February 26th is National Pistachio Day!

Here are today’s five things to know about Pistachio:

Pistachio nuts are a member of the cashew family and are closely related to mangos, sumac, and even poison ivy.

Iran produces more pistachios than any other country in the world with over 200k tons per year.

In Asia they are often referred to as ‘green almonds & the ‘happy nut’. In Iran they are called the ‘smiling nut.’

Male pistachio trees are alternate bearing, meaning they produce heavier crops every other year.

All pistachio shells are naturally beige in color. Many companies dye inferior nuts red or green.

Today’s Food History

1852 John Harvey Kellogg was born. A health food pioneer, developed the first breakfast cereals for his patients, Granose (flaked wheat) and toasted corn flakes.

1857 Emile Coue was born. 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.” It is said that 20% claim it works.

1895 Michael Joseph Owens patented an automatic glass blowing machine that could make multiple bottles at the same time. A big advance in bottle making, spurring the mass sale of beer, alcohol and sodas.

1903 RIP Richard Jordan Gatling, inventor of the Gatling Gun. He also developed machines for sowing rice, wheat, and other grains, and the steam plow.

1928 Fats Domino (Antoine Domino) was born in New Orleans. One of rock-and-roll’s earliest stars, one of his early hits was ‘Blueberry Hill’ in 1956.

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February 25th is National Chocolate Covered Peanut Day

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy National Chocolate Covered Peanuts Day

Here are today’s five thing to know about Chocolate Covered Peanuts:

The original chocolate covered peanut candy are Goobers first sold in 1925. The word “Goober” was a common slang word for peanut.
Peanut M & M’s were not introduced until 1954. They were tan until 1960 when colors were first introduced.(yellow, green, & red)
Rapper, Eminem’s original stage name was M & M, his name was eventually changed for obvious trademark issues.
The initials M & M stand for the Forrest Mars from Mars Candies and Bruce Murrie from Hershey Chocolates.
In 1976 red M & M’s were replaced with orange. The red dye(red #2) was ruled to be a potential carcinogen. Red did not return until 1987.

Daily Quote:

“M & M’s, the chocolates that melt in your mouth nor in your hand” first used in 1954

Extra: It is said that M & M’s were tan in color for decades because if they DID melt in your hand it would not show

Today’s Pinterest Board : Foodimentary

Today’s Food History

1904 Adelle Davis was born. Nutritionist, and author of ‘Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit.’ She promoted many theories that have been labeled as unfounded and dangerous by the medical community.

1918 Wartime food rationing began in parts of England

1922 Donald McLean was born. McLean was a Scottish potato expert who supposedly discovered the world’s largest private collection of potatoes, with 367 varieties.

1934 RIP Elizabeth Gertrude Knight Britton, an American botanist, she helped establish the New York Botanical Gardens.

1950 RIP George Richard Minot, American physician, Minot was one of the developers of the ” raw-liver diet ” used to treat pernicious anemia.

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February 19th is National Chocolate Mint Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy National Chocolate Mint Day!

Here are today’s five thing to know about Chocolate Mint:

In tea houses and dinner halls of the early 1900’s mint sprigs and dark chocolates served after desserts for patrons to ‘chew for good breath and aid digestion’.

Thin Mints account for over 25% of the annual Girl Scout cookie sales.

Andes chocolate mints, created in 1921, have little to do with the Andes mountains. They were once called “Andy’s Candies” but the owner ‘found that men did not like giving boxes of candies with another man’s name on them to their wives and girlfriends’ so he changed the name.

Frango Mints, perhaps the first chocolate mints, were first patented in 1918. They were sold in tea houses and sold frozen to emphasize the sharp mint flavor.

Ancient Greeks believed mint could cure hiccups.

Today’s Food History

1764 Gottlieb Sigismund Kirchhof was born. He developed a method for refining vegetable oil, and also improved brewing & fermentation.

1855 Bread Riots in Liverpool.

1906 Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company (W.K. Kellogg Company) was founded by Will Keith Kellogg to manufacture breakfast cereals (cornflakes).

1913 Cracker Jack began to put prizes in each box.

1976 Iceland broke off diplomatic relations with Great Britain when the two couldn’t settle their disagreement on the ‘cod war’ fishing rights issue.

1985 Cherry Coke was introduced nation-wide

1999 The world’s largest strawberry shortcake was created in McCall Park, Plant City, Florida, the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. The city holds the Guinness record for the world’s largest strawberry shortcake, over 6,000 pounds.

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February 18th is National Drink Wine Day!

Here are today’s five thing to know about Wine:

It takes around 2 1/2 pounds of grapes to make one bottle of wine.

Before corks were broadly used in wine bottles, wooden stoppers wrapped in oil-soaked rags were common.

Even though corks were commonly used since the 1600’s it wasn’t until 1795 that the corkscrew was patented. Before then the corks would have caps, similar to champagne corks.

