January 7th is National Tempura Day!

Did you know?

Tempura is actually a Portuguese form of cooking. Introduced to Japan in the 1500’s by Jesuit Priests.

Today’s 5 facts about Tempura:

Tempura was considered a local delicacy in Nagasaki, Japan for well over 100 years.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, considered the first Shogun of Japan, reportedly loved tempura.
The word “tempura” comes from the word “tempora”, a Latin word meaning “times.”
Outside Japan there are many nontraditional uses of tempura. Chefs over the world include tempura dishes on their menus, and a wide variety of different batters and ingredients are used, including the nontraditional broccoli, zucchini, sliced sweet potatoes, and asparagus.
No Panko or Breadcrumbs are used in Tempura, as this method of using breadcrumbs is called Furai.

Today’s Food History

1618 Francis Bacon became Lord Chancellor of England.
1827 Sir Sanford Fleming was born. He devised the present system of time zones while working for the Canadian Pacific Railway.
1896 The ‘Fannie Farmer Cookbook’ was published.

1901 Alfred Packer is released from prison. He served 18 years for cannibalism after being stranded in the Rocky Mountains. (Actually he was convicted of murder, since cannibalism was not against the law).
1958 Ant Farms go on sale. Milton Levine had the idea at a July 4th family picnic. I wonder if he had dreams of fencing them in so they would not bother him at picnics?

1972 “American Pie” by Don McLean is #1 on the charts.

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: food, food holiday book, national tempura day, Tempura, Tempura history

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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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October 31st is National Caramel Apple Day! / #Halloween

Here are today’s five things to know about the caramel apple:

Candy Apples were first introduced in Arabian cuisine. The reason was that fruit was candied to preserve it.

Americans have over the years turned that practice into gigantic apples covered everything from red candy and caramel to chocolate, peanuts, popcorn, and more chocolate.

Soldiers in World War I slanged them “toffee apples.” Candy Apples are popular all over the world.

England celebrates Guy Fawkes Day with caramel apples on November 5.

Everything from a Kool-Aid flavor to a nail-polish shade has been named candy apple red.

Today’s Food History

1826 Noah Cushing was issued a patent for a threshing and winnowing machine.
1831 Carl von Voit was born. German physiologist whose work on metabolism helped establish modern nutritional science.
1888 Scottish inventor John Boyd Dunlop was issued a patent for pneumatic bicycle tires.
1917 Patience Gray, British cookery writer, was born. ’Plats Du Jour’ (1957), ‘Honey From A Weed’(1986)
1920 Justice Oliver Wendell Homes handed down the decision of the Supreme Court, which upheld trademark violations for The ‘Coca- Cola Company’ against ‘The Koke Company of America’.
1950 John Candy was born. Canadian comedian and actor, member of ‘The Second City’ comedy troupe.
1981 Dunkin’ Donuts opened its first store in Thailand.
1982 Waverley Root, cookbook and food author died in Paris at age 79.
2007 David Tallichet, founder of Specialty Restaurants Corp, died. A former WW II pilot, most of the restaurants have aviation themes, or are located on prime waterfront or hilltop properties.

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Tagged: caramel apple day, food holiday book, halloween food holiday, halloween foods, national caramel apple day

October 30th is National Candy Corn Day!

Happy National Candy Corn Day

Did you know candy corn started as a gimmick to prove the goodness of corn sugar?

#NationalCandyCornDay

Here are today’s facts to know about Candy Corn:

One serving of candy corn contains only about 140 calories.
Candy corn has 3.57 calories per kernel.
More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That equates to nearly 9 billion pieces — enough to circle the moon nearly four times if laid end-to-end.
Halloween accounts for 75% of the annual candy corn production.
A cup of candy corn has fewer calories than a cup of raisins.

Today’s Food History

1815 Andrew Jackson Downing was born. American horticulturist, author of ‘The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America’ (1845) and editor of the ‘Horticulturist’ periodical.
1894 The first U.S. patent for a time clock was issued to Daniel Cooper of Rochester, New York.
1990 ‘Ice Ice Baby’ by Vanilla Ice is #1 on the charts.

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Tagged: candy corn day, Candy corn history, food holiday book, national candy corn day

October 28th is National Chocolate Day! / #NationalChocolateDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy National Chocolate Day!

Did you know the smell of chocolate is a natural calming agent?

#NationalChocolateDay

Here’s a Foodimentary look at he history of Chocolate

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

White chocolate originates from the cocoa (cacao) plant, but it is not ‘chocolate.’
Switzerland is one of the top countries for chocolate consumption. The Swiss consume about 22 lbs of chocolate, per person, per year.
Most cocoa comes from West Africa.
Allowing chocolate to melt in your mouth produces the same or even stronger reactions as passionately kissing.
Cocoa beans were used as currency by the Mayan and Aztec cultures. Perhaps this is where they saying “Money grows on trees” came from.

