Wednesday, June 24, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes.”
Douglas Adams
FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• National Pralines Day (A form of confection, typically of butter {and/or cream}, brown sugar, and pecans). • National Parchment Day (June 24, 2026 - last Wed) since 2016 to promote the use of parchment paper in cooking. • [National Pollinator Week] (June 22-28, 2026) Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. • UK: English Wine Week (June 20-28, 2026)
[Wines of Great Britain]
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1374 An outbreak of Dancing Mania (sometimes known as 'St. John’s Dance') occurred in Aix-la-Chapelle, France. People were overcome with bouts of uncontrollable, manic dancing. Frothing at the mouth, screaming, and sexual frenzy were other symptoms. Ergot (fungus) poisoning (from grain) is now believed to have been the ultimate cause.
(Ergot Facts -- Ergotism & Salem) 1532 Robert Dudley, the earl of Leicester, was born.
“Hey diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle,
the cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such sport,
and the dish ran away with the spoon.”
Dudley was Queen Elizabeth I’s first court favorite. She called him her 'puppy.' He is the dog who laughs in the nursery rhyme 'Hey diddle diddle,' when the dish runs away with the spoon, i.e., when Lady Elizabeth Throckmorton, one of the Queen’s ladies in waiting, ran away with the Queen’s taster, the Earl of Hereford, since he did not favor the tight reign Elizabeth kept on her court. He was also the step-father of her second lover, the Earl of Essex. 1817 The first coffee was planted in Hawaii on the Kona coast. (Coffee Trivia --- Hawaii Food Trivia) 1839 Gustavus Franklin Swift was born. Founder of the meat-packing business, Swift & Co., the inventor of the refrigerated railway car, and the first to ship 'dressed' beef to eastern markets instead of live animals. 1895 Jack Dempsey was born. He is regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. He held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. He then became a successful restaurateur in New York City. 1919 Albert Francis "Al" Molinaro was born (died Oct 30, 2015). American actor who played Al Delvecchio, Drive-In owner and cook on the TV sitcom 'Happy Days' and Murray Greshler on 'The Odd Couple'. He also appeared in many television commercials. 1938 At about 6pm a meteor streaked across the sky in western Pennsylvania and exploded about 12 miles high over Chicora in Butler County. Only 2 small fragments were found, 241g and 61g. A cow was either injured or killed (reports vary). The original mass of the meteor was estimated at 450-520 tons. 1992 'Chinese Coffee' opened at the Circle on the Square theatre in New York City. 2003 Richard Pough died. An American ecologist he was the founding president of the Nature Conservancy and helped found the World Wildlife Fund. In 1945, he was one of the first to warn about the dangers of DDT to fish and birds.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** June 19-July 12, 2026 Alameda County Fair
Alameda County Fairgrounds, California June 24-27, 2026 52nd Annual Bixby Green Corn Festival - Bixby, Oklahoma June 25-28, 2026 Placer County Fair
Roseville, California June 25-28, 2026 Luling Watermelon Thump
Luling, Texas June 26, 2026 Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off
Monroe, Louisiana June 26-27, 2026 The Great Lenexa Barbeque Battle
Lenexa, Kansas June 26-27, 2026 Annual Cheese Curd Festival
Ellsworth, Wisconsin (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 first self defrosting refrigerators were offered for sale in the U.S.
· Earl Olson of Minnesota founded Jennie-O, which would become the world's largest turkey processor.
· Sara Lee Cheese Cake is introduced by Chicago baker Charles Lubin.
· 'The Lone Ranger' debuted on ABC-TV, sponsored by General Mills.
· The U.S. minimum wage was increased from 40 cents to 75 cents an hour. 2) This food was created by Ruth Graves Wakefield in the 1930s, near Whitman, Massachusetts. Ruth and her husband owned a small Inn and she came up with the recipe by accident when she had to substitute ingredients in a recipe. Name this food. 3) 30 years ago large this aquatic vertebrate might sell for a penny a pound for catfood, if it sold at all. Today, that same animal will sell for $50 to $400 per pound, mainly due to the popularity of two Asian food specialities. Name this animal and the Asian food specialties. 4) In the early 20th century this was considered a disgusting food by the British. Escoffier, while chef at the Carlton Hotel in London, had them accepted by no other than the Price of Wales by listing them on the menu as 'cuisses de nymphes aurore', or legs of the dawn nymphs.
What is the common name of this food?
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
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