An average bottle of wine is about 25 fluid ounces( officially 750 milliliters)

Most ancients urns found in greece, egypt, and the Mediterranean are ‘casks’ that held wine. The sealed elongated box that holds them are called ‘caskets’

Today’s Food History

1871 Harry Brearley was born. Brearley was an English metallurgist who invented stainless steel in 1912.

1885 The ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ by Mark Twain was published.

1901 Hubert Cecil Booth patented the vacuum cleaner. Because of its large size, he mounted the machine on a horse carriage, with a long hose to reach inside a house

1930 At the St. Louis International Air Exposition, a cow supposedly flew in an airplane for the first time, and this same cow became the first cow to be milked while flying.

1968 Actress Molly Ringwald was born. Two of her movies were ‘The Breakfast Club’ (1985) and ‘In the Weeds’ (2000).

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February 17th is National Café au Lait Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy National Café au Lait Day

5 Food Facts about Cafe au Lait Day

Cafe au lait is coffee with hot milk added.

In Europe, “café au lait” stems from the same continental tradition as “café con leche” in Spain.

In Poland it is referred to as “kawa biała” (“white coffee”).

In Germany it is referred to as “Milchkaffee” (“milk coffee”).

In The Netherlands “koffie verkeerd” (“incorrect coffee”).

In the French-speaking areas of Switzerland, a popular variation is the “café renversé” (“reverse coffee”), made by using the milk as a base and adding espresso, in reversal of the normal method of making a “café au lait”.

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1665 Rudolph Jacob Camerarius was born. A German botanist, he showed the existence of sexes in plants, and identified the stamen and pistil as the male and female organs.
1876 Canned sardines went on sale in the U.S. for the first time. They were packed in oil.
(Some sources say 1873).
1889 H.L. Hunt, the pioneering Texas oil millionaire (Hunt Oil Company) was born. He carried a brown bag lunch to his office each day and considered himself as ‘just plain folks.’
1958‘Sugartime’ by the McGuire Sister topped the charts.
2002 New regulations to go into effect this year require German pig farmers to spend at least 20 seconds every day with each pig, 10 seconds in the morning and 10 seconds in the afternoon. I do not know about what regulations there might be for spending time with German cows, sheep, chickens and other farm animals.
2008 The USDA announced the largest beef recall of 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a California slaughterhouse.

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February 16th is National Almond Day! #NationalAlmondDay

Five Food Finds about Almonds

1. Almonds are mentioned several times in the New and Old Testaments. They are revered as symbols of divine approval.

2. Almonds are actually fruits, related to cherries and plums.

3. Raw Almonds contain prussic acids, the eating of more than a handful can be lethal.

4. A key indicator of cyanide poisoning was the faint smell of roasted almonds on the victim.

5. Greek mythology tells of the beautiful princess Phyllis, who was left waiting at the altar on her wedding day by her intended, Demophon. Phyllis waited for years for him to return, but finally died of a broken heart. In sympathy, the gods transformed Phyllis into an almond tree, which became a symbol of hope.

Today’s Food History

on this day in…
- 1909 Richard McDonald was born. He was one of the brothers who founded McDonald’s fast food restaurants. Richard also designed the golden arches logo.
- 1932 James E. Markham of Stark Brothers Nurseries and Orchards in Mississippi, received the first patent for a fruit tree. It was for a peach tree whose fruit ripened later than other varieties.
- 1937 Dr. Wallace Hume Carothers received a patent for Nylon. (Which he discovered in 1935). One of its first uses was to replace the hog bristles that had been used in toothbrushes. Think about it: people used to brush their teeth with pigs hair.
- 1959 Rap singer ‘Ice T’ was born (Tracy Morrow).
- 2009 Burgers & Beer on the Road: A truck carrying 40,000 pounds of frozen hamburger patties hit the center median, and dumped thousands of pounds of burgers onto Interstate 15 near Salt Lake City. A few hours later on Interstate 84, also in Utah, a truck carrying 40,000 pounds of Fat Tire Beer hit the center median and spilled its load on the highway. Neither driver was injured.

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February 15th is National Chewing Gum Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Five Food Find about Chewing Gum

Kids in North America spend approximately half a billion dollars on bubble gum every year.

100,000 tons of bubble gum is chewed every year all around the world.

Scientists found a 9,000-year- old wad of chewing gum in Sweden.

A mathematician once calculated and figured out that the energy Americans expend everyday when chewing bubble gum was enough to light a city of ten million people.

It is believed that ancient Greeks found relief from stress by chewing a gum that was made from a resin.

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1758 Benjamin Jackson advertised mustard for sale for the first time in America. The advertisement was in the Philadelphia Chronicle, and claimed Jackson was the first and only manufacturer of mustard in America

1809 Cyrus Hall McCormick was born. McCormick is credited with the development of the first mechanical reaper.

1957 ‘The Banana Boat Song’ (Day-O) by Harry Belafonte is number one on the charts.

1965 Canada adopted its new red & white flag with a red maple leaf in the center.

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February 14th is National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day! #ValentinesDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Five Food Find about Valentine’s Day Candy

In the 1800’s, physicians commonly advised their lovelorn patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining.

More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine’s Day.

16_28135_30va_01e-valentines-day-chocolate-truffles

At one time, conversation candies were made into shapes including horseshoes, baseballs, and watches.

At least 10 new conversation heart sayings are introduced each year. Recent additions include “Yeah Right,” “Call Home” and “Puppy Love.”