Today in Food History

1846 (Georges-) Auguste Escoffier was born. Escoffier was called “the emperor of chefs” and “emperor of the world’s kitchens” by Emperor William II of Germany. He modernized and codified the elaborate haute cuisine created by Marie-Antoine Carême, and developed the ‘brigade de cuisine,’ system of kitchen organization. Escoffier was chef at the Carlton Hotel in London, the Grande National Hotel in Lucerne, Switzerland, the Grand Hotel in Monte Carlo, the Savoy in London and the Ritz hotels in Paris and New York City. His books include ‘Guide culinaire’ and ‘Ma Cuisine.’
1886 The Statue of Liberty (‘Liberty Enlightening the World’) was officially unveiled and dedicated in New York Harbor.
1916 Cleveland Abbe died. Abbe was an astronomer and meteorologist, and is considered the “father of the U.S. Weather Bureau.” The Weather Bureau (National Weather Service) was authorized by Congress in 1870.
1919 The Volstead Act was passed, which enforced the 18th amendment, prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages. It went into effect on January 16, 1920.

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Tagged: chocolate, chocolate day, food holiday book, national chocolate day, the history of chocolate

Cheers! October 27th is National American Beer Day!

Todays five food facts about beer:

The bittering agent in beer, Hops, is closely related to marijuana.

Brown bottles are designed to keep beer fresh.

The average American consumes nearly 23 gallons of beer annually.

According to broadcasting regulations, American beer commercials are not allowed to show anyone consuming alcohol.

Obama is the first American President to brew his own beer.

Today’s Food History

1728 Captain James Cook was born. British explorer who charted and named many Pacific Islands, including the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii).

1806 Alphonse Pyrame de Candolle was born. A Swiss botanist, author of ‘Origin of Cultivated Plants.’

1872 Emily Post was born. (or on October 3, 1873). Etiquette expert, newspaper columnist, author of ‘Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home’ (1922); ‘The Emily Post Cook Book’(1949); ‘Motor Manners’ (1950).

1873 Joseph F. Glidden applied for a patent for barbed wire.

1904 The first subway (underground) rail system in New York City began operating. The Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) line was 21 miles long.

1930 ‘Gorgonzola’ was recorded by Jack Hylton & His Orchestra with Leslie Sarony

1975 Rex Stout, American crime writer died. More than 70 of his novels and stories feature the fictional gourmand/gourmet detective, Nero Wolfe. Archie Goodwin, the detective’s assistant, described him as weighing “one seventh of a ton” (about 286 pounds). Shad Roe and Duck were two of Wolfe’s favorites, and he also consumed copious amounts of beer. Stout also published ‘The Nero Wolfe Cookbook’ in 1973.

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Tagged: National American beer day

October 27th is National Potato Day! / #NationalPotatoDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Happy #NationalPotatoDay

Here are today’s Facts things about the potato:

Despite being delicious fried, baked, or boiled, the root vegetable rarely gets the praise it deserves. The environmentally friendly food crop has played a huge role in our development, but rarely do we give our starchy friend a second thought.
They’re cheap and ridiculously easy to grow, and don’t require massive amounts of fertilizer and chemical additives to thrive (although some growers still use them anyway). They’re also good for you providing you’re not eating them in fried form all the time.
In 1995, potato plants were taken into space with the space shuttle Columbia. This marked the first time any food was ever grown in space.
The world’s largest potato weighed in at 18 pounds, 4 ounces according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
While potatoes may be synonymous with the Irish these days, they were grown in the Andes mountains centuries before Europeans ever set foot in the new world.

Today’s Food History

1728 Captain James Cook was born. British explorer who charted and named many Pacific Islands, including the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii).
1806 Alphonse Pyrame de Candolle was born. A Swiss botanist, author of ‘Origin of Cultivated Plants.’
1872 Emily Post was born. (or on October 3, 1873). Etiquette expert, newspaper columnist, author of ‘Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home’ (1922); ‘The Emily Post Cook Book’(1949); ‘Motor Manners’ (1950).
1873 Joseph F. Glidden applied for a patent for barbed wire.
1904 The first subway (underground) rail system in New York City began operating. The Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) line was 21 miles long.
1930 ‘Gorgonzola’ was recorded by Jack Hylton & His Orchestra with Leslie Sarony
1975 Rex Stout, American crime writer died. More than 70 of his novels and stories feature the fictional gourmand/gourmet detective, Nero Wolfe. Archie Goodwin, the detective’s assistant, described him as weighing “one seventh of a ton” (about 286 pounds). Shad Roe and Duck were two of Wolfe’s favorites, and he also consumed copious amounts of beer. Stout also published ‘The Nero Wolfe Cookbook’ in 1973.

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: food holiday book, national food holidays, national potato day, potato, potato chips

October 26th is National Mincemeat Pie Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five thing to know about Mincemeat Pie:

Mincemeat was originally a medieval (England) sweet, spicy mixture of chopped (minced) lean meat (usually beef, or beef tongue), suet and fruit.
It was generally served as an entree.
Gradually the meat content was reduced, and today the mixture contains nuts, dried fruit (raisins, apples, pears, citrus peel, etc.), beef suet, spices and brandy or rum, but no beef.
Mincemeat is used primarily in pies and tarts.
Mince pies date back to medieval times and possibly long before. They are descended from a huge pie baked on Christmas Eve containing chopped beef, suet, nuts, spices and fruit of which whole dried plums were an important constituent.

Today’s Pinterest Board : Foodimentary

Today’s Food History

1825 The 363 mile long Erie Canal was finished. Connecting the Great Lakes to the Hudson River at Albany, It provided a water route from the Great Lakes to New York City and the Atlantic Ocean, and began the great canal building era in the U.S. (1825-1840).

