TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

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1736 Ann Lee, founder of the Shakers was born 2/29/1736. To commemorate her birthday, each year on March 1 the Shakers held an afternoon meeting, followed by a supper at which ’Mother Ann’s Birthday Cake’ was served. The original recipe advises, “Cut a handful of peach twigs which are filled with sap at this season of the year. Clip the ends and bruise them and beat the cake batter with them. This will impart a delicate peach flavor to the cake.” ‘American Heritage Cookbook’ (1964)

1904 'Pepper' Martin, baseball player was born.

1960 The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago at 116 E. Walton Street, in downtown Chicago.

2004 British actress Dana Broccoli died. Widow of Albert Broccoli, producer of the 'James Bond' movies.

Sourced from FoodReference

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National

1553 Michel de Montaigne was born. French essayist. There are a few of his quotes about food and dining listed on the Food Reference website. ("A man should not so much respect what he eats, as with whom he eats.")

1935 At the DuPont Corporation, Dr. Wallce Hume Carothers invented nylon. A patent was issued in 1937, and nylon stockings soon followed.

1979 ‘Mr. Ed’, the talking horse, died. This was not the horse who actually starred on the TV show, but another horse who did publicity work as Mr. Ed. The original Mr. Ed (Bamboo Harvester) died in 1970.

2006 Chicago's oldest restaurant, the 107 year old Berghoff Restaurant closed today.

2009 Reduced demand for butter & cheese and falling milk prices are forcing dairy farmers in the U.S. to sell hundreds of thousands of dairy cows to be slaughtered for meat. Estimates are that more than 15% of the 9.3 million dairy cows may be sold for meat.

Sourced from FoodReference

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

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1827 The first Mardi Gras celebration was held in New Orleans.

1879 Saccharin, an artificial sweetener, was discovered by Constantine Fahlberg and Ira Remsen at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. The FDA has required warning labels, since 1972, on products using saccharin because it is a suspected carcinogen.

1902 John Steinbeck was born. American novelist, some of his titles were: 'The Grapes of Wrath,' 'Tortilla Flats' and 'Cannery Row.'

1936 Ivan Petrovich Pavlov died. Pavlov's work with dogs actually started as a study of digestion. He theorized that digestion was controlled in part by sensory inputs of sight, smell and taste - and as he discovered, ding-ding - sound; 'conditioned reflex.'

Sourced from Foodreference

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National

1829 Levi Strauss was born. Inventor and manufacturer of jeans. He originally planned to make canvas tents for miners in the California gold rush, but soon found that durable pants sold better.

1852 John Harvey Kellogg was born. A surgeon, vegetarian and health food pioneer, while superintendent at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, he developed the first breakfast cereals for his patients, Granose (flaked wheat) and toasted corn flakes. His brother, William K. Kellogg founded the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Co. to produce cornflakes for sale to the public.

1857 Emile Coue was born. A French pharmacist, he was an advocate of autosuggestion. He suggested repeating the following sentence 15 to 20 times in the morning and evening: "Every day, and in every way, I am becoming better and better."

1895 Michael Joseph Owens of Toledo, Ohio patented an automatic glass blowing machine that could make multiple bottles at the same time. A big advance in bottle making. He founded the Owens Bottle Machine Co., and the Libbey-Owens Glass Company.

1903 Richard Jordan Gatling died. Before inventing the Gatling Gun, he developed a machine for sowing rice, wheat, and other grains, and invented a steam plow.

1928 Fats Domino (Antoine Domino) was born in New Orleans. One of rock-and-roll's earliest stars, one of his early hits was 'Blueberry Hill' which reached number 2 in 1956.

1945 Bob Hite of the music group 'Canned Heat' was born.

Sourced from Foodreference

The world's best street food

In this extract from Lonely Planet's The World's Best Street Food, we bring you the pick of street eats across the globe. Plus foodie Richard Johnson tells you where to find them in the UK - Sourced from The Guardian

Street food stall in Bangkok, Thailand. Photograph: Luigi Vaccarella/SIME/SIME/4Corners Images

Mohinga, Burma

What is it? This comforting noodle soup exemplifies the earthy flavours of the country's cuisine. It is fish broth thickened with rice or bean powder, and typically containing a combination of shallots, the crunchy edible core of the banana tree, thin round rice noodles and chopped coriander.

Origin Mohinga is made from almost exclusively indigenous ingredients, suggesting that the dish has native origins; most south-east Asian noodle dishes can be traced back to China.