It is believed that Madame Du Barry served chocolate to all her suitors; Casanova consumed chocolate instead of champagne to induce romance; and Montezuma, the king of the ancient Aztecs, believed chocolate would make him virile.

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1779 RIP Captain James Cook, British explorer who charted and named many Pacific Islands, including the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii).

1803 Moses Coats patented an apple parer.

1838 Margaret E. Knight was born. An American inventor, she invented an improved paper bag machine to make bags with flat bottoms.

1886 California oranges were first shipped East by rail.

1903 The U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor was established.

2003 Dolly the sheep died. Dolly was the first animal cloned from an adult animal. (Born July 5, 1996)

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February 13th is National Italian Food Day / #NationalItalianFoodDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Five Food Finds about Italian Food

It was not until the 1700’s that tomatoes were first found in Italian dishes.

The ‘essential’ ingredients in Italian food include: olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, mozzarella, ricotta, parmigiana, capers, tomatoes, sausage and of course pasta.

An average Italian meal is divided in two parts, primo piatto & secondo piatto; the primo include a pasta or risotto; the secondi includes any meat and fish meals, complemented by a contorno, a side dish of vegetables.

The Italian dessert, Tiramisu, (ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with mascarpone cheese and egg yolks then flavored with liquor and cocoa) roughly translates to “pick-me-up.” Did you know that this dessert did not appear in the U.S. until the early 1980’s?

Italians prefer their pasta cooked ‘al dente’ literally meaning “to the tooth.” The pasta should be a bit firm, offering some resistance to the tooth, but tender.

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1837 Riot in New York over high price of flour

1933 The House of Commons defeated a bill that would have prohibited the sale of alcohol in the U.K.

1967 The Beatles single ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ is released.

2000 The last original ‘Peanuts’ comic strip is published.

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February 11th is National Peppermint Patty Day! / #PeppermintPattyDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy National Peppermint Patty Day!

Five Food Finds about the Peppermint Patty:

1. In 1940 York Cone Co. produced the first Peppermint Patties.

2. Peppermint Patties were sold only in northeastern states until 1975.

3. Peppermint Patties have one of the least about of calories and fat compared to other nationally popular candy bars.

4. Charles Schulz introduced “Peppermint Patty” to his Peanuts comic strip on August 22, 1966

5. Patricia Reichardt is Peppermint Patty’s actual name.

Today’s Food History
on this day in…

1785 The Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture was founded. It is the oldest active agricultural organization in the U.S.
1847 Thomas Alva Edison was born. Chefs use his inventions everyday, including light and music to work by.
1926 Paul Bocuse, French chef, was born at Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or, France. He is known as one of the founders of ‘nouvelle cuisine’.
1963 Julia Child’s ‘The French Chef’ premiered on TV.
1977 The heaviest lobster known was caught off Nova Scotia, weighing in at 44 lb 6 oz (20.14 kg).
1994 Use of the genetically engineered growth hormone for cows, RBGH begins.

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February 10th is National “Have a Brownie” Day! / #BrownieDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five thing to know about Brownie:

It is said that the brownie was created at the Palmer House Hotel during the 1893 Columbian Exposition( The largest World’s Fair of it’s time) when the owner Bertha Palmer asked the chef to make a ‘ladies dessert’.
The word ‘brownie’ became so popular that soon after the Expedition even Kodak named one of it’s first hand held cameras after them, the little ‘brownie.’
Brownies were one of the very first prepackaged food ‘mixes’ ever sold. First appearing in the Sears, Roebuck catalogue in 1897.
Fannie Farmer, the First Lady of American Cookery, published the first written recipe for brownies in 1896.
A popular turn of the century alternative was considered of equal importance, the ‘blondie‘, which used many of the same ingredients except chocolate. Many believed chocolate to be a ‘vice’ on the same level as alcohol and even coffee.

Daily Quote:

“A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.”
Benjamin Franklin

Today’s Pinterest Board : Foodimentary

Today’s Food History

1846 Ira Remsen was born. He was an American chemist, co-discoverer of saccharin, the artificial sweetener.

1933 The Postal Telegraph Co. of New York City delivers the first singing telegram with a box of chocolates.

1944 Author Frances Moore Lappe was born. Author of the best selling ‘Diet for a Small Planet’ (1971) The first best seller to encourage a vegetarian diet. Her premise was that the raising of animals was wasteful & potentially harmful to the environment.

1945 The Andrews Sisters recording of ‘Rum and Coca Cola’ hit #1 on the popular music charts.

1957 The ‘Styrofoam’ cooler was invented.

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February 7th is National Fettuccine Alfredo Day / #NationalFettuccineDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy National Fettuccine Alfredo Day!

Here are today’s food finds about fettuccine:

Fettuccine is a flat, thick noodle made of flour and egg.(literally meaning “little ribbons” in Italian)

The original recipe for Fettuccine “Alfredo” is pasta made from fettucine noodles tossed with one part parmesan cheese and 3 parts butter.

It was named by an Italian restaurateur at his restaurant Alfredo on the Via della Scrofa in Rome in 1914.

Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, early movie stars, fell in love with the dish while on their honeymoon in 1927. This helped to make the dish and Alfredo world famous.

There are authentic “Alfredo’s” restaurants in the US, Alfredo’s at Rockefeller Center in New York City is the most well known.

