Thursday, January 15, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“You can tell alot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans.” Ronald Reagan
FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• National Strawberry Ice Cream Day
(Ice Cream Recipes --- Ice Cream Quotes) • National Bagel Day (Bagel Trivia --- Bagel Quotes)
(Bagel Recipe). • Women's Healthy Weight Day (Jan 15, 2026 - Thurs of 3rd full week in January) • National Booch (Kombucha) Day (A Chinese fermented tea drink) • National Pizza Week (Jan 11-17, 2026 - begins 2nd Sun) (Pizza Trivia and History --- Pizza Recipes)
(Pizza Quotes)
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1785 William Prout was born. An English chemist, he was the first to classify food components into 3 main divisions - carbohydrates, fats and proteins. 1797 James (or John?) Hetheringoton, a London haberdasher, supposedly created the top hat. A large crowd gathered to see this new hat, and he was charged with disturbing the peace (charges were later dropped). The hat was an immediate success. (Similar hats had been created as early as 1793, so the Hetherington story is questionable). 1889 U.S. patent No. 396,089 was issued to Daniel Johnson of Kansas City, Kansas, for a Rotary Dining Table for use on ships. "My invention has for its object, primarily, a combined rotary table and adjustable chair adapted for saloons of sea-going vessels and of other descriptions, in which the occupants of the chairs may be served in rotation from one stationary base of supply without the danger and inconvenience incident to the person making the circuit of the table when the vessel is upon the seas, and also enabling the persons seated at the table to be served with dispatch." 1895 Lever Brothers registered the 'Lifebuoy' trademark (soap). 1915 John Van Wormer was granted a patent for his 'Pure-Pak' - a "paper bottle" to be used for holding milk. It would be 10 years before a machine was perfected to make the containers. 1915 Fannie Merritt Farmer died (born March 23, 1857). American culinary authority, and author of the 1896 edition of 'The Boston Cooking School Cook Book' later known as the 'Fannie Farmer Cook Book.' Director of the Boston Cooking School, and founder of Miss Farmer's School of Cookery. Often cited as the first cookbook author to introduce standard measurements. 1919 The Great Molasses Flood. On January 15, 1919, a large 50 foot high storage tank in Boston burst and sent a tidal wave of over 2 million gallons of molasses traveling at over 30 miles per hour. Houses, buildings and parts of the elevated rail system were crushed in its path. Twenty-one people died, and over 150 were injured. It took over 6 months to clean up the mess. The damage was in the millions of dollars.
(See also London Beer Flood, Oct 17, 1814) 1945 'House Party' starring Art Linkletter debuted on CBS radio. 1945 Joan Johnson of the vocal group the 'Dixie Cups' was born. 1958 The song 'Tequila' by the Champs was released. 1964 Jack Teagarden, jazz trombonist died. 1967 The 1st 'Super Bowl' was played. The Green Bay Packers of the National Football League beat the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League, 35-10. ("AFL-NFL World Championship Game" - renamed beginning with "Super Bowl III" in 1969) 1986 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn was introduced by General Mills. (Popcorn Trivia and Facts) 1990 Campbell's Soup produces its 20 billionth can of tomato soup. (Campbell’s Trivia & Facts) 2013 The Food Safety Authority of Ireland announced that horse DNA had been bound in frozen beef hamburgers sold in several Irish and British stores. Pig DNA was also present in some samples of beef products. The beginning of a major horsemeat adulteration scandal that would involve many other companies and products (beef lasagna, beef Bolognese sauce, beef meatballs, etc.) The scandal soon spread to at least 13 other European countries. Supposed 'Beef' products were found to contain 29% up to 100% horsemeat.
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** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Novvember 14, 2025 - January 17, 2026
Gingerbread House Competition & Display
Lahaska, Pennsylvania January 1-31, 2026 - Napa Valley Restaurant Month
Napa Valley, California January 8-18, 2026 Restaurant Week South Carolina
Statewide, South Carolina January 15-18, 2026 35th Annual Frog Leg Festival
Fellsmere, Florida January 16-19, 2026 Annual Napa Truffle Festival
Napa, 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?
· World population is reaches 7 billion.
· The UK bans Immigrants from outside the European Economic Area from working as chefs in fast food and takeaway restaurants.
· A record breaking 1,067 Whoopie Pie is created in South Portland, Maine.
· Germany: A Berlin court ordered breweries to stop advertising beer as good for peoples looks and health 2) Name this fruit.
Small trees or shrubs of the myrtle family, which are believed to have originated either in southern Mexico or Brazil. They have been cultivated for their plum-like fruit since about 1,000 B.C., and were favorites of the Aztec and Incas. Today they are grown in tropical countries around the world. There are about 150 varieties, with round to pear shaped fruit that range in size from one to four inches in diameter. The most common variety is yellow, but the colors of various species can be white, yellow, red, purple or black. The better varieties have a soft rind that is edible. The flavor ranges from sweet to tart, with pleasant, highly aromatic white, yellow, pink or red flesh. Unripe fruit can have a decidedly unpleasant musky, gym-like odor. They have 100-500 small seeds, which are edible in some varieties; there are also some seedless varieties. 3) Haggis is the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys of a sheep, with suet, onions, oatmeal and seasonings stuffed into the stomach of the sheep and boiled. It is the national dish of Scotland.
A similar dish is Haggamuggie - what is it? 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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