Tasting Mohinga is sold in just about every town in Burma, typically from mobile carts and baskets, or basic open-fronted restaurants. Mohinga vendors are most prevalent in the morning. Ordering is simple, as the only optional ingredient is akyaw (crispy fritters of lentils or vegetables). The thick broth has flakes of freshwater fish (typically snakehead fish), a yellow/orange hue due to the addition of turmeric, and a light herbal flavour, thanks to the use of lemongrass.

Finding it in Burma … If you're in Rangoon, head to Myaung Mya Daw Cho (118A, New Yae Tar She Lane, Bahan Township) where a bowl will set you back K5 (50p).

And in the UK … There is no Burmese street food in the UK. The Mandalay (mandalayway.com/restaurant/index.html) is a Burmese restaurant on London's Edgware Road. Its fritters and ohn no khao swe (coconut chicken noodles) are pretty authentic. Mohinga is on the menu, spelt mokhingar.

• See the recipe

Banh mi, Vietnam

Photograph: Rebecca Skinner/Lonely PlanetWhat is it? A little-known secret is that the world's best sandwich isn't found in Rome, Copenhagen or even New York City, but on the streets of Vietnam. It begins with a light baguette grilled over coals. After a smear of mayonnaise and a dollop of pâté, the crispy shell is filled with meat, crunchy pickled vegetables and fresh herbs. It is then typically seasoned with a few drops of soy sauce and a spicy chilli condiment.

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National Chocolate Covered Peanuts Day
- National

2012 (or Feb 23 ?)
- St. Walburga's Day, patron of crops.

1904 Adelle Davis was born. Nutritionist, and author of 'Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit.' She promoted many theories that have been labeled as unfounded and dangerous by the medical community.

1918 Wartime food rationing began in parts of England

1922 Donald McLean was born. McLean was a Scottish potato expert who supposedly had the world's largest private collection of potatoes, with 367 varieties.

1934 Elizabeth Gertrude Knight Britton died. An American botanist, she helped establish the New York Botanical Gardens.

1950 George Richard Minot died. An American physician, Minot was one of the developers of a raw-liver diet used to treat pernicious anemia. Mmmm, good!

Sourced from FoodReference

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National

Day
- Swamp Cabbage Festival

1874 John Bachman died. A Naturalist who wrote some of the text for John James Audubon's albums of birds and mammals of North America. He also published his own works on botany, agriculture and southern animals.

1924 Abe Vigoda was born. American character actor. One of his well known TV characters was 'Fish' on 'Barney Miller'.

1938 DuPont begins production of nylon toothbrush bristles. A patent had been granted in 1937. The nylon bristles replaced hog bristles. No more brushing your teeth with hog hair!

1955 Steven Jobs was born, co-founder of Apple computer company. According to the company, he "grew up in the apricot orchards which later became known as Silicon Valley."

1989 A fossil egg was found in Utah that was 150 million years old.

Sourced from Food Reference

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National

Day.
- International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
- National Chili Day 2012 (or Feb 25 ?)
- Ebbets Field Memorial Day (see 1960 below)

1603 Andrea Cesalpino died. An Italian philosopher and botanist, he helped establish botany as a separate science. He concentrated on fruits and seeds, and he classified them by logical principles, instead of their supposed medical properties.

1850 Cesar Ritz was born in Niederwald, Switzerland. He managed the Grand Hotel in Monte Carlo and the Grand Hotel in Lucerne, Switzerland. He also worked with Escoffier at the Savoy and Carlton in London. In 1898 he opened the first hotel with his name, The Ritz Hotel in Paris. His name and his hotels became synonymous with the luxury.

1879 Agnes Arber was born. She was a British botanist, who wrote 'Herbals: Their Origin and Evolution' (1912) and 'The Gramineae: A Study of Cereal, Bamboo and Grass.'

1884 Casimir Funk was born. Funk was a Polish-American biochemist who realized certain substances in food were essential for good health. He called them 'vitamines' later changed to 'vitamins.'

1896 Leo Hirshfield introduced the Tootsie Roll at his small store in New York City. It was supposedly named after his 5 year old daughter, whose nickname was 'Tootsie.'

1931 Helen Porter Mitchel died. You probably do not recognize that name, but you may recognize her stage name, Nellie Melba. A world famous operatic soprano born in Australia, Melba Toast and Peach Melba were named for her. Escoffier is thought to have been involved with the creation and/or naming of both dishes

1944 Leo Hendrik Baekeland was born. He was a chemist who invented Bakelite, the first plastic that did not soften when heated. Those black plastic knobs on stoves were made of bakelite.

