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Here are today’s five food finds about Blueberries:

• Blueberries are one of the only natural foods that are truly blue in color.

• The pale, powder-like protective coating on the skin of blueberries is called “bloom.”
• A blueberry extract diet improves balance, coordination, and short-term memory in aging rats.

• Blueberries are the official berries of Nova Scotia, Canada.

• The anthocyanin present in blueberries is good for eyesight.

Blueberry pie by Petee’s Pies in New York, NY. 

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1789 The most famous mutiny in history took place on the English ship, ‘Bounty’, against Captain William Bligh. The ship was sailing to Tahiti to bring back breadfruit trees.

1796 ‘American Cookery’ by Amelia Simmons is published in Hartford. It is the first cookbook written by an American. This is one of the classic cookbooks that can be found on the Food Reference Website.

1899 The comedy short ‘Stealing a Dinner’ was filmed by cameraman G.W. ‘Billy’ Bitzer for the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. (Mutoscope were ‘peephole’ motion pictures on cards mounted on a rotating drum turned by hand.)

1940 Italian operatic soprano, Louisia Tetrazzini, died. Chicken Tetrazzini, created by an American chef (San Francisco?), was named in her honor.

1944 Alice Waters was born. Executive Chef and Owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant, opened in 1971 in Berkeley, California

1953 Howard C. Rossin was issued a patent for an overcoat built for two (or Siamese Twins).

2005 Loaded Burrito Scare: Clovis, New Mexicao police were called to a middle school when someone saw what appeared to be a weapon being carried in by a student. Police did not find any weapon, but finally an 8th grader realized that what someone had seen was his extra credit commercial advertising project – a 30 inch long steak burrito wrapped in tin foil and a T-Shirt.