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1804 John Deere was born. Inventor and manufacturer, he developed the first steel plow in 1838. The mass production of the plow helped make farm yields per acre increase 10 fold within two decades.

1894 Antoine-Joseph (Adolphe) Sax died. A musical instrument maker, he invented the saxophone. The shape was said to have been patterned after plumbing pipes and first constructed by a pipe fitter.

1989 It was reported that a “rain of sardines” fell in Ipswich, Australia. The rain was said to have taken place for over 15 minutes littering the town and countryside with fish and frogs.

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February 5th is National Frozen Yogurt Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy National Yogurt Day!

Here are today’s five things to know about FroYo:

While regular yogurt has been around for 5000 years, frozen yogurt was originated in New England in the 1970s.

When frozen yogurt first hit the market in the 1970s, it was not as popular as it is today. Many consumers felt that the dessert was too tart and similar to room temperature yogurt.

In the ’80s, frozen yogurt manufacturers began to play with the dessert’s recipe, adding flavor and changing the texture.

They were able to create the frozen yogurt we are familiar with today, something a bit more palatable to the public.

The health conscious crowds began to eat up the product, skyrocketing sales to $25 million. The growth did not stop there; by the ’90s, the product had reached $330 million in sales.

Today’s Food History

1872 Lafayette Benedict Mendel was born. An American biochemist who published various papers on nutrition. His work on vitamins and proteins helped establish modern concepts about nutrition.

1884 Willis Johnson of Cincinnati, Ohio, received a patent for an egg beater.

1914 William Burroughs, novelist, was born. He wrote ‘Naked Lunch.’

1967 Tom Smothers fell into a vat of chocolate today. (The Smo

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February 5th is World Nutella Day! / #WorldNutellaDay #NutellaDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy #WorldNutellaDay!

Here are today’s five things to know about Nutella:

Nutella, a chocolate & hazelnut spread, outsells ALL brands of peanut butter worldwide.

Hazelnuts were originally used as an inexpensive filler. sales increased and soon became it’s trademark flavor.

In the aftermath of World War 2 Italian stores offered a service called “smearing”, which allowed local children to bring in a slice of bread on which they could have some Nutella spread.

In Europe the Nutella jar is usually made of glass, whereas in North America it is made of plastic.

One jar of Nutella is sold every 2.5 seconds worldwide.

Today’s Food History

1872 Lafayette Benedict Mendel was born. An American biochemist who published various papers on nutrition. His work on vitamins and proteins helped establish modern concepts about nutrition.

1884 Willis Johnson of Cincinnati, Ohio, received a patent for an egg beater.

1914 William Burroughs, novelist, was born. He wrote ‘Naked Lunch.’

1967 Tom Smothers fell into a vat of chocolate today. (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour premiered).

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February 4th is National Homemade Soup Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five things to know about homemade soup:

Women are more than twice as likely to eat soup as men, 9.67% vs. 4.0%

The Middle English word soupen meant “to drink in sips”, which is how most soups were consumed. The words “soup,” “supper,” “sip,” and “sop” are derived from this term.

Andy Warhol(who’s real name was Andrew Warhola) is famous for his Campbell ‘s soup can art of the 1960’s. Did you know his first works sold for around 100 dollars? Today they sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

We ‘eat’ and don’t drink soup. In most cultures, soup is had as a part of the meal. According to etiquette experts, since we consume soup with a spoon as opposed to sipping it from a bowl, we ‘eat’ it.

The word soup is of Sanskrit origin! It is derived from the su and po, which means good nutrition.

Today’s Food History

1906 Clyde W. Tombaugh was born. An American astronomer who discovered the planet Pluto in 1930. His first telescopes were made from old farm equipment parts

1930 Candy maker Frank C. Mars of Minnesota introduced the Snickers bar in 1930. Did you know? Snickers was the name of his prized race horse.

1941 Roy J. Plunkett received a U.S. patent for Teflon. He accidentally discovered it in 1938.

1983 RIP Karen Carpenter from complications associated with anorexia nervosa.

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February 3rd is National Carrot Cake Day! / #NationalCarrotCakeDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five things to know about carrot cake:

Carrots were first cultivated in north Africa & the Mediterranean. They originally were purple or grey in color. Introduced to Europe around 1000 years ago.

The weed/flower Queen Anne’s Lace is actually a wild carrot.

Jello in the 1930’s offered ‘carrot pie’ flavored gelatin.

People first grew carrots as medicine, not food, for a variety of ailments.

Carrots are one of the rare vegetables which are more nutritious cooked than raw.

Today’s Food History

1468 RIP Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of moveable type printing. Inspired by the screw presses used in winemaking.

1815 The world’s 1st commercial cheese factory was established in Switzerland.

1913 The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. It gave Congress the power to levy taxes on income. In 1913 less than 1% of the population paid income tax at the rate of 1%. Before this taxes were acquired primarily on food, merchandise sales, etc.

1916 The Cafe Voltaire opened in Zurich, Switzerland, a meeting place for members of what was to be known as the Dada movement.

1959 The day the music died. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens & J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) are killed in a plane crash near Mason City, Iowa.

