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National Anisette Day

Five Food Finds about Anise

  • This herb is native to Egypt and is mentioned in ancient Egyptian records. The Romans used it in medicine and also in a cake which was possibly the forerunner of the wedding cake.
  • Anise comes as an extract and lozenges and in teas.
  • It produces seeds that are used in both herbal medicine and aromatherapy.
  • This sweet smelling herb is also commonly used to flavor foods and liqueurs such as anisette and ouzo.
  • Anise has been used for many years to disguise the unpleasant taste of medicine.

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1566 Michel de Notredame or Nostradamus died.Nostradamus is best known for his book of prophecies ‘Centuries Asrtologiques’ published in 1555. However, in the same year he also published ‘Excellent er Moult Utile Opuscule a tous necessaire qui desirent avoir connaissance de plusieurs exq uises recettes’ (‘An excellent and most useful little work essential to all who wish to become acquainted with some exquisite recipes’).

1843 An alligator reportedly fell from the sky during a thunderstorm in Charleston, South Carolina.

1926 Emile Coue died. A French pharmacist, he was an advocate of autosuggestion. He suggested repeating the following sentence 15 to 20 times in the morning and evening: “Every day, and in every way, I am becoming better and better.”

1931 Stephen Moulton Babcock died. Babcock developed a test to measure the fat content of milk, which helped improve the quality of commercial dairy production.

1932 Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s, was born.

1947 An identified or unidentified object crashes near Roswell, New Mexico.

1982 Larry Walters used 45 helium filled weather ballons tied to an aluminum lawn chair to ascend to 16,000 feet above Long Beach. Several very perplexed commercial airline pilots reported seeing Larry sitting in his lawn chair in the sky, to the Long Beach airport. The FAA fined him $4,000, but later settled for $1,500.