February 20th is National Muffin Day!

American muffins are referred to baked breads in small tins while “English” Muffins are oven-baked, then cooked in a griddle.

The word Muffin likely derives its name from the an Old German word Muffen, the plural of Muffe meaning a small cake.

The Muffin Man was a real guy! He delivered muffins to homes along Drury Lane in England.

American muffins are similar to a cupcake in size and cooking methods but cupcakes are almost always made with cake batter.

The blueberry muffin is the official state muffin of Minnesota.

The corn muffin is the official state muffin of Massachusetts.

Today’s Food History

1829 Yuengling Brewery in Pennsylvania opened. It is the oldest brewery still operating in the U.S.
1872 Cyrus W. Baldwin received a patent for an electric elevator. It was installed in the Stephens Hotel in New York City.
1872 Silas Noble and J.Cooley of Massachusetts were issued a patent on a toothpick manufacturing machine.
1872 Luther Childs Crowell of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, was granted a patent for a machine which made square bottom paper bags. It is the same basic design still used today.
1890 Hershel Geguzin was born in Lithuania, Known openly in America as a professional impostor and Hollywood restaurateur. He posed as Russian Prince Michael Alexandrovich Dmitri Oblensky Romanoff. Opening Romanoff’s restaurant in Beverly Hills in the 1930s, attracting Hollywood movie stars and millionaires
1985 Clarence Nash died. The original voice of Donald Duck.
2001 Foot-and-mouth disease ravages livestock in Britain in the worst epidemic since 1967. By March it has spread to mainland Europe. Millions of animals are destroyed.
2009 Hershey’s, the largest U.S. candy maker, closed its candy factory in Reading, Pennsylvania. The factory produced among others, the Zagnut, York Peppermint Pattie, and 5th Avenue candy bars. Production was moved to their new factory in Monterey, Mexico.