1854 C. W. Post (Charles William) was born. He founded the Postum Cereal Co. in 1895 (renamed General Foods Corp. in 1922) to manufacture Postum cereal beverage; 1897 Grape Nuts, 1904 Post Toasties (originally called Elijah’s Mana).

1918 Cesar Ritz died in Kussnacht, Switzerland. World renowned hotelier who managed various resort hotels, including the Grand Hotel in Monte Carlo where he met chef Auguste Escoffier. Ritz then managed the Savoy Hotel in London, with Escoffier as his chef. Eventually he opened The Ritz Hotel in Paris in 1898, and was part owner in many other hotels and restaurants, including the Carlton in London. His name became a synonym for luxury.

1979 The largest bluefin tuna weighed 1,496 pounds. It was caught in Nova Scotia.

2007 ‘Chef Tell’ (Friedman Paul Erhardt) died of heart failure. A European trained chef, he was one of the earliest celebrity TV chefs. He made appearances on Saturday Night Live, numerous talk shows, the PBS show ‘In the Kitchen With Chef Tell’ and was the inspiration for the Muppet’s ‘Swedish Chef.’ He was also a restaurant owner, cookbook author and culinary educator.

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Tagged: National Mincemeeat Pie Day

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October 26th is National Pumpkin Day! #NationalPumpkinDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Yes It’s #NationalPumpkinDay

Here are today’s Interesting Facts about Pumpkins:

The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.
In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.
Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.
The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.
The Connecticut field variety is the traditional American pumpkin.

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Tagged: food holiday book, national pumpkin day, pumpkin day

October 25th is National Greasy Food Day! / #NationalGreasyFood

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five craziest, most delectably greasy foods:

1. Deep-fried hamburger:

2. The Fat Darrell

3. French fry-coated bacon

4. Monster grilled cheese

5. Deep-fried pizza

Today’s Food History

1955 The first microwave oven for home use was introduced by the Tappan Stove Company. It cost about $1,300.

1962 Chad Smith of the music group ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers’ was born.

1975 On the ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ Chuckles the Clown is killed by an Elephant while he is dressed in a peanut suit.

2001 It was reported that the remains of a crocodile that lived 110 million years ago was found in Niger. It could grow up to 40 feet long and weigh more than 8 tons!

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October 24th is National Bologna Day! / #NationalBolognaDay #BaloneyDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

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

Bologna sausage, sometimes phonetically spelled as baloney, boloney or polony, is a sausage derived from the Italian mortadella, a similar looking finely ground pork sausage containing cubes of lard, originally from the Italian city of Bologna.
Bologna can alternatively be made out of chicken, turkey,beef, pork, venison or soy protein.
Occasionally a slice of bologna is heated up so, as the fat renders, the round slice takes the shape of a bowl which may be filled with cheese or other fillings.
Sometimes referred to as garlic bologna, German sausage differs from traditional bologna due to various seasonings, most typically garlic being added to the recipe.
Kosher or halal bologna is typically made with only beef, but sometimes made from turkey, chicken or lamb.

Today’s Food History

1817 Hippolyte Mege Mouries was born. A French scientist, he invented margarine and patented canned meat.
1836 Alonzo Dwight Philips patented the phosphorous friction safety match in the U.S.
1861 The first transcontinental telegraph was completed and went into operation. Within days the Pony Express ceased operations.
1911 Nathaniel Wyeth was born. A chemist and inventor, he patented the PET (polyethylene terephthalate). It was the first plastic strong enough to use to bottle carbonated beverages.
1929 ‘Black Thursday’ – the first day of the panic driven stock market crash that precipitated the Great Depression.
1939 Employees at DuPont’s factory in Wilmington, Delaware purchased the first nylon stockings for sale in the U.S. They were available nationally in May, 1940.

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Tagged: bologna day, facts, national bologna day

October 23rd is National Boston Cream Pie Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Did you know?

Boston Cream Pie was invented at Boston’s Parker House around 1912.

A dessert cook at the time was Ho Chi Minh,

the future Communist leader of North Vietnam

Here are today’s five thing to know about Boston Cream Pie:

A Boston cream pie is a cake that is filled with a custard or cream filling and frosted with chocolate.
Although it is called a Boston cream pie, it is in fact a cake, and not a pie.
Boston cream pie was created by Armenian-French chef M. Sanzian at Boston’s Parker House Hotel in 1856,
The Boston cream pie is the official dessert of Massachusetts, declared as such in 1996.
A Boston cream doughnut is a name for a Berliner filled with vanilla custard or crème pâtissière and topped with icing made from chocolate.

Today’s Food History

1752 Nicolas Appert was born. (The year is listed in various sources as 1749, 1750 and 1752; month and day also varies in October and November). Inventor of the canning process, preserving food by sealing it in sterilized containers. He published the results of 14 years of research in 1810 & received 12,000 franc award from French government.
1921 Edward A. Doisy died. He discovered vitamin K.
1943 Barbara Ann Hawkins of the vocal group ‘The Dixie Cups’ was born
1947 Greg Ridley of the music group ‘Humble Pie’ was born.