1960 Ebbets Field is torn down, the former home of the former Brooklyn Dodgers. They played their last game in Ebbets Field on September 4, 1957 and deserted to Los Angeles, California.

1997 Scientists in Scotland announced the first successful cloning of an adult mammal, Dolly, a sheep.

 

Sourced from Food reference

Who, What, Why: How long can someone survive without food?

 

Survival expert Dale Collett explains how the man may have survived.

A Swedish man, found in a car buried under snow, says he survived for two months without food by eating handfuls of snow. But how long can people go without food?

The circumstances surrounding Peter Skyllberg's survival are still being investigated. However, photographs taken of the inside of the car show empty food and drink wrappers, which could mean the 44-year-old had some sustenance.

The car was found on Friday at the end of a forest track more than 1km (0.6 miles) from a main road in northern Sweden. Police say the temperature in the area had recently dropped to -30C (-22F).

Skyllberg says he had been inside the car since 19 December 2011.

Experts believe it is possible for the human body to survive without food for up to two months.

It's not the first example of humans subsisting on next to nothing for long periods of time.

The answer

• It is possible to survive for about 60 days without food - but usually in warmer conditions


• Snow on the car may have created an "igloo effect"


• Being inside a car might have conserved calories

Japanese hiker Mitsutaka Uchikoshi survived 24 days in 2006 without food and water after he went missing during a climbing trip in western Japan. He was found with a body temperature of 22C (71F) - nearly 15C below normal. After being treated for severe hypothermia and other health complications Uchikoshi returned home, leaving some doctors puzzling over his miraculous recovery.

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National

1829 Yuengling Brewery in Pennsylvania opened. It is the oldest brewery still operating in the U.S.

1872 Cyrus W. Baldwin received a patent for an electric elevator. It was installed in the Stephens Hotel in New York City.

1872 Silas Noble and J.Cooley of Massachusetts were issued a patent on a toothpick manufacturing machine.

1873 Luther Childs Crowell of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, was granted a patent for a machine which made square bottom paper bags. It is the same basic design still used today.

1969 'Candy', Ringo Starr's X-rated film premiers.

1985 Clarence Nash died. The original voice of Donald Duck.

2001 Foot-and-mouth disease ravages livestock in Britain in the worst epidemic since 1967. By March it has spread to mainland Europe. Millions of animals are destroyed.

2009 Hershey's, the largest U.S. candy maker, closed its candy factory in Reading, Pennsylvania today. The factory produced among other, the Zagnut, York Peppermint Pattie, and 5th Avenue candy bars. Production was moved to their new factory in Monterey, Mexico.

Sourced from FoodReference

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National Crab Stuffed Flounder Day

1478 George Plantagenet, duke of Clarence died. 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.

1871 Harry Brearley was born. Brearley was an English metallurgist who invented stainless steel in 1912.

1885 The 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twain was published.

1901 Hubert Cecil Booth patented the vacuum cleaner. Because of its large size, he mounted the machine on a horse carriage, with a long hose to reach inside a house, and offered cleaning services.

1930 At the St. Louis International Air Exposition, a cow supposedly flew in an airplane for the first time, and this same cow became the first cow to be milked while flying. Most likely the first real flying cow dung.

1968 Actress Molly Ringwald was born. Two of her movies were 'The Breakfast Club' (1985) and 'In the Weeds' (2000).

Sourced RoodReference

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National Crab Stuffed Flounder Day

1478 George Plantagenet, duke of Clarence died. 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.

1871 Harry Brearley was born. Brearley was an English metallurgist who invented stainless steel in 1912.

1885 The 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twain was published.

1901 Hubert Cecil Booth patented the vacuum cleaner. Because of its large size, he mounted the machine on a horse carriage, with a long hose to reach inside a house, and offered cleaning services.

1930 At the St. Louis International Air Exposition, a cow supposedly flew in an airplane for the first time, and this same cow became the first cow to be milked while flying. Most likely the first real flying cow dung.

1968 Actress Molly Ringwald was born. Two of her movies were 'The Breakfast Club' (1985) and 'In the Weeds' (2000).

Sourced from FoodReference

BBC News - Masterchef defends souffle shots

Tv cookery show accused of allowing contestant several attempts at making a souffle - if not mistaken tv programmes are edited and cut, so why are people so surprised. It is what it says it is a TV Cookery Show

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/entertainment-arts-17074544

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National Cafe Au Lait Day
- Feast of Shesmu, Egyptian god of the Wine Press.
- Fornacalia: Old Roman Bread Festival or Feast of Ovens

1665 Rudolph Jacob Camerarius was born. A German botanist, he showed the existence of sexes in plants, and identified the stamen and pistil as the male and female organs.

