All food trivia cited on this website is listed below. Trivia is in alphabetical order based on the subject. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.

Angel hair pasta is also called capelli d’angelo, the pasta is made of long, extremely fine, delicate strands.¹

The apple tree is actually a member of the rose family. Did you ever notice how similar rose hips and leaves are to apples and their leaves?²

The artichoke is an edible thistle that dates back eons and was prized by ancient Romans as a food of the nobility.¹

When artichokes were eaten by ancient Greeks and Romans they were served in a sauce of honey and vinegar. Later during the Renaissance artichokes were highly prized in Italian and later in French cookery.⁵

In the last quarter of the twentieth century, the revival of interest in artisanal produced foods encouraged many small-scale bakers to penetrate urban and affluent areas. Resulting in exquisitely handcrafted loaves and specialty pastries of astounding variety.⁵

Baking powders are a mixture of baking soda and acid salts, with starch added as a stabilizer. Double acting baking powder reacts twice in baking: reacting first when liquid is added to the mixing bowl and second when heated while baking.²

Most of our baking soda comes a huge trona mine in the Green River Basin of Wyoming. Trona is a mixture of salts that is easily convertible to sodium carbonate and then to sodium bircarbonate.²

Balsamic Vinegar gets its dark color and pungent sweetness from aging in barrels – of various woods and in graduated sizes – over a period of years.¹

Barbecuing was discovered when early Spanish explorers landed on Haiti. “Barbecue” comes from the Spanish barbacoa, meaning “frame of sticks.” The Spanish used this word to describe the Haitian Indians’ method of grilling and smoking their meat outdoors on wooden racks over open fires. Spaniards introduced the zesty sauces of tomato and chili pepper to barbecuing that are prevalent today.²

Barbecuing is a method of cooking where meat is covered and slow cooked over a heat source and basted with a highly seasoned sauce, to keep it moist. South Carolina and Texas boast two of the most famous American regional barbecue styles.¹

Barley is one of the oldest cultivated grains. It was first grown in Egypt around 6000 BC and remained the number-one grain of Europe up until the sixteenth century.²

Pearl barley has had the bran removed and has been steamed and polished. It comes in three sizes –coarse, medium and fine – and is good in soups and stews.¹

Americans each eat about sixty-five pounds of beef a year, which is a lot, but is down considerably from the ninety-five pounds a year we ate in 1980, the decrease is due to healthier eating.²

Betty Crocker is a character used in advertising campaigns for food and recipes. It was originally created by the Washburn-Crosby Company in 1921 following a contest in the Saturday Evening Post. The name Betty was selected because it was viewed as a cheery, all-American name. It was paired with the last name Crocker, in honor of William Crocker, a Washburn Crosby Company director.³

A blondie is a dense, chewy, cake-like cookie that is generally butterscotch or vanilla flavored. It is basically a brownie without the chocolate flavoring.¹

Braising is a cooking method by which food is first browned in fat, then cooked, tightly covered, in a small amount of liquid at low heat for a lengthy period of time. The long, slow cooking develops flavor and tenderizes foods by gently breaking down their fibers.¹

Brie is characterized by an edible, downy white rind and a cream-colored, buttery-soft interior that should “ooze” when at the peak of ripeness.¹

The name broccoli comes from the Italian word for “cabbage sprout” and indeed, broccoli is a relative of cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.¹

Burgundy is also a generic name for ordinary, inexpensive red wine made outside of France in countries like Australia, South Africa and the United States. Although many of the bulk producers in these countries are starting to call these wines “red table wine,” the word “Burgundy” still appears on some wine bottle labels.¹

Burrito is Spanish for “little donkey.” It is defined as a tortilla that is wrapped around beef, chicken or pork and served with taco sauce.²

Catalina French Dressing is bright red and less creamy than French Dressing. Both salad dressings are American recipes made with vegetable oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, sugar, tomato paste or puree or ketchup and spices.³

Chicken is the world’s favorite meat. Modern chickens were domesticated over four thousand years ago in Southeast Asia. Each American eats an average of twenty-four chickens annually.²