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Tagged: boston cream pie day, food, food holiday book, national boston cream pie day

October 22nd is National Nut Day! / #NationalNutDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

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

Cashews are in the same plant family as poison ivy and poison sumac and their itchy oil is contained almost entirely in the shell of the nut.
Pistachios get their green color from the same pigment (chlorophyll) that lights up your spinach, kale and other fabulous plant based foods.
Walnuts enjoy a distinction like no other — they are the only nut that has omega-3 fatty acids.
A 2008 study found that almonds (and specifically the fat in almonds) may play a role in increasing healthy bacteria in the gut.
Brazil nuts are high in selenium, a mineral that has been found to be effective in the fight against prostate cancer.

Today’s Pinterest Board : Foodimentary

Today’s Food History

1843 Stephen Moulton Babcock was born. He developed a test to measure the fat content of milk, which which helped improve the quality of commercial dairy production.
1896 Charles Glen King was born. King was a biochemist who discovered vitamin C in 1932. He extracted and isolated it from lemon juice.
1981 The FDA approved the artificial sweetener Aspartame (NutraSweet) for tabletop use.

Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: food, national nut day, nut day

October 21st is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

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

Pennsylvania Dutch-style cheesecake uses a slightly tangy type of cheese with larger curds and less water content, called pot or farmer’s cheese.
Philadelphia-style cheesecake is lighter in texture, yet richer in flavor than New York style cheesecake.
Farmer’s cheese cheesecake is the contemporary implementation for the traditional use of baking to preserve fresh cheese and is often baked in a cake form along with fresh fruit like a tart.
Country-style cheesecake uses buttermilk to produce a firm texture while decreasing the pH (increasing acidity) to extend shelf life.
Lactose free cheesecake may be made either with lactose-free cream cheese or as an imitation using Vegan recipes combining non-dairy cream cheese alternatives with other lactose-free ingredient

Today’s Food History

1422 Charles VI of France died. It was during Charles VI rule that Taillevent was made Master of the King’s kitchens. Charles VI also gave sole rights for the aging of Roquefort cheese to the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, and all Roquefort must still be aged in the caves there today.
1449 George Plantagenet, duke of Clarence was born. Brother of Edward IV whom he was accused of plotting against. He was thrown into prison and secretly executed in the Tower of London. The rumor is that he was drowned in a butt (large cask) of malmsey wine.
1879 Thomas Edison demonstrated the first commercially practical light bulb at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
1990 Tom Carvel died. He was the inventor of the soft-serve ice cream machine, and founder of the Carvel ice cream chain.

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Tagged: food, food holidays book, national pumpkin cheesecake day, Pumpkins cheesecake

October 20th is National Eggo Day! / #NationalEggoDay #StrangerThings

John-Bryan Hopkins

Five Food facts about Eggos:

Eggo waffles were invented by three brothers: Tony, Sam, and Frank Dorsa.
They were initially introduced as “Froffles,” but the name “Eggos” became popular due to their eggy taste.
The Dorsa brothers also produced a line of Eggo potato chips.
It wasn’t until 1968 when Kellog acquired the brand that the slogan “L’eggo my Eggo” was coined.

5. “Oh. Candy… leftovers… eggos… she really likes eggos.” – Mike, Stranger Things

Today’s Food History

1880 Lydia Maria Francis Child died. An American abolitionist and author of novels and children’s books. She also wrote books of advice for women including ‘The Frugal Housewife’ (1829).
1882 Bela Lugosi was born. Dracula.
1970 Norman Borlaug received the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the ‘Green Revolution.’ He had developed new varieties of wheat and rice to help increase food production in the Third World

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Tagged: eggo trivia, food, food holidays book, national eggo day

October 19th is National Seafood Bisque Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five thing to know about Seafood Bisque:

Bisque is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth of crustaceans.
It can be made from lobster, crab, shrimp or crayfish.
It is thought the name is derived from Biscay, as in Bay of Biscay, but the crustaceans are certainly bis cuites“twice cooked” (by analogy to abiscuit) for they are first sautéed lightly in their shells, then simmered in wine and aromatic ingredients, before being strained, followed by the addition of cream.
Bisque is a method of extracting every bit of flavor from imperfect crustaceans not good enough to send to market. In an authentic bisque, the shells are ground to a fine paste and added to thicken the soup.
Bisque is also sometimes used to refer to cream-based soups that do not contain seafood, in which the sometimes pre-cooked ingredients are pureed or processed in a food processor or a food mill.

Today’s Food History

1688 William Cheselden was born. An English surgeon and teacher, he was one of the first to describe the role of saliva in digestion.
1917 In France, Salvation Army volunteer Helen Purviance made the first doughnuts for homesick U.S. soldiers. The doughnuts became a symbol of the spirit of the Salvation Army’s work to ease the hardship of WW I soldiers on the frontline.
1937 ‘Woman’s Day’ magazine began publishing.
1962 Boxer Evander Holyfield was born. On June 28, 1997, Mike Tyson bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear in the 3rd round of a boxing match. Tyson was disqualified.

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Tagged: food, food holidays book, national seafood bisque day, Seafood bisque day

October 18th is National Chocolate Cupcake Day

John-Bryan Hopkins

Today’s Cupcake Trivia

Cupcakes were originally baked in teacups, hence the name Cup-cake

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

Cupcake liners do more than make it easy to remove them from the pan. Traditionally, sides of tins are greased for easy removal, but also floured because the batter needs to have something to cling to. A cupcake liner takes care of both.
On August 15, 2009 GourmetGiftBaskets.com broke the world record for largest cupcake ever made. The cupcake was 1,224 pounds, 4 foot tall by 10 foot wide, and had 2 million calories.
One of the most popular cupcake bakery’s in the U.S. is Crumbs in New York City. They have reported $23.5 million in cupcake revenue last year alone!
The first mention of a cupcake recipe goes as far back as 1796. Amelia Simms wrote a recipe in “American Cookery” which referenced, “a cake to be baked in small cups”.
However, it wasn’t until 1828 that the actual word cupcake was used by Eliza Leslie in her cookbook “Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats”.