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February 2nd is National Tater Tot Day! / #NationalTaterTotDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five food finds about tater tots:

Tater Tots literally mean “baby potatoes”; tatter for potato & tots “meaning little one.”

Americans consume over 70 million pounds or Tots per year.

Tater Tots were first invented in 1953 at the Ore-Ida Labs

Tater is slang for potato (origin: 1750–60; America; by Apheresis, tato, and substitution of -er for final -o, tater).

In Australia, tater tots are known as “potato gems.”

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1795 The French government offers a prize of 12,000 francs for a method of preserving food for transport to the French army. It was eventually won by Nicholas Appert who invented a successful method to can food.
1820 Jean Etienne Bore, died. Inventor of the sugar granulating process, founder of the sugar industry in Louisiana.

1869 The removable steel plow blade is invented by James Oliver.

1887 The first Groundhog day is observed in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

1892 William Painter received a patent for the crown-cork bottle cap with a cork seal. It was used up until the 1970s, when the cork liner was replaced with a plastic liner.

1897 Alfred L. Cralle of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, patented an ice cream scooper. His basic design is still used today.

1913 Carl Gustaf Patrik de Laval died. A Swedish scientist and inventor. Among his inventions was the centrifugal cream separator and a vacu

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February 1st is National Cake Pop Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five things to know about cake pops:

A cake pop is a ball of cake hand dipped in frosting served on a stick.

While there is no recorded date for the creation of cake pops, most people say that Bakerella helped make them a “pop” phenomenon.

In 2011, cake pops were considered the newest and most popular confectionery food trends

Other variations of cake pops are cake balls, cakesicles, cupcake pops, and cake-on-a-stick.

Cake pops in recent years have become ubiquitous to Starbucks coffee shops.

* Bakerella celebrates National Cake Pop Day on Feb 1

Today’s Food History

-1765 The British Parliament passed the Quartering Act, which required American colonists to provide temporary quarters, food, drink, etc. to British troops stationed in their towns.

-1896 Clement Hardy received a patent for the rotary disk plow.

-1989 The worst oil spill in U.S. history (up to that point) occurred as the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, and eventually leaked 11 million gallons of crude oil. The effects on wildlife and fish was devastating.

-1990 R.I.P. Cookbook author Jane Grigson, age 61

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The official 2019 ‘Food Holiday’ list

John-Bryan Hopkins

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March

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Categories: April Food Holidays, August Food Holidays, December Food Holidays, February Food Holidays, Food Holidays, January Food Holidays, July Food Holidays, June Food Holidays, March Food Holidays, May Food Holidays, November Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, September Food Holidays

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February 26th is National Pistachio Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five things to know about Pistachio:

Pistachio nuts are a member of the cashew family and are closely related to mangos, sumac, and even poison ivy.

Iran produces more pistachios than any other country in the world with over 200k tons per year.

In Asia they are often referred to as ‘green almonds & the ‘happy nut’. In Iran they are called the ‘smiling nut.’

Male pistachio trees are alternate bearing, meaning they produce heavier crops every other year.

All pistachio shells are naturally beige in color. Many companies dye inferior nuts red or green.

Today’s Food History

1852 John Harvey Kellogg was born. A health food pioneer, developed the first breakfast cereals for his patients, Granose (flaked wheat) and toasted corn flakes.

1857 Emile Coue was born. 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.” It is said that 20% claim it works.

1895 Michael Joseph Owens patented an automatic glass blowing machine that could make multiple bottles at the same time. A big advance in bottle making, spurring the mass sale of beer, alcohol and sodas.

1903 RIP Richard Jordan Gatling, inventor of the Gatling Gun. He also developed machines for sowing rice, wheat, and other grains, and the steam plow.

1928 Fats Domino (Antoine Domino) was born in New Orleans. One of rock-and-roll’s earliest stars, one of his early hits was ‘Blueberry Hill’ in 1956.

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February 25th is National Chocolate Covered Peanut Day

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy National Chocolate Covered Peanuts Day

Here are today’s five thing to know about Chocolate Covered Peanuts:

The original chocolate covered peanut candy are Goobers first sold in 1925. The word “Goober” was a common slang word for peanut.
Peanut M & M’s were not introduced until 1954. They were tan until 1960 when colors were first introduced.(yellow, green, & red)
Rapper, Eminem’s original stage name was M & M, his name was eventually changed for obvious trademark issues.
The initials M & M stand for the Forrest Mars from Mars Candies and Bruce Murrie from Hershey Chocolates.
In 1976 red M & M’s were replaced with orange. The red dye(red #2) was ruled to be a potential carcinogen. Red did not return until 1987.

Daily Quote:

“M & M’s, the chocolates that melt in your mouth nor in your hand” first used in 1954

Extra: It is said that M & M’s were tan in color for decades because if they DID melt in your hand it would not show

Today’s Pinterest Board : Foodimentary

Today’s Food History

1904 Adelle Davis was born. Nutritionist, and author of ‘Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit.’ She promoted many theories that have been labeled as unfounded and dangerous by the medical community.

1918 Wartime food rationing began in parts of England

1922 Donald McLean was born. McLean was a Scottish potato expert who supposedly discovered the world’s largest private collection of potatoes, with 367 varieties.