1876 Canned sardines went on sale in the U.S. for the first time. They were packed in oil. (Some sources say 1873).

1889 H.L. Hunt, the pioneering Texas oil millionaire (Hunt Oil Company) was born. He carried a brown bag lunch to his office each day and considered himself as 'just plain folks.'

1958 'Sugartime' by the McGuire Sister topped the charts.

2002 New regulations to go into effect this year require German pig farmers to spend at least 20 seconds every day with each pig, 10 seconds in the morning and 10 seconds in the afternoon. I do not know about what regulations there might be for spending time with German cows, sheep, chickens and other farm animals.

2008 The USDA announced the largest beef recall of 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a California slaughterhouse.

Sourced from Food Reference

BBC News - Children 'watch same level' of junk food ads despite TV rules

Very interesting article if you have children that watch tv, but I do believe the supermarkets should be held just as responsible for direct advertising to children.

What are your experiences with TV and Supermarkets, who do you believe has the stronger power?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/health-17041347

Today in Food History

FEBRUARY 16 - Today in Food History

- National Almond Day
- Feast of Sticky Buns
- Scotland: Auld Deer, Cattle Fair.

1883 The 'Ladies Home Journal' began publication.

1909 Richard McDonald was born. He was one of the brothers who founded McDonald's fast food restaurants. Richard also designed the golden arches logo. He died in 1998.

1932 James E. Markham of Stark Brothers Nurseries and Orchards in Mississippi, received the first patent for a fruit tree. It was for a peach tree whose fruit ripened later than other varieties.

1933 Prohibition (the 18th amendment) is repealed. Cheers!

1937 Dr. Wallace Hume Carothers received a patent for Nylon. (Which he discovered in 1935). One of its first uses was to replace the hog bristles that had been used in toothbrushes. Think about it: people used to brush their teeth with pigs hair.

1959 Rap singer 'Ice T' was born (Tracy Morrow).

2009 Burgers & Beer on the Road: A truck carrying 40,000 pounds of frozen hamburger patties hit the center median, and dumped thousands of pounds of burgers onto Interstate 15 near Salt Lake City. A few hours later on Interstate 84, also in Utah, a truck carrying 40,000 pounds of Fat Tire Beer hit the center median and spilled its load on the highway. Neither driver was injured.

Sourced from FoodReference

China: Business trends, sustainability and food security | Food Ethics Council

A very interesting article regarding food ethics - this focuses on China.

http://www.foodethicscouncil.org/node/660

 

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Festivals, Shows, Exhibitions, Expos

All food inspired events through out 2012 in the UK, got one not mentioned here, simply email me and I'll add it to the list

Visit page to see list  2012 UK – ENGLAND 2012 Festivals, Shows, Exhibitions, Expos

Email me at: cooktubeuk@me.com

Slow Food UK and Common Agricultuiral Policy

 

The Common Agricultural Policy is a system of European Union agricultural subsidies and programmes. It represents 48% of the EU's budget. Slow Food’s response to the legislative proposals for the new CAP highlights the need for more focus on sustaining small-scale farmers.

We are at a very crucial point for the future for small-scale European food producers. Proposals have been made for the reform of the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy). Unfortunately the main lobbyists are large agricultural organisations and governments that are looking to block the European Commission’s push for a greener and fairer CAP. Slow Food UK will fully support and help drive the European Commission’s desire to allow the reform to take favour of the small and medium-sized food production businesses. Slow Food members around the globe are concerned about survival of small-scale producers and the biodiversity of the European agricultural community.

Slow Food Policy - TOWARDS A NEW COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY

Sourced from Slow Food

Harry Ramsden's original fish and chip shop is saved

Wetherby Whalers' family-owned business will spend £500,000 doing up the grand old place - including Harry's original shed and those jaw-dropping chandeliers

Haddock, chips, scraps and muchy peas - they'll all be available again soon. Photograph: Karen Robinson

Good news for those fond of northern traditions and sad to see an old one die: Harry Ramsden's original chip shop at Guiseley has been rescued.

Mourning was a bit muted when its closure was announced last year – see the Northerner's report here - because in food terms, it had seen so much better days.

But closure and demolition of a site with such a history, over 83 years, would still have been a wrench; so it's a relief that it isn't going to happen after all. The Wetherby Whaler fish and chip group is taking over the place and plans to spend £500,000 on getting it back to its former splendour.