The complete list of

October Food Holidays

Today’s Food History

1753 Jean Jacques Regis de Cambaceres was born. A French politician and gourmet. A gastronomic contemporary and rival of Talleyrand and Carême. The dinners he gave were famous, and Cambaceres closely supervised the food preparation. He refused to admit late-comers, and was also said to have demanded complete silence while dining.
1871 Charles Babbage died. He invented the adding machine, and among his other inventions is the cowcatcher, the V shaped front end on locomotives.
1878 Thomas Edison made electricity available for household usage.
1892 The first long distance telephone line between Chicago and New York City was put in service.
1919 William Waldorf Astor Born. William Waldorf Astor was a cousin of John Jacob Astor IV, the great grandson of John Jacob Astor. He built the Waldorf section (1893) of what would become the Waldorf Astoria (1897). The Empire State Building (1929) now stands on the site.
1931 Thomas Alva Edison, “the wizard of Menlo Park” died.
1945 James T. Ehler, Chef and food writer, was born.
1969 Cyclamate, a non-caloric sweetener, was banned. Discovered in 1937, and widely used in the food industry, cyclamate was found to cause cancer in laboratory rats. Cyclamate is still used in many countries around the world.

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: chocolate cupcakes, food, food holidays book, national chocolate cupcake day

October 17th is National Pasta Day! / #NationalPastaDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Pasta Fact:

It is said that Thomas Jefferson introduced pasta to the US around 1789

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

The average American consumes 20 lbs. of pasta annually. This makes it the 6th highest food per capita in the country.
As of March 2012, the average price an American pays for pasta is $1.45 per pound! This makes it one of the most affordable meals.
24% of the global consumption of pasta is by Americans – the largest of any country in the world. Americans consume 6 billion pounds of pasta each year.
The United States produces 4.4 billion pounds of pasta annually, making it the second largest pasta-producing nation.
Pasta made its way to the New World through the English, who discovered it while touring Italy. Colonists brought to America the English practice of cooking noodles at least one half hour, then smothering them with cream sauce and cheese.

Today’s Food History

1946 Jim Tucker of the music group ‘The Turtles’ was born.
1963 ‘Sugar Shack’ by Jimmy Gilmer & Fireballs is #1 on the charts
1977 The Guinness Book of World Records notes that Peter Dowdeswell managed to eat 40 sandwiches in 17 minutes, 53.9 seconds at a California donut shop on October 17, 1977. Each sandwich was 6 X 3 inches, spread with jam and butter.

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Tagged: food, food holiday book, food holidays book, national pasta day, Pasta Day, Pasta Trivia

October 16th is National Liqueur Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

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

In parts of the United States, liqueurs may also be called cordials or schnapps.
Grand Marnier Created in 1880, it is one of the most popular liqueurs of all time. Escoffier used it as an ingredient for his culinary masterpiece Crepe Suzette. Cesar Ritz was so impressed with this liqueur that he was among the first to introduce it at his hotels.
All liqueurs are blends, even those with a primary flavor.
Liqueurs are not usually aged for any great length of time (although their base spirit may be), but may undergo resting stages during their production in order to allow the various flavors to “marry” into a harmonious blend.
The most common liqueurs that you should consider absolutely essential when stocking your bar: Amaretto, Coffee Liqueur (e.g. Kahlua), Dry and Sweet Vermouth, Irish Cream Liqueur, Maraschino Liqueur and Orange Liqueur (e.g. triple sec, Cointreau, Curaçao).

Today’s Food History

1829 The Tremont Hotel opened in Boston. It was the first modern hotel in the U.S. Rooms were $2 per day with meals included.
1939 ‘The Man Who Came to Dinner’ opened on Broadway.
1945 World Food Day. The founding day of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
1962 ‘Flea’ (Michael Peter Balzary) was born. Bass player for the music group ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers.’
1986 The largest northern pike weighed over 55 pounds and was caught in Germany.

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

October 16th is World Food Day! / #WorldFoodDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Celebrate & Remember

‘If more of us valued foodand cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.’

J. R. R. Tolkien

Here are today’s five things to know about World Food Day:

Hunger kills more people every year than malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS combined.
About one billion people in developing countries live in extreme poverty. Seventy-eight percent of them live in rural areas, where agriculture is the main driving force of the rural economy and, in some cases, of the whole economy.
60% of the hungry in the world are women.
Almost 5 million children under the age of 5 die of malnutrition-related causes every year.
In the USA, 30-40% of the food supply is wasted, equaling more than 20 pounds of food per person per month

If you want to read more about the Think.Eat.Save food waste campaign, follow this link and get involved!

Today’s Food History

1829 The Tremont Hotel opened in Boston. It was the first modern hotel in the U.S. Rooms were $2 per day with meals included.
1939 ‘The Man Who Came to Dinner’ opened on Broadway.
1945 World Food Day. The founding day of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
1962 ‘Flea’ (Michael Peter Balzary) was born. Bass player for the music group ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers.’
1986 The largest northern pike weighed over 55 pounds and was caught in Germany.

