Thursday, April 30, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“In pies, puddings, &c., raisins are not to be tolerated, and I must protest against their frequent use in this way, as not merely a waste of time and property, but as a means of destroying more health, in fashionable life, than all the physicians, in high life, ever restored.” ‘The Young House-keeper’ by William Andrus Alcott (1846) FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• Oatmeal Cookie Day (Oatmeal Cookie Recipes) (History of the Oatmeal Cookie) • National Raisin Day (Raisin Trivia and Facts) • Stewardship Week - April 26-May 3, 2026 (last Sun in April to 1st Sun in May) [Nat’l Assoc. of Conservation Districts] To encourage conserving natural resources for our future. • UK: National Gardening Week: April 27 - May 3, 2026 [Royal Horticultural Society] Encouraging gardners to share their love of gardening. TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1792 John Montague, 4th Earl of Sandwich died. Captain Cook named the Sandwich Islands after him (now known as Hawaii). He is supposed to have invented the sandwich as a quick meal so as not to interrupt his gambling sessions. (Sandwich Trivia) (Sandwich Recipes --- Sandwich Quotes) 1803 The Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed in Paris. The formal transfer of ownership from France to the U.S. took place on March 10, 1804. 1812 Louisiana was admitted as the 18th state in the U.S. (Louisiana Food Trivia and Facts) 1879 Sarah Josepha Hale died (born Oct 24, 1788). Author, editor (Ladies' Magazine, Godey's Lady's Book). She was influential in having Thanksgiving declared a national holiday. Author of the poem 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'; Hale also founded the Seaman's Aid Society in 1833. 1891 Abram Lyle died (born Dec 14, 1820). Scottish shipbuilder and sugar refiner. Noted for the pale treacle, 'Lyle's Golden Syrup' (treacle is made from the syrup that remains after sugar is refined). 1900 Casey Jones (John Luther Jones) died (born March 14, 1864). Famed railroad engineer of the passenger train, the Cannonball Express, which crashed into a freight train near Vaughn, Mississippi. He died trying to stop his train and was immortalized as a hero in Wallace Saunders, 'The Ballad of Casey Jones'. 1904 The Louisiana Purchase Exposition opened in St. Louis (St. Louis World's Fair). It was at the Fair that the ice cream cone was supposed to have been invented. The hot dog and iced tea were also popularized at the Fair. 1939 The 1939 New York World's Fair opened. 'Dawn of a New Day' and 'the World of Tomorrow.' 1952 Mr. Potato Head is introduced to the world. Mr. Potato Head is the also the first toy to be advertised on network television. 1955 'Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White' by Perez Prado hits number one on the charts. 1981 Dunkin Donuts opened its first store in the Philippines. (Donut Trivia) 1988 Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania created a new record setting 4.55 mile long Banana Split: 33,000 Bananas, 2,500 gallons of Ice Cream, 600 pounds of chopped Nuts and 450 gallons of Topping. 2020 Coronavirus: Major brand budget 'light' beers show big increase in retail sales, pricier craft beers not so much. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** April 23-May 3, 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - New Orleans, Louisiana April 23-June 21, 2026 Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival - Williamsburg, Virginia April 24-May 3, 2026 Spring Georgia State Fair Metro Atlanta, Hampton, Georgia April 30, 2026 The Joy of Sake - New York, New York May 1-3, 2026 Annual Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival - Fernandina Beach, Florida May 1-9, 2026 131st Sequim Irrigation Festival Sequim, Washington May 2-3, 2026 Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival Bodega Bay, California May 2-3, 2026 - 53rd Annual Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival - West Friendship, Maryland (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? · The word 'hamburger' first appeared in print in a Walla Walla, Washington newspaper. · It rained ants at Strasbourg, Germany on August 1. · The Savoy Hotel opened in London, with Cesar Ritz and Escoffier. 2) There are 3 varieties of this cheese, a 'white', a 'red' and a 'blue veined'. It is the oldest named cheese made in the British Isles. [a] Stilton; [b] Caerphilly; [c] Cheshire. 3) What are the 3 major fruits native to North America? [a] apples, blueberries, Thompson seedless grapes. [b] cranberries, Concord grapes, apples. [c] blueberries, Concord grapes, cranberries. 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 |