News is awaited over whether all 24 jobs at the closed restaurant will be replaced; but it could be more. Meanwhile the group's co-founder Phillip Murphy, who launched Wetherby Whaler with his wife Janine in 1989, says:

The hidden messages in menus

How diners read menus is the subject of much research and debate. Photograph: Tim Klein /Getty

 

Some restaurant menus can tell the diner as much about themselves as what's for dinner

Restaurateurs and those who advise them have long argued that people read menus in predictable ways. The received wisdom holds that a diner will start on the right-hand side of a menu, a little way above the middle, before zooming up to the top right-hand corner. Then he'll jump backwards to the top left and down the left-hand page, then finally fill in the gaps in the bottom-right and the middle.

Not so, apparently. New research from San Francisco State university claims to overturn this notion. Once they had hooked people's heads up to computers, presented them with menus and studied their eye movements, the researchers found that participants read menus sequentially from left to right, like books. (In part, this confirms Gallup research (pdf) from 1987.)

The findings could have important implications for menu design and the way we order in restaurants. Restaurateurs might need to rethink placing their showcase items at the top-right of their menu or just below it. The menu from Keith McNally's majestic New York brasserie Balthazar, deconstructed in this paper a couple of years ago, proudly places "Le Bar à Huîtres" at the top-right of the page, with its high-margin plateaux de fruits de mer at $70 and $115 and half a lobster at $23. (It also sticks a prawn cocktail there for $15: this might look expensive in isolation but seems almost cheap beside such expensive dishes.)

Poor diet kills 2.6 million infants a year, says survey by Save the Children

Poor diet kills 2.6 million infants a year, says survey by Save the Children

A boy is weighed in India: 48% of children in the country are reported to have stunted growth. Photograph: AP

Malnutrition is the root cause of the deaths of 2.6 million children each year, and the bodies and brains of 450 million more will fail to develop properly due to inadequate diet over the next 15 years unless immediate action is taken, according to a survey published on Wednesday by a leading international charity.

The survey of developing countries, A Life Free from Hunger, produced by Save the Children, estimates one in four children are already stunted because of malnutrition.

In some developing countries the figure is one in three. In India 48% of children are stunted. And in high population-growth Nigeria and Tanzania, the problem is escalating rapidly, it says.

Soaring food prices are identified as an aggravating factor. But these damaging trends can be halted and reversed using tried and tested solutions if political will exists and public awareness is raised, the report's authors say.

They urge David Cameron to use the 2012 Olympics, when dozens of heads of state will be in London, to host a "world hunger summit" and launch an international campaign to aid malnutrition victims. Campaigners also want the issue addressed at the G8 summit in Chicago in May.

Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children, said: "This is a hidden hunger crisis that could destroy the lives of nearly half a billion children unless world leaders act to stop it.

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National Gumdrop Day

1758 Benjamin Jackson advertised mustard for sale for the first time in America. The advertisement was in the ‘Philadelphia Chronicle’, and claimed Jackson was the first and only manufacturer of mustard in America

1809 Cyrus Hall McCormick was born. McCormick is credited with the development of the first mechanical reaper.

1882 The first shipment of frozen meat left Port Chalmers, New Zealand for Britain, aboard the SS Dunedin of the Albion Line.

1957 ‘The Banana Boat Song’ (Day-O) by Harry Belafonte is number one on the charts.

1965 Canada adopted its new red & white flag with a red maple leaf in the center.

Sourced from Foodreference

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“After a good dinner, one can forgive anybody, even one's relatives.” Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Sourced from Foodreference

Food fit for Queen's Jubilee at Eat Reading Live

Eat Reading Live will be cooking up a storm on Friday, June 1, and Saturday, June 2

The Queen’s Jubilee weekend has just got tastier – as it also heralds the start of a month-long celebration of food in Reading.

Eat Reading Live, the two-day food festival now in its third year, will be cooking up a storm on Friday, June 1, and Saturday, June 2 – and it promises to be stuffed full of goodies, from celebrity chef demonstrations to food producers and markets and plenty of tasty treats.

This year the festival, sponsored by getreading and the Reading Post, is expanding and will have three main areas:

Eat Street in Broad Street East which will be full of resturants, cafes and pubs selling sample dishes at bargain prices. The main demo theatre will be here, outside Marks & Spencer, and you’ll be able to see tops chefs in action and cooks giving stunning demonstrations. Last year visitors saw French chef Daniel Galmiche cook sea bream in a salt crust, Mya La Carte’s Yasmina Siadatan compere and Paul Clerehugh make the longest sausage ever seen at a food festival.