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: food, food holiday book, food holidays book, World Food Day, world food facts

October 15th is Red Wine Day! / #RedWineDay #NationalRedWineDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Did you know?

One bottle of wine contains the juice of about 3 pounds of grapes

Here are today’s five thing to know about red wine:

The top three imported wines sold in the U.S. are Yellowtail (Australia), Cavit (Italy), and Concha y Toro (Chile).
The term bouquet refers to the total scent of the wine. Aroma is the scent of the grapes. When wine tasters want to describe the bouquet and the aroma together, they use the term nose.
In 2008, the top five wine-producing states in the U.S. were California (3.4 million tons of grapes crushed for wine), Washington (145,000 tons), New York (45,000 tons), Oregon (40,000 tons), and Pennsylvania (13,200 tons).
According to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, there are 100 calories in a 5-ounce glass of wine (compared to 150 calories in a 12-ounce beer).
The ancient Greeks had a wine glass to ensure the drinker’s moderation. If wine was poured above a certain level, the cup spilled its entire contents out of the bottom.

Today’s Food History

1944 Don Stevenson of the music group ‘Moby Grape’ was born.
1959 Emeril Lagasse was born in Fall River, Massachusetts. TV cook and actor.
1988 ‘Red Red Wine’ by UB40 hits number 1 on the charts.
1990 Killer bees reach the U.S. in the city of Hidalgo in southern Texas.
1996 Pierre Franey died. A French chef who became famous as the chef of ‘Le Pavillon’ restaurant in New York City from 1945 to 1960. He published several cookbooks and collaborated with Craig Claiborne on the New York Times food column, ‘The 60 Minute Gourmet’.
2002 Konrad (Emil) Bloch died. Nobel prize winner for his work on cholesterol and fatty acids. He discovered that high levels of cholesterol may lead ultimately to increased risk of heart attacks.

Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: food, food holiday book, food holidays book, national red wine day, red wine, red wine day, red wine facts

October 14th is National Dessert Day! / #NationalDessertDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Today’s Dessert Quote:

“A party without dessert is just a meeting”

~Julia Child

Top Five Most Popular Desserts in the US:

Fudge
Chocolate cake
Chocolate chip cookies
Brownies
Ice cream

Today’s Food History

1906 Joseph Farwell Glidden died. Glidden, an Illinois farmer, received a patent for the first commercial barbed wire on November 24, 1874. The beginning of the end to open range and the cowboy. Glidden formed the Barb Fence Company with Isaac L. Ellwood, and became one of the wealthiest men in the country.
1941 Carmen Miranda recorded ‘The Man with the Lollipop Song.’
1946 ‘The Iceman Cometh’ opened in New York City.
1985 Strawberry Fields, a 2 1/2 acre garden memorial in New York City’s Central Park, was dedicated to John Lennon.
1996 World’s largest grilled cheese sandwich was made, 3,000 pounds.

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: dessert, dessert day, food, national dessert day

Here’s the ‘Official’ 🎃October Food Holiday List 🎃 / #FoodHolidays #October

John-Bryan Hopkins

National Pumpkin Month

National Apple Month
National Applejack Month
National Caramel Month
National Cookbook Month
National Cookie Month
National Dessert Month
National Pasta Month
National Pickled Peppers Month
National Pizza Month
National Popcorn Poppin’ Month
National Pork Month
National Pretzel Month
National Seafood Month
Second Weekend in October: National Kegger Weekend

Daily Holidays

October 1

National Pumpkin Spice Day

World Vegetarian Day

October 2
World Farm Animals Day

October 3
National Soft Taco Day

October 4
National Taco Day

October 5
National Apple Betty Day

Rocky Mountain Oyster Day*

(a Colorado delicacy)

October 6
National Noodle Day

October 7
National Frappe Day

October 8
National Fluffernutter Day

October 9

National Moldy-Cheese Day
National Pizza and Beer Day
National Hoagy Day

October 10

National Tic Tac Day
National Angel Food Cake Day

October 11
National Sausage Pizza Day

October 12

National Gumbo Day
Pumpkin Pie Day

October 13
National Peanut Festival
National Pumpkin Festival

Yorkshire Pudding Day
National M&M Day

October 14
National Dessert Day

October 15
National Mushroom Day
National Red Wine Day

October 16

National Liqueur Day
National World Food Day

October 17
National Pasta Day

October 18
National Chocolate Cupcake Day

October 19
National Seafood Bisque Day

October 20
National Brandied Fruit Day

October 21
National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

October 22
National Nut Day

October 23
National Boston Cream Pie Day

October 24
National Bologna Day
Feast of Good & Plenty

October 25
National Greasy Foods Day

October 26
National Mincemeat Day
National Pumpkin Day

October 27
National Potato Day

American Beer Day

October 28
National Chocolate Day

October 29
National Oatmeal Day

October 30
National Candy Corn Day

October 31
National Caramel Apple Day

_________________________

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: food, food holiday book, October food holidays, October Holidays

October 13th is National M&M’s Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Did you know?

