Friday, January 16, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“I didn’t forget your breakfast. I didn’t bring your breakfast. Because you didn’t eat your din-din.” Bette Davis in 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane' FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• National Fig Newton Day (Fig Newton Trivia) • National Quinoa Day (Quinoa Facts and Trivia --- Quinoa Recipes) • International Hot & Spicy Food Day. • [Arbor Day in Florida] (Jan 16, 2026 - 3rd Fri) • National Pizza Week (Jan 11-17, 2026 - begins 2nd Sun) (Pizza Trivia and History --- Pizza Recipes) (Pizza Quotes) TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1769 A riot occurred at the Haymarket Theatre in London, when a 'magician' did not show up to perform. He had claimed he would get into a quart tavern bottle "and there sing several songs." 1868 William Davis, a Detroit, Michigan fish dealer, received a patent for a refrigerator car ('ice box on wheels'). He also designed the first refrigerated railway car. 1894 Charles H. Phillips Chemical Company registered 'Milk of Magnesia' trademark. 1915 Rosenella Cruciani 'Rose' Totino was born (died June 21, 1994). The queen of frozen pizza. Co-founder with her husband Jim Totino, of Totino's Pizzeria and Totino's Finer Foods. 1920 Prohibition began in the U.S., which banned the sale of all alcoholic beverages. Gangsters flourished, importing and producing bootleg alcohol, and American drank more than ever. Prohibition was finally repealed in 1933. The end of the 'noble experiment.' See also Dec 5, 1933. (Prohibition Trivia & Facts) 1945 Carl and Margaret Karcher opened Carl’s Drive-In Barbeque restaurant in Anaheim, California. (The first Carl's Jr. restaurant opened in 1956). 1957 Three B-52's made the first nonstop, around the world flight by jet planes, taking off from Castle Air Force Base in California. The trip took 45 hours and 19 minutes. I am curious as to what they ate while on this flight. 1967 Alan S. Boyd took office as the first U.S. Secretary of Transportation. 1969 Marmalade's version of the Beatles song 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' was the #1 single in the UK. 1978 Helen Corbitt died (born Jan 25, 1906). American chef and cookbook author. Texas Monthly declared Corbitt the 'Tastemaker of the Century.' 2000 A truck carrying evaporated milk is driven into the state capitol building in Sacramento, California, killing the driver. 2004 The first Starbucks coffee shop in France opened today. 2009 The movie 'Hotel for Dogs' opened in U.S. theatres today. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** 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? · 80% of U.S. households have a refrigerator, but only 8% of British households do. · Budweiser Brewery introduces Busch beer. · Four U.S. chefs win the Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany. · First reference in print to the drink Bloody Mary appeared in 'Punch'. 2) What are the two most cultivated fruit trees in the world? 3) Name this cheese. This hard raw cow's milk cheese is named for the Swiss town where it originated in the 12th century. It is made in rounds of 60 to 100 pounds, about 2 feet around and 4 inches thick, and is aged for 10 to 12 months. The cheese has a golden brown color and a nutty, full flavor. This cheese is actually more popular in Switzerland than 'Swiss' cheese itself. 4) Name this fruit. In Latin, the name of this fruit means 'precious.' Originating in China over 4,000 years ago, they were introduced to the New World by Spanish Explorers, and were planted them in the gardens of Spanish missions all over California. The first recorded major production of this fruit in America was in 1792 south of San Francisco. Today in the U.S., 95% of them are grown in the San Joaquin Valley and other parts of northern California. 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 TOP |