The Dining Room in Market Place which will have more sample menus from eateries and a spectacular food theatre for demos, cooking lessons and displays from all kinds of local and national groups.

The Farm Shop in Broad Street West will will showcase the best of our local producers and farm shops. This is the place to pick up that artisan bread, great fruit and veg, chutneys, cheese and more.

Last year Italian wizard and Jamie Oliver’s partner Genaro Contaldo opened the foodie

Grants given to food growing groups in Croydon

Grants totalling £1870 have been handed to seven groups across the borough as part of the Capital Growth scheme’s Grow for Gold competition.

The Olympic-inspired campaign gave away the grants to aid the groups in starting community food growing spaces around the borough.

If growers’ gardens are registered before February 17, they will be in line to win cash-prizes as well as receive training, vouchers and other support.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: “Croydon can produce its own medal-winning fresh fruit and veg as the starting pistol is fired on the summer’s Games.”

The campaign is looking to set up 2,012 new growing spaces in London by the end of 2012.

Sourced from Your Local Guardian

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- Valentine's Day. One of the busiest days of the year for restaurants.
- National Cream Filled Chocolates Day
- Bulgaria: Trifon Zarezan (Vinegrowers or Viticulturists’ Day). This is a very ancient holiday rite; Bulgarians prune the vines and sprinkle them with wine for a good harvest.

1779 Captain James Cook died. British explorer who charted and named many Pacific Islands, including the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii).

1803 Moses Coats patented an apple parer.

1833 Gottlieb Sigismund Kirchhof died. He discovered glucose, developed a method for refining vegetable oil, and experimented with brewing and fermentation.

1838 Margaret E. Knight was born. An American inventor, she invented an improved paper bag machine to make bags with flat bottoms.

1886 California oranges were first shipped East by rail.

1903 The U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor was established.

2003 Dolly the sheep died. Dolly was the first animal cloned from an adult animal. (Born July 5, 1996)

Sourced from FoodReference

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“A world devoid of tomato soup, tomato sauce, tomato ketchup and tomato paste is hard to visualize. Could the tin and processed food industries have got where they have without the benefit of the tomato compounds which colour, flavour, thicken and conceal so many deficiencies? How did the Italians eat spaghetti before the advent of the tomato? Was there such a thing as tomato-less Neapolitan pizza?”
Elizabeth David , ‘An Omelette and a Glass of Wine’ (1984)

Sourced from FoodReference

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National Tortellini Day

1851 George Brown Goode was born. He was the editor of 'The Fisheries and Fisheries Industries of the United States’ while Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries.

1933 The House of Commons defeated a bill that would have prohibited the sale of alcohol in the U.K.

1967 The Beatles single 'Strawberry Fields Forever' is released.

1971 'One Bad Apple' by the Osmonds reached Number 1 on the charts.

2000 The last original 'Peanuts' comic strip is published.

Sourced from Foodreference

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“A soup like this is not the work of one man. It is the result of a constantly refined tradition. There are nearly a thousand years of history in this soup.”
Willa Cather, 'Death Comes for the Archbishop' (1927)

Sourced from FoodReference

Vicious circles: Why these pizzas are a truly tasteless idea - News - Food & Drink - The Independent

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/vicious-circles-why-these-pizzas-are-a-truly-tasteless-idea-6669581.html

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

- National Plum Pudding Day
- St. Julian the Hospitaler, patron of travelers and innkeepers.

1791 Peter Cooper was born. American inventor and founder of the 'Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.' He also obtained the first American patent for the manufacture of gelatin. In 1895, a cough syrup manufacturer, Pearl B. Wait purchased the patent and developed a packaged gelatin dessert. Wait's wife, May David Wait named it Jell-O.

1809 Charles Darwin was born. English naturalist who developed the 'theory of evolution,' inspired in large part by his visit to the isolated Galapagos Islands. His works include 'Origin of Species' and 'The Descent of Man.'

1872 Silas Noble and James P. Cooley of Massachusetts patented a toothpick making machine.

1881 Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova was born (according to the new Gregorian calendar; January 31 on the Julian calendar). A famous dessert of Australian or New Zealand origin was named for her.
See October 4 for more information on the calendar adjustment.

1935 (Georges-) Auguste Escoffier died. "the king of chefs and the chef of kings."

1961 'Shop Around' by 'The Miracles' becomes Motown Records first million selling single.

1973 The first metric distance road signs in the U.S., were erected between Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio.

