Wednesday, October 21, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“The natural term of an apple-pie is but twelve hours. It reaches its highest state about one hour after it comes from the oven, and just before its natural heat has quite departed.”
Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)
FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS: National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day
(Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe) World Apple Day [A Common Ground Project] Apple Day is intended to be both a celebration and a demonstration of the variety we are in danger of losing, not simply in apples, but in the richness and diversity of landscape, ecology and culture too.
(Apple Trivia & Facts --- Apple Quotes) National Mezcal Day [Del Maguey Mezcal] A distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave plant. (Tequila is mezcal made only from cultivated Blue Weber Agave). World Bolognese Ragω Day [Italia Regina] [Hagfish Day] (Oct 21, 2026 3rd Wed) Jawless, boneless, and scaleless, Hagfish ooze slime to smother their prey and evade predators. St. Ursula, patron of teachers, students. UK: National Honey Day [British Beekeepers Assoc]
(Honey Trivia and Facts) UK: Seed Gathering Season (Sept 21-Oct 21, 2026)
[The Tree Council] Gather seeds, fruits and nuts which can be nurtured to grow the trees of the future.
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1422 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. (Roquefort Cheese Trivia) 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. 1805 The Battle of Trafalgar. Admiral Horatio Nelson's defeat of the combined French and Spanish Navies established Britain as the dominant world naval power for a century. Nelson was killed in the battle and his body was preserved in a cask of rum (or brandy) for shipment back to England. 1852 John Fowler of Temple Gate, Bristol, UK, received Royal Letters Patent for "Improvements in Machinery for Draining Land" - believed to be the first patent for steam cultivation of the land. 1879 Thomas Edison demonstrated the first commercially practical light bulb at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. 1892 Dedication ceremonies were held for the World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago World's Fair), celebrating the 400th anniversary of Columbus arrival in the New World. The Fair would not open to the public until May 1, 1893. 1911 William A. Mitchell was born (died July 26, 2004). American food chemist. While working for General Foods Corp. he invented Tang, Pop Rocks, Cool Whip, quick-set Jell-O, powdered egg whites, etc. 1933 The play 'Let 'Em Eat Cake' opened on Broadway. 1977 Meat Loaf (Marvin Lee Aday) 2nd album 'Bat Out of Hell' was released. 1990 Tom Carvel died. He was the inventor of the soft-serve ice cream machine, and founder of the Carvel ice cream chain. 2010 Chris Stevens of New Richmond, Wisconsin 1,810.5 pound pumpkin was confirmed by the Guinness World Records as a new world’s heaviest pumpkin to date. (New records are over 3,000 pounds).
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** October 1-November 1, 2026 Arizona State Fair
Phoenix, Arizona October 20-25, 2026 Baker County Fair
Macclenny, Florida October 21-24, 2026 Circleville Pumpkin Show
Circleville, Ohio October 22-25, 2026 Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest - Fredericksburg, Texas October 23-24, 2026 Annual Arkansas Bean Fest and Championship Outhouse Races
Mountain View, Arkansas October 23-24, 2026 Shrimp & Grits Festival
Jekyll Island, Georgia October 24-25, 2026 The Chocolate Expo
Timonium, 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 first public gas street light in the U.S. was lit in Baltimore, Maryland.
· Mississippi became the 20th state.
· The New York Stock Exchange was founded.
· The first coffee was planted in Hawaii on the Kona coast. 2) Portobello mushrooms are actually the mature, fully opened form of what mushroom? 3) What aromatic herb is a member of the parsley or carrot family, indigenous to the regions around the Black and Caspian Seas, and is an essential ingredient of 'fines herbes'? 4) Chopsticks originated in China almost 4,000 years ago.
What concept did the replacement of knives for chopsticks supposedly represent? 5) How many hot dogs do Americans eat each year? 6) A British stew (originating in the mid 19th century) of mutton or beef layered with vegetables and finally potatoes, and cooked in a deep covered pot on the stove or in the oven. Name this dish.
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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