The 2 M’s in M&Ms stand for ‘Mars’ and ‘Murrie’ the creators of the candy

Here are today’s five thing to know about M&Ms:

From 1976 to 1985, there were no red M&Ms
Blue M&Ms were introduced in 1995.
M&Ms were taken along on the first space shuttle voyage in 1982.
There are 340 million M&M’s produced daily.
The “M&M” was modeled after a candy Forrest Mars, Sr. encountered while in Spain during the 1930s. During the Spanish civil war there, he observed soldiers eating chocolate pellets with a hard shell of tempered chocolate. This prevented the candies from melting, which was essential when included in soldiers rations as they were.

Today’s Food History

National Yorkshire Pudding Day
St. Colman’s Day, patron of cattle and horses.

54 A.D. Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, Emperor of Rome A.D. 41-54, died by poisoning. Known as Claudius I, supposedly he was poisoned with mushrooms by his wife Agrippina, after her son Nero was named as his heir.
2006 Six Flags theme park in Gurnee, Illinois holds a live cockroach eating contest.

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: food, food holidays book, M&M history, National m&m day

October 11th is National Sausage Pizza Day! /#NationalSausagePizzaDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Did you know?

Sausage Pizza is the 3rd most popular pizza in the US 1st is Pepperoni Pizza, 3rd is Cheese Pizza

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

About 93% of Americans eat at least one pizza every month.
About 350 slices of pizza are consumed every second in the United States.
The most pizzas are delivered (and eaten) on Super Bowl Sunday, New Year’s Eve, Halloween, Thanksgiving Eve, and Super Bowl Sunday.
The three dots in the Domino’s Pizza logo represent the first three Domino’s Pizza stores.
Anchovies are one of the LEAST popular pizza toppings in the United States.

Today’s Food History

1844 Henry John Heinz was born. Founder of the H.J. Heinz company and creator of its slogan ’57 varieties.’

1887 The first accurate adding machine patented by Don Eugene Felt. (The Comptometer).

1911 Nathaniel Wyeth was born. Nathaniel Wyeth, American chemist and inventor, received patent for PET (polyethylene terephthalate) beverage bottles. This was the first safe plastic strong enough to hold carbonated beverages.

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: food, food holiday book, food holidays book, national sausage pizza day, sausage pizza day

October 10th is National Tic Tac Day! / #NationalTicTacDay

John-Bryan Hopkins

Did you know?

Tic tac’s were introduced in 1969. The original flavors were only orange and mint.

Here are your five food facts about Tic Tacs:

1. Since 1980, the Tic Tac slogan has been “The 1½ Calorie Breath Mint”..

2. Tic Tacs were originally named “Refreshing Mints,” but the name was changed to reflect the sound of the mints shaking in their container.

3. They currently are sold in over 100 countries in dozens of flavors.

4. “Orange Tic Tacs are Bleeker’s one and only vice.” – Juno, 2009

5. Each Tic Tac box contains about 36 Tic Tacs.

Today’s Food History

1892 Earle Dickson was born. He invented Band-Aids for his wife, who had frequent kitchen accidents, cutting or burning herself. He worked as a buyer for Johnson & Johnson, who soon began manufacturing Band-Aids.

1913 Adolphus Busch died. Founded Annheuser Busch in 1866 with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser.

1913 A dike was blown up by the U.S. engineers to complete the final stage of the Panama Canal, and the waters of the Pacific met the waters of the Atlantic.

1933 Waldo L. Semon received a patent on a method for making plasticized PVC, now know as Vinyl.

1933 Proctor & Gamble began marketing ‘Dreft,’ the first synthetic detergent for home use. Detergents perform better in hard water than soaps.

1966 Simon and Garfunkel release their album, ‘Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme’

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: food, national tic tac day, October food holiday, tic tac day

October 10th is National Angel Food Cake Day!

John-Bryan Hopkins

Here are today’s five thing to know about Angel Food Cake:

Angel food cake is a type of sponge cake that is originated in the United States.
It is named because of the cake’s lightness that was said to be the “food of the angels”.
Angel food cakes are a traditional African-American favorite for post-funeral meals
Angel food cake requires egg whites whipped until they are stiff, Cream of tartaris added to the mixture to stabilize the egg whites.
A variety of chocolate cake known as Devil’s food cake, is considered as Angel food’s “counterpart”

Today’s Food History

1913 Adolphus Busch died. Founded Annheuser Busch in 1866 with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser.

1913 A dike was blown up by the U.S. engineers to complete the final stage of the Panama Canal, and the waters of the Pacific met the waters of the Atlantic.

1933 Waldo L. Semon received a patent on a method for making plasticized PVC, now know as Vinyl.

1933 Proctor & Gamble began marketing ‘Dreft,’ the first synthetic detergent for home use. Detergents perform better in hard water than soaps.

1966 Simon and Garfunkel release their album, ‘Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme’

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: angel food cake day, food, food holiday book, national angel food cake day, October food holidays

October 9th is National Moldy Cheese Day! 🧀🧀

John-Bryan Hopkins

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

Did you know that there are over 2,000 varieties of cheeses?
The #1 cheese recipe in America is “Macaroni and Cheese”.
What appears to be the remains of cheese has been found in Egyptian tombs over 4,000 years old!
The terms “Big Wheel” and “Big Cheese” originally referred to those who were wealthy enough to purchase a whole wheel of cheese.
Chevre is French for goat and refers to cheese made from goat’s milk.

