1958) 1982 The 'Time' magazine Man of the Year was the personal computer. 2004 A massive earthquake near Sumatra caused a tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Africa. It was one of the worst natural disasters in modern history. Over 220,000 died, and millions were left homeless. 2017 Gualtiero Marchesi died (born March 19, 1930). An award winning Italian chef, he has had the most influence on the evolution and popularity of modern Italian cuisine. 2021 Edward Osborne Wilson died. (born June 10, 1929). An American naturalist, he was considered one of the world’s leading authorities on natural history and conservation. Author of 30 books, two of which - 'On Human Nature' in 1979 and 'The Ants' in 1991 - won Pulitzer Prizes for non-fiction. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Novvember 14, 2025 - January 17, 2026 Gingerbread House Competition & Display Lahaska, Pennsylvania Nov 18, 2025-Jan 4, 2026 National Gingerbread House Competition & Display - Asheville, N. Carolina December 1-31, 2025 55th Annual Christmas in Newport - Newport, Rhode Island December 20-29, 2025 NOLA Christmasfest New Orleans, Louisiana December 30-31, 2025 PeepsFest & Peeps Chick Drop - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania • NEW YEARS EVE EVENTS (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? · Unilever introduced 'Mrs. Butterworth's Syrup'. · Coca-Cola Co. introduced 'Sprite' lemon-lime soft drink. · Carnation introduced 'Coffee-Mate' nondairy creamer 2) This is a Southeast Asian citrus fruit, Citrus hystrix. The zest of the pear shaped, wrinkled green fruit is used in cooking, as are the unusually formed leaves. The leaves have a unique double shape that looks like two leaves joined end to end. They have a citrus-floral aroma, with a very distinctive flavor. Name this fruit. 3) Also called a Vienna roll, this is a crisp crusted roll the size of a hamburger bun. It was supposedly created in Vienna, and is thought to have been named to honor Emperor Franz Josef. What is the name of this hard roll? Click Here for Today’s Quiz Answers Click here for 23 Christmas Quiz Questions ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** 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 TOP |