It’s a simple dessert…with a complicated story. Chess pie is a classic, old-fashioned Southern dessert. It’s sort of like a cheesecake, in that it’s refrigerator-hardened and sweetened custard set inside of a pie crust. The first printed recipe dates back to the mid-1700s in a cookbook called Martha Washington’s Booke of Cookery. The recipe has […]
Some mouthwatering facts about everyone’s favorite snack. This article was first published in our 29th annual edition, Uncle John’ Uncanny Bathroom Reader. Americans spend more than $4 billion annually on bacon. Bacon dates back at least 3,500 years. The Chinese were the first to cook salted pork bellies. The salt preserved the meat so it […]
Back in colonial days, folks used to mix some mighty peculiar drinks. Here are a few favorites from the 17th and 18th centuries. SACK POSSET: Made by mixing clots of curdled milk into ale or wine EGG POP (or Egg Hot): Eggs, brandy, sugar, and ale ALEBERRY: Ale boiled with sugar, spices, and sops of […]
Back in stores right now for the first time in more than 20 years: Crystal Pepsi, a transparent cola that came and went from stores in the early ‘90s. Why would Pepsi revive a failed product? Because it wasn’t totally a failure—it did quite well at first…until Coca-Cola knocked it out of existence. There are […]
It’s just about to be fall, which means that store shelves, restaurants, and every place else that sells things is about to be full of “pumpkin spice”-flavored options. What started with Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte more than a decade ago has now reached epic—and ridiculous proportions. BK Pumpkin A seasonal offering from Burger King Japan: […]
We at the BRI have an insatiable appetite for finding misinformation, including these food myths. French Fries Myth: French fries aren’t really French—they’re Belgian. Truth: Fried, salted potato strips did originally come from Belgium (they were introduced to America by soldiers returning home from World War I). But French fries are also French. How so? […]
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he heads his massive research library, or puts one of his many associates on the case. So go ahead: In the comments below, ask Uncle John anything. (And if we answer your question sometime, we’ll send you a free book!) Why do some imitation flavors, particularly […]
We usually associate the word “spinoff” with TV shows—Frasier was a spinoff of Cheers, or Laverne & Shirley was a spinoff of Happy Days, for example. But it’s an idea used in the world of restaurants, too. Or at least it was—as these three spinoffs of a very famous fast food brand all flopped. Ollie’s […]
You probably knew that a lot of the most popular food items at Chinese restaurants in the U.S. aren’t authentic dishes from the Far East. But do you know how they came to be staples at your corner takeout joint? Crab Rangoon They’re deep-fried wonton wrappers filled with cream cheese, crab (real or imitation), scallions, […]
Here are some stories about some truly unique wines. We hope you think they’re really grape.
In terms of creative unhealthiness and being gut-busting calorie bombs, state fair food now ranks right up there with bizarre baseball park concession items. Here’s a look at the food items new to this year’s Minnesota State Fair—it’s no longer corn dogs and curly fries. Spam Sushi Spam is manufactured in Austin, Minnesota, and this […]
It’s not just for breakfast anymore! We’ve discovered that beer has many inventive and unlikely uses around the home and beyond. (Uncle John’s never had so much fun researching an article.) (1) Beer is slightly acidic, making it useful for cleaning copper pots. Throw a small amount of beer in the pot, let it sit […]
Hungry for some word play? You’ll eat up these juicy origins of popular phrases. Spill the Beans Meaning: To give away a secret Origin: “A tradition that began in ancient Greece for electing a new member to a private club was to give each existing member one white and one brown bean with which to […]
Here’s why the Black Forest of Germany is deeply associated with both a special kind of ham and a cherry-chocolate cake. The Black Forest—or Schwarzwald, in German—isn’t strictly a forest. It’s actually a mountain range, found in the southwestern corner of Germany. It’s probably best known to non-Europeans in the names of two foods: Black […]
We hope you don’t find this page of macaroni trivia too cheesy. (1) Macaroni is a corruption of the Italian maccheroni, which comes from the Latin macerare. The word means to bruise or crush; crushing wheat is how pasta is made. (2) In the United States and England, they call it macaroni and cheese. In […]
Warning: These stories are morbid…but fascinating. By looking at their final meals, we catch an eerie glimpse into the everyday lives of these larger-than-life figures…whose worlds were about to end. ELVIS PRESLEY The King stayed up most of the night of August 15, 1977. He was restless. Between midnight and 6:00 a.m., he went to […]
…except “can I have some cookies?” We don’t have any cookies. Only answers to trivia queries. In fresh milk, why does cream rise to the top? Milk that is fresh from the cow, or unpasteurized, comes with the cream, all at once. Cream has a lot more fat in it than the milk does. Oddly […]
Father’s Day will be here before you know it. Is your dad a beer guy? Get your shopping done early and order up Beer-Topia in our store. It’s full of stories and pieces like this one.
