Thursday, April 9, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“When you flip anything you just have to have the courage of your conviction.” Julia Child (1912-2004) 'French Chef Cookbook' FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• National Chinese Almond Cookie Day • National Gin & Tonic Day (International Gin & Tonic Day is Oct 19) • National Public Health Week: April 6-12, 2026 (1st full week in April) [American Public Health Assoc.] • Egg Salad Week in 2026 is April 6-12 (week after Easter, March or April) Dedicated to the many delicious uses for all of the Easter eggs that have been cooked, colored, hidden and found. TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1626 Sir Francis Bacon died. An English statesman, philosopher and author of 'Novum Organum', a work on scientific inquiry. Some also claim he wrote the plays attributed to Shakespeare. He died after having stuffed a dressed chicken with snow to see how long the flesh could be preserved by the extreme cold. He caught cold and died from complications about a month later. 1682 Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle discovered the mouth of the Mississippi River and claimed the whole Mississippi Basin for France. He named it Louisiana, in honor of Louis XIV of France. (Louisiana Food Trivia and Facts) 1770 Capt. James Cook discovered Botany Bay on the Australian continent. 1789 Scottish millwright Andrew Meikle received a patent for the first successful drum threshing machine. 1850 William Prout died. An English chemist, he was the first to classify food components into 3 main divisions - carbohydrates, fats and proteins. 1872 Samuel R. Percy of New York received a patent for dried milk. (Milk Trivia and Facts) 1895 African American inventor, Robert H. Gray, of Lexington, Kentucky, received U.S. patent No. 537,151 for a 'Cistern Cleaner.' 1950 'The Cocktail Party' by T. S. Eliot won the Best Play award at the 4th Annual Tony Awards held at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, 1950 Pierre Gagnaire was born. French chef, cookbook author and restaurateur. Considered one of the founders of both fusion cuisine and molecular cuisine. [Website: https://pierregagnaire.com/ 1951 Vilhelm Bjerknes died (born March 14, 1862). A Norwegian meteorologist, one of the founders of the modern science of weather forecasting. 1965 The entire cast of the comic strip 'Peanuts' was featured on the cover of TIME magazine 2009 Canadian Supreme Court rules that governments have the right to look through personal garbage without a warrant once it leaves a person’s property line. 2009 Mexico City shut off water to 5 million residents for 2 days due to water reserves reaching historic lows. 2020 Coronavirus: With restaurants, hotels and resorts closed, many U.S. fisheries are reporting sales declines as much as 95%. 2025 The stock market soars over 2,900 points to 40,608, as president Trump announces a 90 day pause on increased tariffs for goods from most countries. However, he raised tariffs on goods from China to 125% immediately. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** April 2-12, 2026 - Clay County Agricultural Fair Green Cove Springs, Florida April 10-11, 2026 - 48th Annual Pig Cookin' Contest Newport, North Carolina April 10-12, 2026 - 13th Annual Boudin Festival Scott, Louisiana April 10-12, 2026 79th Annual Poteet Strawberry Festival - Poteet, Texas April 10-19, 2026 Sourdough Bread Festival Cherry Valley, California April 11-13, 2026 - Annual World Grits Festival St. George, South Carolina (SEE ALL FOOD FESTIVALS and OTHER FOOD EVENTS) ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** FOOD TRIVIA QUIZ (new DAILY questions)1) All of the following events took place in the same year. What year is it? · Nine out of ten Americans are engaged in farming and food production. · The New Jersey legislature passed an act fining anyone who picked cranberries before October 10. · Baptist minister Elijah Craig distilled the first bourbon whiskey from corn, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. · The mutiny against Captain William Bligh of the English ship 'Bounty' took place. The ship was sailing to Tahiti to bring back breadfruit trees. 2) This pungent green lends a peppery flavor to food, and originated in the Himalayan region of India more than 5,000 years ago. It can be found in many Chinese, African-American, and southern dishes. The leaves may be crumpled or flat, and may have scalloped, frilled or lacey edges. One part of this plant is used to make a famous French food product. Name this green. 3) Who was Melinda Thomas of Dublin, Ohio and what was her nickname? Click Here for Today’s Quiz Answers ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Read an article about Chef James and the FoodReference.com website published in the Winona Daily News, Minneapolis StarTribune, and numerous other newspapers: Click here for the Article ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Dedication This website is dedicated to: · Gladys Ehler, my mother, who taught me patience and how to make Sauerbraten (it is still my favorite) · Edward Ehler, my father, who taught me a love of books and history. · Barbara Saba, my sister, who taught me how to dance. · Cpl. Thomas E. Saba, my nephew. Died in action on Feb. 7, 2007 in Iraq. He was 30 yrs. young. Chef James TOP |