Tuesday, October 27, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“Fools make feasts, and wise men eat them.” Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS: American Beer Day - source unknown, but possibly related to the passage of the Volstead Act on Oct 28 in 1919 implementing National Prohibition. (National Beer Day is April 7) - (Beer Trivia & Facts) (Beer Quotes --- Beer & Brewing Articles) National Parmigiano Reggiano Day: This Annual Event was started in commemoration of the 2012 Earthquake that devastated the area of Italy where the cheese is made. (Parmesan Facts & Trivia) Etiquette Day (see 1872 below) UK: [UK Sausage Week] (Oct 26 - Nov 1, 2026). Celebrating the great British banger! (Tips for Making Sausage at Home) TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1728 Captain James Cook was born. British explorer who charted and named many Pacific Islands, including the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). (Hawaii Trivia & Facts) 1806 Alphonse Pyrame de Candolle was born. A Swiss botanist, author of 'Origin of Cultivated Plants.' 1858 Rowland H. Macy opened R.H. Macy Dry Goods on the corner of Sixth Ave. and 14th St. in New York City. First day sales were $11.06 but by the end of the first year, sales totaled almost $90,000. By 1877, R.H. Macy & Co. had become a full-fledged department store occupying 11 adjacent buildings. 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. U.S. patent No. 157, 124 issued November 24, 1873. (see also Jan 18, 1813) (Barbed Wire Trivia) 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. (Gorgonzola Cheese Trivia) 1940 The final day of the New York World's Fair (opened April 30, 1939). 'Dawn of a New Day' and 'the World of Tomorrow.' 1973 Allan 'Rocky' Lane died (born Sept 22, 1909). Actor in numerous films and TV shows, he was also the voice of the talking horse in the TV show 'Mister Ed' (1961-1966). 1975 Use of the Heimlich Maneuver, developed by Dr Henry Heimlich to aid someone choking on food, was endorsed by the American Medical Association Commission on Emergency Medical Services in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 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. 1982 The population of China reached 1 billion. 1997 The U.S. released a newly redesigned $50 bill. 2021 Thieves stole 45 bottles of wine from a hotel in Caceres, Spain. The theft included a bottle of 1806 Chβteau d’Yquem, valued at more than $400,000. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** October 1-November 1, 2026 Arizona State Fair Phoenix, Arizona October 24-31, 2026 - 37th Annual Kenmare GooseFest - Kenmare, North Dakota October 29-November 1, 2026 43rd Annual Spinach Festival - Crystal City, Texas October 29-Nov 15, 2026 120th Edition of the State Fair of Louisiana - Shreveport, Louisiana October 30-November 8, 2026 72nd Annual Florida Gateway Fair - Lake City, Florida October 31, 2026 35th Annual Peanut Butter Festival Brundidge, Alabama October 31, 2026 Annual Georgia Sweet Potato Festival - Ocilla, Georgia (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? · Congress creates the Minnesota Territory. · Self service restaurants first appear in San Francisco during the California gold rush. · The 'Hangtown Fry' is created during the California goldrush. Eggs, oysters and bacon cooked together. · U.S. agricultural exports were about $90 million. 2a) When and where were the first practical vending machines used in the U.S., and what did they vend? 2b) When did the first soft-drink vending machines appear? 3) When you see the term 'Veronique' on a menu, what one item can you be sure the dish will contain? 4a) What family of plants do all of the following belong to: parsnips, anise, cumin, poison hemlock, fennel, and sea holly? 4b) What family do these belong to: coriander, dill, caraway, goutweed, celery? 5) Also known as turnip cabbage, this is a form of cabbage, a member of the mustard family. It is not a root vegetable, but rather a fleshy bulbous stem just above the ground. There are both green and purple skinned types, and both have creamy white flesh, with a sweet, peppery, broccoli/cucumber flavor and crisp texture. Name this plant. 6) What years did Kraft introduce the following: Velveeta process cheese loaf, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, and Cheez Whiz? 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 |