Today’s Food History

1906 Joseph Farwell Glidden died. Glidden, an Illinois farmer, received a patent for the first commercial barbed wire on November 24, 1874. The beginning of the end to open range and the cowboy. Glidden formed the Barb Fence Company with Isaac L. Ellwood, and became one of the wealthiest men in the country.
1941 Carmen Miranda recorded ‘The Man with the Lollipop Song.’
1946 ‘The Iceman Cometh’ opened in New York City.
1985 Strawberry Fields, a 2 1/2 acre garden memorial in New York City’s Central Park, was dedicated to John Lennon.
1996 World’s largest grilled cheese sandwich was made, 3,000 pounds.

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: blue cheese day, food, national moldy cheese day, October food holiday

October 8th is National Fluffernutter Day! 🥪🥪

John-Bryan Hopkins

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

A Fluffernutter is a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow creme, usually served on white bread.
Variations of the sandwich include the substitution of wheat bread and the addition of various sweet, salty and savory ingredients.
The term fluffernutter can also be used to describe other food items, primarily desserts, that incorporate peanut butter and marshmallow creme.
The sandwich was first created in the early 20th century after marshmallow creme, a sweet marshmallow-like spread, was invented in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Archibald Query of Somerville, Massachusetts, invented a product he called Marshmallow Creme in 1917, and Emma and Amory Curtis of Melrose, Massachusetts, invented Snowflake Marshmallow Creme in 1913.
During World War I, Emma Curtis published a recipe for a peanut butter and marshmallow creme sandwich, which is the earliest known example of a Fluffernutter.

Today’s Pinterest Board at : Foodimentary

Today’s Food History

1871 The Great Chicago Fire broke out and destroyed over 17,000 buildings and left almost 100,000 people homeless. It was usually blamed on Mrs. Kate O’Leary’s cow kicking over a lamp. However in 1997 the Chicago City Council looked into the evidence, both new and old, and passed a resolution exonerating Mrs. O’Leary and her cow. Many still believe the cow was guilty.
1919 Congress passed the Volstead Act, which enforced the ban on the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Prohibition begins.
1952 ‘The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette’ was published.
1979 ‘Sugar Babies’ opened on Broadway

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: food, food holiday book, national fluffernutter day

October 7th is National Frappe Day! ☕️ + 🍨 = 😋

John-Bryan Hopkins

Today’s Frappé fact:

They first appeared in the Boston area, were originally pronounced “frap” and spelled without the accent é at the end.

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

Consumers have been customizing unique frappés since their inception, with popular and trendy recipes such as the Absinthe frappe, popular in New Orleans.
Celebrities like Britney Spears have helped to popularize the appeal of these specialty, ice-blended drinks, always being photographed with a cool beverage in hand.
The frappe is loved internationally with regional variations like: Adzuki (red bean) Frap in Japan, Dulce de Leche Frap in Argentina and the Coffee Jelly Frap in the Philippines.
The word frappé first appeared in the 1848 edition of American English Dictionary and is derived from the French word frappe meaning “to Chill.”
The frappé was first sold in retail in the U.S. by a small Boston-based chain, Coffee Connection, in the mid 1980s. The frappé gained national popularity in 1995, when large retail chains started serving blended, frozen coffee beverages.

Today’s Pinterest Board at : Foodimentary

Today’s Food History

1806 Ralph Wedgwood of England received the first patent for carbon paper.
1894 Oliver Wendell Holmes died. American physician, poet and humorist. Author of ‘The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table,’ ‘The Professor of the Breakfast Table,’ ‘The Poet of the Breakfast Table,’and ‘Over the Teacups.’
1950 Willis Haviland Carrier died. He invented the first practical air conditioner.
1956 Clarence Birdseye died in New York. In 1924, Clarence Birdseye, with the financial backing of Wetmore Hodges, William Gamage, Basset Jones, I.L. Rice and J.J. Barry, organized the General Seafood Corporation. The birth of the frozen food industry.
1962 ‘Sherry’ by the 4 Seasons is #1 on the charts

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Categories: Food Holidays, October Food Holidays, Uncategorized

Tagged: food, food holiday book, frappe trivia, national frappe day

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Tempura is actually a Portuguese form of cooking. Introduced to Japan in the 1500’s by Jesuit Priests.

Today’s 5 facts about Tempura:

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Here are today’s five things to know about the caramel apple:

Candy Apples were first introduced in Arabian cuisine. The reason was that fruit was candied to preserve it.

Americans have over the years turned that practice into gigantic apples covered everything from red candy and caramel to chocolate, peanuts, popcorn, and more chocolate.

Soldiers in World War I slanged them “toffee apples.” Candy Apples are popular all over the world.

England celebrates Guy Fawkes Day with caramel apples on November 5.

Everything from a Kool-Aid flavor to a nail-polish shade has been named candy apple red.

Today’s Food History

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Happy National Candy Corn Day

Here are today’s facts to know about Candy Corn:

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Todays five food facts about beer:

The bittering agent in beer, Hops, is closely related to marijuana.

Brown bottles are designed to keep beer fresh.

The average American consumes nearly 23 gallons of beer annually.

According to broadcasting regulations, American beer commercials are not allowed to show anyone consuming alcohol.

Obama is the first American President to brew his own beer.

Today’s Food History

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Happy #NationalPotatoDay

Here are today’s Facts things about the potato:

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Yes It’s #NationalPumpkinDay

Here are today’s Interesting Facts about Pumpkins:

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