1934 RIP Elizabeth Gertrude Knight Britton, an American botanist, she helped establish the New York Botanical Gardens.

1950 RIP George Richard Minot, American physician, Minot was one of the developers of the ” raw-liver diet ” used to treat pernicious anemia.

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Categories: February Food Holidays, Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: national chocolate covered peanuts day

February 21st is National Pancake Day*

John-Bryan Hopkins

Many consider this National Pancake Day! So celebrate!

Many celebrate today with rolled thin pancakes topped with caster sugar(powdered) a dash of lemon juice and a dollop of jelly or jam

Here are today’s five thing to know about Pancake:

Throughout Europe most people celebrate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes
Pancakes are associated with the day before lent because it was a way to use up “rich foods” such as eggs, milk, & sugar, before the 40 days fast begins
The word ‘shrove’ refers to an old English word shrive meaning ‘confess’
Most people call today Mardi Gras, which in French means Fat Tuesday. Marking seven weeks before Easter Day.
In Iceland they celebrate today with salted meats, fish, and peas. Known as Sprengidagur (Bursting Day)

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Today’s Food History

1554 Hieronymus Bock died. A German botanist whose work contributed to the transition from medieval beliefs to modern science.
1741 Jethro Tull died. He was an English agriculturalist and inventor whose ideas were instrumental in the development of modern English agriculture. One of his inventions was a horse drawn seed planting drill that sowed 3 even rows of seeds at once. (1701). The music group ‘Jethro Tull’ was named for him.
1858 Edwin T. Holmes sells the first electric burglar alarm in the U.S., in Boston, Massachusetts. His workshop was later used by Alexander Graham Bell.
1895 Carl Peter Henrik Dam was born. Dam was a Danish biochemist who discovered vitamin K in 1939.
1927 Erma Bombeck was born. Writer, humorist, you will find some of her quotes about family and food on the Food Reference website.
1931 Alka Seltzer was introduced.
1985 Nathan Pritikin died. A nutritionist who believed that exercise and a low fat, high unrefined carbohydrate diet helped reverse his own heart disease. He founded the Pritikin Longevity Center in 1976.
1989 The USDA approved ‘Simplesse,’ a low calorie fat substitute.
1994 Whirlpool began manufacturing a refrigerator that was significantly more efficient, and did not use freon. Freon has been implicated in the destruction of ozone in the atmosphere.

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Categories: February Food Holidays, Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: national pancake day, pnacakes

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February 19th is National Chocolate Mint Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy National Chocolate Mint Day!

Here are today’s five thing to know about Chocolate Mint:

In tea houses and dinner halls of the early 1900’s mint sprigs and dark chocolates served after desserts for patrons to ‘chew for good breath and aid digestion’.

Thin Mints account for over 25% of the annual Girl Scout cookie sales.

Andes chocolate mints, created in 1921, have little to do with the Andes mountains. They were once called “Andy’s Candies” but the owner ‘found that men did not like giving boxes of candies with another man’s name on them to their wives and girlfriends’ so he changed the name.

Frango Mints, perhaps the first chocolate mints, were first patented in 1918. They were sold in tea houses and sold frozen to emphasize the sharp mint flavor.

Ancient Greeks believed mint could cure hiccups.

Today’s Food History

1764 Gottlieb Sigismund Kirchhof was born. He developed a method for refining vegetable oil, and also improved brewing & fermentation.

1855 Bread Riots in Liverpool.

1906 Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company (W.K. Kellogg Company) was founded by Will Keith Kellogg to manufacture breakfast cereals (cornflakes).

1913 Cracker Jack began to put prizes in each box.

1976 Iceland broke off diplomatic relations with Great Britain when the two couldn’t settle their disagreement on the ‘cod war’ fishing rights issue.

1985 Cherry Coke was introduced nation-wide

1999 The world’s largest strawberry shortcake was created in McCall Park, Plant City, Florida, the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. The city holds the Guinness record for the world’s largest strawberry shortcake, over 6,000 pounds.

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Tagged: national chocolate mint day

February 18th is National Drink Wine Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five thing to know about Wine:

It takes around 2 1/2 pounds of grapes to make one bottle of wine.

Before corks were broadly used in wine bottles, wooden stoppers wrapped in oil-soaked rags were common.

Even though corks were commonly used since the 1600’s it wasn’t until 1795 that the corkscrew was patented. Before then the corks would have caps, similar to champagne corks.

An average bottle of wine is about 25 fluid ounces( officially 750 milliliters)

Most ancients urns found in greece, egypt, and the Mediterranean are ‘casks’ that held wine. The sealed elongated box that holds them are called ‘caskets’

Today’s Food History

1871 Harry Brearley was born. Brearley was an English metallurgist who invented stainless steel in 1912.

1885 The ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ by Mark Twain was published.

1901 Hubert Cecil Booth patented the vacuum cleaner. Because of its large size, he mounted the machine on a horse carriage, with a long hose to reach inside a house

1930 At the St. Louis International Air Exposition, a cow supposedly flew in an airplane for the first time, and this same cow became the first cow to be milked while flying.