1976 The popular food coloring, Red Dye No. 2, was banned by the FDA because studies had shown it might cause cancer. Red M&Ms disappeared from 1976 TO 1985 because of the ban.

2000 Charles M. Schulz died. American cartoonist, best known for the 'Peanuts' comic strip.

Sourced from Food refernce

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“A man who was fond of wine was offered some grapes at dessert after dinner. 'Much obliged', said he, pushing the plate aside; 'I am not accustomed to take my wine in pills.'"
Jean-Antheleme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)

Sourced from Food reference

Hummus and pitta bread

UPDATE:

I have found some of the best pitta, I bought them from M&S and grilled them, they puffed as required.

I then looked at the ingredients from three different pitta packs.

M&S - Wheat flour - Water - Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Dried Fermented Wheat flour - Salt - Yeast

Sainsbury's - Wheat Flour - Water - Yeast - Spirit Vinegar - Salt - Fermented Wheat Flour

Tesco (Wholemeal) Wholemeal Wheat flour - Water - Yeast - Salt - Wheat Flour - Vegetable Oil, Preservatives, Acidity Regulators.

How to read the ingredients list, read the list from left to right, the quantity used reduces in percentage along the list, i.e. least used quantity end of list.

It's strange how the best pitta (in my option) from M&S contain the least yeast (Yeast, the most common one being S. cerevisiae, is used in baking as a leavening agent, where it converts the fermentable sugars present in dough into the gas carbon dioxide. This causes the dough to expand or rise as gas forms pockets or bubbles - sourced from Wikipedia)

----------original post below----------

A couple of days ago I made Hummus for the first time.

Is it just me or have most pitta bread from large supermarkets changed their recipes, all the pitta breads I have bought for the last year don't  puff up when cooked.

I have tried cooking my pitta bread in a toaster and the oven neither method resulted in nice puffed up pittas.

Now this is what is suppose to happen

"The "pocket" in pita bread is created by steam, which puffs up the dough. As the bread cools and flattens, a pocket is left in the middle."

Hummus Recipe

1 x 400g of Chick Peas*

2 x gloves of garlic (I didn't chop mine finely enough)

Olive oil

Lemon Juice

Salt and Pepper

Put all the above ingredients  into a bowl and blend together with a hand blender, top with paprika for a little bit of a kick.

Do you care what country your foods comes from?

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Please answer the above questions, also please send on as here at Cooktubeuk we are interested in how much the country of origin effects people's buying habits.

In Season

I have created a new page: In Season

Here you find a list of all the fresh vegetables, salad, herbs, fruit, fish, seafood, poultry and game currently in season.

I have colour coded it into to sections: At its best and available

Food chart sourced from Lindercroft

What's In Season This Month

Vegetables and Salad

Asian greens:

 

 

Best before v use by

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Best Before

• Relates to food quality


• Past this date, flavour, colour or texture might begin to deteriorate

Use By

• Concerns food safety


• Past this date, food could put health at risk

 

Shelf life

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

This pack of diced pork says 'display until' 7 May and 'use by' 8 May

 

Package testing: Heat sealing film for evaluation of shelf life of lettuce

Shelf life is the length of time that food, drink, medication, chemicals, and many other perishable items are given before they are considered unsuitable for sale, use, or consumption. In some regions, a best before, use by or freshness date is required on packaged perishable foods.

Shelf life is the recommendation of time that products can be stored, during which the defined quality of a specified proportion of the goods remains acceptable under expected (or specified) conditions of distribution, storage and display.

Most shelf life dates are used as guidelines based on normal and expected handling and exposure to temperature. Use prior to the expiration date does not necessarily guarantee the safety of a food or drug, and a product is not always dangerous nor ineffective after the expiration date.

Eggs past best before date still safe to eat, says FSA

British eggs can still be eaten two days after their best before dates have passed, the Food Standards Agency has said in revised guidance.

The FSA hopes the advice will see fewer eggs thrown away

Previous advice said consumers should avoid eggs after this period because of salmonella food poisoning risks.

The FSA, which issued the advice as part of a drive to cut food waste, says salmonella rates have fallen in recent years.

It stressed eggs should be cooked and not be eaten past their use by dates.

The new advice states that "eggs can be eaten after their best before date, as long as they are cooked thoroughly until both yolk and white are solid, or if they are used in dishes where they will be fully cooked, such as a cake".

"Salmonella contamination levels in UK-produced eggs are low, and salmonella is killed by thorough cooking," the FSA said.

