1777 Johann Heinrich Lambert died. He proved that Apple pie was irrational. Oops – never mind – that was ‘pi’ that he proved was an irrational number.
1843 Melville Reuben Bissell was born. Bissell invented the carpet sweeper in 1876.
1879 The Cream Separator was patented.
1974 It is first reported that freon from aerosol cans is destroying the ozone layer above the earth.
1976 The largest dolphin caught with rod and reel weighed 87 pounds. It was caught off the coast of Costa Rica.
1985 William Cumming Rose died. An American biochemist, he researched amino acids, and established the importance of the 8 essential amino acids in human nutrition.
The word, Quesadilla, in Spanish, literally means “little cheesy thing.”
It is said that one in three Americans make a quesadilla every week. * V&V Supremo®’s Chihuahua® Brand Quesadilla Cheese is the best choice for making your quesadillas authentic.
In the central and southern regions of Mexico, a quesadilla is a flat circle of cooked corn masa, called a tortilla, warmed to soften it enough to be folded in half, and then filled.
While 66% of people use two tortillas when they make quesadillas, the traditional Mexican method requires folding one tortilla in half.
In culinary terms, a quesadilla, is a tortilla that is filled with cheese, other toppings, then grilled or pan fried.
*Created in 2019 by Foodimentary & V&V Supremo®
For more information on National Quesadilla Day and to learn more about how V&V Supremo® is celebrating, visit www.nationalquesadilladay.com or follow along on social media @vvsupremo and #NationalQuesadillaDay.
Today’s Food History
On this day in…
1851 Jacob Fussell, a Baltimore dairyman, opens the first commercial ice-cream factory.
1869 R.I.P. Joseph Dixon. An American inventor and manufacturer. Among his many accomplishments, he produced the first pencil made in the U.S.
1969 ‘Ice Cube’ (O’Shea Jackson) singer and actor, was born.
1992 At a spelling bee in a Trenton, New Jersey school, U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle, corrects a student’s spelling of ‘potato’ by telling him it should have an ‘e’ at the end.
A gyro is a dish of meat roasted on a vertical spit. It is usually served as a sandwich, also called a gyros, with tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce, wrapped in pita bread.
To make gyros, pieces of meat are placed on a tall vertical spit, which turns in front of a source of heat, usually an electric broiler.
If the meat is not fatty enough, strips of fat are added so that the roasting meat remains always moist and crisp.
The rate of roasting can be adjusted by varying the strength of the heat and the distance between the heat and the meat, allowing the cook to adjust to varying rates of consumption.
The outside of the meat is sliced vertically in thin, crisp shavings when done. It is generally served in an oiled, lightly grilled piece of pita, rolled up with various salads and sauces.
Today’s Food History
1819 J.J. Wood patented a plow with interchangeable parts.
1826 Alfred Ely Beach was born. American inventor and publisher of Scientific American magazine.
1906 Karl August Folkers was born. He was the first to isolate vitamin B12.
1914 Martha, the last surviving Passenger Pigeon died on September 1, 1914 at the Cincinnati Zoo, the species having been commercially hunted to extinction.
1940 Lillian D. Wald died. She was a scientist and nurse, and among her activities, she helped initiate the enactment of pure food laws in the U.S.
1951 The Premier, the first supermarket in Britain, opened it’s doors.
Here are today’s five thing to know about Noodles:
Dry noodles are considered a form of unleavened bread
In China archaeologists discovered the world’s oldest bowl of noodles, thought to be over 4000 years old. They were made of millet flour.
“Instant” noodles were invented in 1958. They are flash fried then quickly dried. This made for a long shelf life.(If they are kept dry, some say they will remain edible for decades)
Over 40% of the flour in Asia is used to make noodles. Feeding over half of the world’s population.
Thomas Jefferson brought the first “macaroni” noodles to America in 1789 after returning from a trip to France.
Here are today’s five thing to know about Ranch Dressing:
In 1954 ranch dressing was invented at Hidden Valley Ranch, a dude ranch near Santa Barbara, California.
Ranch dressing has been the best-selling salad dressing in the United States since 1992, overtaking Italian dressing.
Hidden Valley brand owns the right to ‘the Original Ranch®‘ After decades of trademark lawsuits similar products can be labeled ‘ranch style’ or simply ‘ranch’
While popular in the United States and Canada, ranch dressing is virtually unknown in most of the world
Since 1972 Hidden Valley Ranch has been owned by Clorox.
1845 RIP John Chapman, ‘Johnny Appleseed’ ,an American pioneer and legend, he planted apple seeds in the Ohio River valley area (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois)
1867 Lillian D. Wald was born. She was a scientist and nurse, and among her activities, she helped initiate the enactment of pure food laws in the U.S.
1873 RIP John Torrey, he was the first professional botanist in the New World.
1914 At the National Gallery in London, a suffragette slashed Diego Velázquez’s ‘Rokeby Venus’ with a meat cleaver.
A crab cake is an American dish composed of crab meat and various other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, milk, mayonnaise, eggs, yellow onions, and seasonings.
The two most common styles of Maryland crab cakes are known as Boardwalk and Restaurant.
Boardwalk crabcakes are typically breaded and deep-fried, and are often filled with stuffing of various sorts and served on a hamburger bun.
Restaurant crab cakes, which are sometimes called gourmet crab cakes, are often prepared with no filler, and are composed of all-lump crab meat served on a platter or open-faced sandwich.
Many restaurants that offer Maryland crab cakes will offer to have the cakes fried or broiled.
On This Day in Food History…
1822 Charles Graham of New York received a patent for artificial teeth.
1839 Famous Food Fights
The Great Pastry War ended this day. A brief conflict began on November 30, 1838, between Mexico and France caused by a French pastry cook who claimed that some Mexican Army soldiers had damaged his restaurant. The Mexican government refused to pay for damages. Several other countries had asked the Mexican government for similar claims in the past due to civil unrest in Mexico, without any resolution. France decided to do something about it, and sent a fleet to Veracruz and fired on the fortress outside the harbor. They occupied the city on April 16, 1838, and through the mediation of Great Britain were promised payment of 600,000 pesos for the damages. They withdrew on March 9, 1839.
Here are today’s five thing to know about Peanut Cluster:
‘Peanut Cluster’ is referred to a type of candy that mixes melted chocolate and peanuts.
These crunchy treats are a perfect combination of a sweet and salty deliciousness.
There are several versions of peanut clusters including caramel clusters, butterscotch clusters and chocolate peanut clusters.
Peanuts have a higher antioxidant capacity over grapes, green tea, tomatoes, spinach, carrots and many more.
Peanut clusters have been around for many years dating way before 1912 when they were made popular by the Goo Goo Cluster.
Fun Fact:
Astronaut Allen B. Sheppard brought peanuts with him to the moon.
During World War II the the Emporia Wholesale Coffee Company “shipped approximately 50,000 pounds of chocolate peanut clusters weekly for consumption by those on the fighting front.”
1824 RIP Jean Jacques Regis de Cambaceres, A French politician and gourmet, a contemporary and rival of Talleyrand and Carême. The dinners he gave were legendary. He refused to admit late-comers, and was demanded complete silence while dining.
1923 The Coca Cola 6 bottle carton was introduced.
1992 RIP Christian K. Nelson, inventor of the Eskimo Pie at age 98.