1968 Actress Molly Ringwald was born. Two of her movies were ‘The Breakfast Club’ (1985) and ‘In the Weeds’ (2000).

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Tagged: national drink wine day

February 17th is National Café au Lait Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy National Café au Lait Day

5 Food Facts about Cafe au Lait Day

Cafe au lait is coffee with hot milk added.

In Europe, “café au lait” stems from the same continental tradition as “café con leche” in Spain.

In Poland it is referred to as “kawa biała” (“white coffee”).

In Germany it is referred to as “Milchkaffee” (“milk coffee”).

In The Netherlands “koffie verkeerd” (“incorrect coffee”).

In the French-speaking areas of Switzerland, a popular variation is the “café renversé” (“reverse coffee”), made by using the milk as a base and adding espresso, in reversal of the normal method of making a “café au lait”.

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1665 Rudolph Jacob Camerarius was born. A German botanist, he showed the existence of sexes in plants, and identified the stamen and pistil as the male and female organs.
1876 Canned sardines went on sale in the U.S. for the first time. They were packed in oil.
(Some sources say 1873).
1889 H.L. Hunt, the pioneering Texas oil millionaire (Hunt Oil Company) was born. He carried a brown bag lunch to his office each day and considered himself as ‘just plain folks.’
1958‘Sugartime’ by the McGuire Sister topped the charts.
2002 New regulations to go into effect this year require German pig farmers to spend at least 20 seconds every day with each pig, 10 seconds in the morning and 10 seconds in the afternoon. I do not know about what regulations there might be for spending time with German cows, sheep, chickens and other farm animals.
2008 The USDA announced the largest beef recall of 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a California slaughterhouse.

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Categories: February Food Holidays, Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: national cafe au lait day

February 16th is National Almond Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Five Food Finds about Almonds

1. Almonds are mentioned several times in the New and Old Testaments. They are revered as symbols of divine approval.

2. Almonds are actually fruits, related to cherries and plums.

3. Raw Almonds contain prussic acids, the eating of more than a handful can be lethal.

4. A key indicator of cyanide poisoning was the faint smell of roasted almonds on the victim.

Today’s Food History

on this day in…
- 1909 Richard McDonald was born. He was one of the brothers who founded McDonald’s fast food restaurants. Richard also designed the golden arches logo.
- 1932 James E. Markham of Stark Brothers Nurseries and Orchards in Mississippi, received the first patent for a fruit tree. It was for a peach tree whose fruit ripened later than other varieties.
- 1937 Dr. Wallace Hume Carothers received a patent for Nylon. (Which he discovered in 1935). One of its first uses was to replace the hog bristles that had been used in toothbrushes. Think about it: people used to brush their teeth with pigs hair.
- 1959 Rap singer ‘Ice T’ was born (Tracy Morrow).
- 2009 Burgers & Beer on the Road: A truck carrying 40,000 pounds of frozen hamburger patties hit the center median, and dumped thousands of pounds of burgers onto Interstate 15 near Salt Lake City. A few hours later on Interstate 84, also in Utah, a truck carrying 40,000 pounds of Fat Tire Beer hit the center median and spilled its load on the highway. Neither driver was injured.

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Categories: February Food Holidays, Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: national almond day

February 14th is National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Five Food Find about Valentine’s Day Candy

In the 1800’s, physicians commonly advised their lovelorn patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining.

More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine’s Day.

At one time, conversation candies were made into shapes including horseshoes, baseballs, and watches.

At least 10 new conversation heart sayings are introduced each year. Recent additions include “Yeah Right,” “Call Home” and “Puppy Love.”

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1779 RIP Captain James Cook, British explorer who charted and named many Pacific Islands, including the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii).

1803 Moses Coats patented an apple parer.

1838 Margaret E. Knight was born. An American inventor, she invented an improved paper bag machine to make bags with flat bottoms.

1886 California oranges were first shipped East by rail.

1903 The U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor was established.

2003 Dolly the sheep died. Dolly was the first animal cloned from an adult animal. (Born July 5, 1996)

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Categories: February Food Holidays, Food Holidays, Uncategorized

February 13th is National Italian Food Day

John-Bryan Hopkins

Five Food Finds about Italian Food

It was not until the 1700’s that tomatoes were first found in Italian dishes.

The ‘essential’ ingredients in Italian food include: olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, mozzarella, ricotta, parmigiana, capers, tomatoes, sausage and of course pasta.

An average Italian meal is divided in two parts, primo piatto & secondo piatto; the primo include a pasta or risotto; the secondi includes any meat and fish meals, complemented by a contorno, a side dish of vegetables.

The Italian dessert, Tiramisu, (ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with mascarpone cheese and egg yolks then flavored with liquor and cocoa) roughly translates to “pick-me-up.” Did you know that this dessert did not appear in the U.S. until the early 1980’s?

Italians prefer their pasta cooked ‘al dente’ literally meaning “to the tooth.” The pasta should be a bit firm, offering some resistance to the tooth, but tender.

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1837 Riot in New York over high price of flour

1933 The House of Commons defeated a bill that would have prohibited the sale of alcohol in the U.K.

1967 The Beatles single ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ is released.

2000 The last original ‘Peanuts’ comic strip is published.

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Categories: February Food Holidays, Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: National Italian Italian Food Day

February 11th is National Peppermint Patty Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy National Peppermint Patty Day!

