In our quest to not cook up a bland book, our seasoned researchers spiced things up with a dash of tasty origins. ALLSPICE Allspice grows naturally in the West Indies and Central America, where Spanish explorers discovered it in the 16th century. They thought the shrubby tree’s fruit looked like peppercorns, so they called the […]
The answer: basic math. Since its introduction in 1972, McDonald’s Quarter Pounder sandwich had been one of its most popular menu items. The name comes from how the meat patty weighs a quarter of a pound (or four ounces) before cooking, much larger than the two-to-three ounce patty used on the chain’s regular hamburgers. In […]
Great ice cream! You can really taste the beaver butt! Ingredient: Beaver secretions Found in: Ice cream Explanation: The male North American beaver marks its territory by urinating on things. Along with the urine, it secretes a liquid called castoreum, which gives off a sweet scent. Castoreum also enhances the intensity of vanilla flavor, which […]
The baseball season has just started, and with it comes this year’s round of insane ballpark concessions.
12 trivia bits about cookies (or bisoketto, if you’re Japanese). (1) “Cookie” comes from the Dutch word koekje, meaning “small cake.” They’re called biscuits in England, galletas in Spain, and keks in Germany. (2) Cookies probably originated in 7th-century Persia, the first culture to cultivate sugar. (3) Best-selling cookie in the United States: Oreos for […]
When you think about it, all cheese is weird—it’s hardened milk that smells kind of weird (but tastes pretty good). However, here are some a little bit more out there than your everyday cheddar or Parmesan. Stilton Stilton is a rich, pungent variety of blue cheese made in England. In 2013, cheesemaker Clawson unveiled the […]
Cleopatra is said to have attributed her beauty to eating pickles. Here are some more fascinating facts about pickles. 1. First known pickling of a cucumber: in Meso – potamia (Iraq), 2500 B.C. 2. Cucumbers are native to India, and were spread from there across Western Asia about 5,000 years ago. 3. East Asians were […]
Tired of apples and peas? Need a break from prunes and brussels sprouts? Here’s a list of unusual fruits and vegetables to look for next time you’re at the supermarket. Kiwano: Also known as the African horned cucumber and the jelly melon, the kiwano is a yellow-orange, oblong, spiky fruit with lime-green flesh that looks […]
When Uncle John was a kid, the basic food groups were meat, bread, vegetables, and dairy products. Uncle John always wondered why they left out the other basic food groups: coffee, candy, cold soup, fish sticks, corn dogs, and salad dressing. VICHYSSOISE Don’t let the French name fool you—this leek-and-potato soup (pronounced vi-she-swaz) is as […]
Vodka is practically tasteless, which means that distilleries can add whatever bizarre flavors they want to it. For example… Grass Polish company Bak makes Bison Grass vodka. It’s not bison-flavored—it’s grass-flavored (and bison eat grass). The grass infusion leaves a small amount of coumarin, which is a main ingredient in rat poison and leads to […]
You probably grew up eating some of these “classic” comfort food dishes, the recipes of which were printed on food packaging or promoted in magazine ads. If you’re like us, your feelings range from “Did we really eat like that?” to “I wish I had some right now!” VELVEETA QUESO DIP Ingredients: One 16-ounce package […]
Cheese’s exact origin is unclear, but archaeological evidence reveals that people have been eating it for nearly 8,000 years. These facts are so gouda we had to share them. According to Greek mythology, cheese was invented by Aristaeus, a demigod who was the son of Apollo. According to an Arab legend, thousands of years ago a […]
Take packaged junk food…and turn it into something “gourmet” with one of these weird recipes. (Warning to healthy eaters: DON’T LOOK!) Funyun Onion Rings Grind a bag of Funyuns in a blender. (Funyuns are made from cornmeal that’s formed into rings and heavily seasoned with onion powder.) Dip slices of real onions in the Funyun […]
Is it good for you? Is it bad for you? It’s good and bad for you. It’s Good! A Dutch study found that people who drink two to four cups of coffee a day have a 20 percent lower risk of developing heart disease than those who drink no coffee. It’s Bad! The caffeine in […]
There are scores of delicious variations of cooked fillings and pastry out there—both sweet and savory. (Warning: This might make you hungry.) Pie A baking dish is lined with a pastry crust that bakes up crispy or flaky. On top of that goes a sweetened fruit filling, a savory meat filling, or, once it’s cooled, […]
The first thing Uncle John consumes in the morning: a handful of wasabi peas, washed down with black coffee. Here are some other landmark moments in the history of food. First Indian Restaurant in the West In 1810 Sake Dean Mahomed, a captain in the British East India Company, opened a restaurant in London that […]
Before refrigeration, sauces originated as a way to hide the taste of food that was staring to spoil. Then people started tinkering with them, and things got a lot tastier. Here are the five sauces that food historians say are the source of all other sauces that followed.
Did John D. Rockefeller ever eat oysters Rockefeller? Here’s how some tasty foods got their names. Bananas Foster Richard Foster was the chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission in the early 1950s and a friend of restaurateur Owen Brennan, who also served on the commission. Foster must have loved bananas, because in 1951 Brennan […]