Sourced from the BBC - Read full article

 

Food Waste Figures

• 7.2 million tonnes of household food waste is thrown away annually in the UK


• 4.4 million tonnes of food binned annually could have been eaten


• The environmental impact of avoidable household food waste is around 17 million tonnes of CO2e - equivalent to the emissions of one in five cars on UK roads


• the average family wastes £680 of food a year


• the total value of food wasted in the UK each year is £12bn

Source: Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap)

Sainsbury's customers can chill out over freezing food

Sainsbury's is removing advice to freeze food "on day of purchase" from its labels and informing customers it can be done up until the use-by date.

 Sainsbury's hopes the move could stop over-cautious consumers binning perfectly good food

The UK's third-largest supermarket chain believes 800,000 tonnes of food a year could be saved from the bin.

The move, in conjunction with the Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap), was welcomed by the government as "good news for hard-pressed family budgets".

The average UK family wastes up to £50 worth of perfectly good food a month.

The supermarket will advise freezing food as soon as possible, any time up until the use-by date.

"There is no food safety reason why it cannot be frozen at any point prior to the use-by date," said Beth Hart, head of product technology for fresh and frozen.

Article from the BBC - Read full article

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

1840 Sir Hiram Maxim was born.  An American born inventor.  Among his hundreds of inventions were a hair curling iron, a mousetrap, an automatic sprinkling system, gas motors, and a machine gun.


1872 Lafayette Benedict Mendel was born.  An American biochemist who published various papers on nutrition.  His work on vitamins and proteins helped establish modern concepts about nutrition.


1884 Willis Johnson of Cincinnati, Ohio, received a patent for an egg beater.


1914 William Burroughs, novelist, was born.  He wrote 'Naked Lunch.'


1967 Tom Smothers fell into a vat of chocolate today.  (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour premiered).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPHdkxApd9E]
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

Sourced from: Food reference

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“You can take all the sincerity in Hollywood, place it in the navel of a firefly and still have room enough for three caraway seeds and a producer's heart.” Fred Allen, comedian (1894-1956)

Sourced from: Foodreference

The work of Carl Warner

Carl Warner

link to Carl's website

A foodscape photographer who dreams up beautiful landscapes and makes them out of FOOD has released pictures of his latest fantastical creations.

Carl Warner, 45, first draws his ideas, then buys the produce and spends days creating the landscapes using a raft of fresh ingredients...plus some pins and superglue.

His latest book, Food Landscapes, features many seascapes as well as scenes from around the world such as a wild west wagon scene complete with avocado cowboys.



Spot the fruit: Carl Warner's 'Coralscape' features pineapples, coconuts, passion fruit, melons, lychees, kumquats, mangoes, lemons and limes - and that's just the island



Spicy scene: Mr Warner's riverscape includes soya yellow bean, cinnamon stick, dried lotus seeds and herbs, with physalis lanterns and a noodle floor, and bok choy and Savoy cabbage landscape

See more of his work Carl Warner

Saturday 04/02/12

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

1790 John Bachman was born.  A Naturalist who wrote some of the text for John James Audubon's albums of birds and mammals of North America.  He also published his own works on botany, agriculture and southern animals.


1810 Alexis Benoit Soyer was born.  French chef and author.  Chef of the London Reform Club.  He opened kitchens in Ireland during the famine to sell food at 1/2 price and was an advisor on food to the British army during the Crimean War.  Invented several stoves and kitchen utensils. Wrote 'The Pantropheon; or History of Food' (1853), 'A Shilling Cookery Book for the People' (1854), ‘Soyer's Charitable Cookery’ (1847).


1906 Clyde W. Tombaugh was born.  An American astronomer who discovered the planet Pluto in 1930.  Born on a farm near Streator, Illinois, his first telescope was made from old farm equipment parts.


1930 Candy maker Frank C. Mars of Minnesota introduced the Snickers bar in 1930.


1941 Roy J. Plunkett received a U.S. patent for Teflon.  He had discovered it by accident in 1938.


1946 Dan Quayle is born. Destined to make the ‘potatoe’ famous.


1952 Jerry Shirley of the rock group 'Humble Pie' was born.


1964 'Noodles', guitarist of 'The Offspring' was born.


1983 Karen Carpenter died from anorexia nervosa.


1998 Bill Gates was hit with a cream pie (cake?) in Brussels.  The person responsible for the event was Noel Godin whose hobby is throwing cream cakes/pies at celebrities.  He has written a book about his adventures.

Saturday 04/02/12

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline — it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.” Frank Zappa