Five Food Finds about the Peppermint Patty:

1. In 1940 York Cone Co. produced the first Peppermint Patties.

2. Peppermint Patties were sold only in northeastern states until 1975.

Today’s Food History
on this day in…

1785 The Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture was founded. It is the oldest active agricultural organization in the U.S.
1847 Thomas Alva Edison was born. Chefs use his inventions everyday, including light and music to work by.
1926 Paul Bocuse, French chef, was born at Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or, France. He is known as one of the founders of ‘nouvelle cuisine’.
1963 Julia Child’s ‘The French Chef’ premiered on TV.
1977 The heaviest lobster known was caught off Nova Scotia, weighing in at 44 lb 6 oz (20.14 kg).
1994 Use of the genetically engineered growth hormone for cows, RBGH begins.

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Categories: February Food Holidays, Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: National peppermint patties day, national peppermint patty day

February 10th is National “Have a Brownie” Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five thing to know about Brownie:

It is said that the brownie was created at the Palmer House Hotel during the 1893 Columbian Exposition( The largest World’s Fair of it’s time) when the owner Bertha Palmer asked the chef to make a ‘ladies dessert’.
The word ‘brownie’ became so popular that soon after the Expedition even Kodak named one of it’s first hand held cameras after them, the little ‘brownie.’
Brownies were one of the very first prepackaged food ‘mixes’ ever sold. First appearing in the Sears, Roebuck catalogue in 1897.
Fannie Farmer, the First Lady of American Cookery, published the first written recipe for brownies in 1896.
A popular turn of the century alternative was considered of equal importance, the ‘blondie‘, which used many of the same ingredients except chocolate. Many believed chocolate to be a ‘vice’ on the same level as alcohol and even coffee.

Daily Quote:

“A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.”
Benjamin Franklin

Today’s Pinterest Board : Foodimentary

Today’s Food History

1846 Ira Remsen was born. He was an American chemist, co-discoverer of saccharin, the artificial sweetener.

1933 The Postal Telegraph Co. of New York City delivers the first singing telegram with a box of chocolates.

1944 Author Frances Moore Lappe was born. Author of the best selling ‘Diet for a Small Planet’ (1971) The first best seller to encourage a vegetarian diet. Her premise was that the raising of animals was wasteful & potentially harmful to the environment.

1945 The Andrews Sisters recording of ‘Rum and Coca Cola’ hit #1 on the popular music charts.

1957 The ‘Styrofoam’ cooler was invented.

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Categories: February Food Holidays, Food Holidays, Uncategorized

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Here are today’s five things to know about Pistachio:

Pistachio nuts are a member of the cashew family and are closely related to mangos, sumac, and even poison ivy.

Iran produces more pistachios than any other country in the world with over 200k tons per year.

In Asia they are often referred to as ‘green almonds & the ‘happy nut’. In Iran they are called the ‘smiling nut.’

Male pistachio trees are alternate bearing, meaning they produce heavier crops every other year.

All pistachio shells are naturally beige in color. Many companies dye inferior nuts red or green.

Today’s Food History

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Here are today’s five thing to know about Chocolate Covered Peanuts:

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Today’s Food History

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Here are today’s five thing to know about Chocolate Mint:

In tea houses and dinner halls of the early 1900’s mint sprigs and dark chocolates served after desserts for patrons to ‘chew for good breath and aid digestion’.

Thin Mints account for over 25% of the annual Girl Scout cookie sales.

Andes chocolate mints, created in 1921, have little to do with the Andes mountains. They were once called “Andy’s Candies” but the owner ‘found that men did not like giving boxes of candies with another man’s name on them to their wives and girlfriends’ so he changed the name.

Frango Mints, perhaps the first chocolate mints, were first patented in 1918. They were sold in tea houses and sold frozen to emphasize the sharp mint flavor.

Ancient Greeks believed mint could cure hiccups.

Today’s Food History

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Here are today’s five thing to know about Wine:

It takes around 2 1/2 pounds of grapes to make one bottle of wine.

Before corks were broadly used in wine bottles, wooden stoppers wrapped in oil-soaked rags were common.

Even though corks were commonly used since the 1600’s it wasn’t until 1795 that the corkscrew was patented. Before then the corks would have caps, similar to champagne corks.

An average bottle of wine is about 25 fluid ounces( officially 750 milliliters)

Most ancients urns found in greece, egypt, and the Mediterranean are ‘casks’ that held wine. The sealed elongated box that holds them are called ‘caskets’

Today’s Food History

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5 Food Facts about Cafe au Lait Day

Cafe au lait is coffee with hot milk added.

In Europe, “café au lait” stems from the same continental tradition as “café con leche” in Spain.

In Poland it is referred to as “kawa biała” (“white coffee”).

In Germany it is referred to as “Milchkaffee” (“milk coffee”).

In The Netherlands “koffie verkeerd” (“incorrect coffee”).

In the French-speaking areas of Switzerland, a popular variation is the “café renversé” (“reverse coffee”), made by using the milk as a base and adding espresso, in reversal of the normal method of making a “café au lait”.

Today’s Food History

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Five Food Finds about Almonds

1. Almonds are mentioned several times in the New and Old Testaments. They are revered as symbols of divine approval.