Chicken Tetrazzini is named for the opera singer Luisa Tetrazzini, this rich dish combined cooked spaghetti and strips of chicken with a sherry-Parmesan cheese cream sauce. Parmesan or breadcrumbs are sprinkled over the surface and the dish is baked until bubbly and golden brown.¹

Chimichurri is a thick herb sauce made up of olive oil, vinegar, finely chopped parsley, oregano, onion, garlic, salt, cayenne and black pepper. This sauce is as common in Argentina as ketchup is in the United States.¹

The chocolate chip cookie was invented by American chef Ruth Wakefield in 1938. At that time she owned the Toll House Restaurant, in Whitman, MA. She added chopped up bits from a Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar into a cookie to create a chocolate chip cookie where the chocolate bits didn’t melt into the batter when cooked. ¹

Chorizo is a highly seasoned, coarsely ground pork sausage flavored with garlic, chili powder and other spices.¹

The term chowder is also used to describe any thick, rich soup containing chunks of food (for instance, corn chowder).¹

A churro is a Spanish and Mexican specialty that is a sweet-dough spiral that is deep fried and coated with cinnamon and granulated sugar.¹

Apple cider was a highly popular early American beverage. Cider is made by pressing the juice from apples. Before fermentation, it’s referred to as “sweet” cider. It becomes “hard” cider after fermentation, and can range widely in alcohol content.¹

Cinnamon is the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree. The bark is harvested during the rainy season when it’s more pliable. When dried, it curls into long quills, which are either cut into lengths and sold as cinnamon sticks, or ground into powder.¹

A cobbler is a baked, deep dish fruit dessert topped with a thick biscuit crust sprinkled with sugar.¹

A coffee cake is a rich, sweet cakelike bread usually served for breakfast or brunch. Coffee cakes often contain fruit, nuts and sometimes a cream cheese filling. They can be frosted or not and are usually best served slightly warm.¹

Scallion pancakes are also known as Cong you bing or “green onion pancake.” They are a Chinese savory, unleavened flatbread folded with oil and minced scallions. Unlike Western pancakes, they are made from dough instead of batter. They are pan-fried, which gives them crisp edges and a chewy texture. Many layers make up the interior, contributing to its chewy texture.³

Throughout American history there has been a great diversity in the preparation and use of corn as a food. Most Americans can identify corn yet consume corn unknowingly in hundreds of foods.⁵

The corn cob first reached Europe when Columbus brought it back with him to Spain after his trip to the Americas.⁴

Cornbread is an American quick bread that substitutes cornmeal for flour. To make it Southern style the cornbread is baked in a skillet.¹

Cornmeal is dried corn kernels that have been ground up. The color will depend on the type of corn used.¹

Couscous is a granular semolina, when cooked it is often served on a platter with meats and vegetables placed on top. Packaged precooked couscous is available in Middle Eastern markets and large supermarkets.¹

In the 1990s Americans discovered couscous, a grain that is quickly cooked; however in the American incarnation it was typically cooked by boiling, rather than steaming it in the North African way.⁵

Crab Rangoon is a filled crisp dumpling appetizer served primarily in American Chinese restaurants. The filling is made with a combination of cream cheese, crab meat, scallions, garlic and other flavorings, then wrapped in a Chinese wonton and fried.³

Crisps are a variation on a potpie theme. Instead of topping the filling with pie dough, the filling is topped with cookie crumbs or sweetened oats mixed with bit of fat to assemble a paste. The paste mixture is dropped onto the filling before baking.⁵

The literal translation of crème brûlée is “burnt cream.” The caramelized topping becomes brittle, creating a delicious flavor and textural contrast to the softer custard beneath.¹

To create a “deviled” dish combine a food with various hot or spicy seasonings such as red pepper, mustard or Tabasco sauce.¹

In the second half of the twentieth century commercial dips emerged as an important category of food. The major host foods for dips remain chips, bread sticks, and vegetables such as celery and carrots.⁵

Divinity is made by a technique that combines those for nougat, fudge and Italian meringue became popular around the 1900s. There was a recipe for divinity in the New York Times by 1907, and this confection became more popular in the southern states.⁵

Doner kebab is a Turkish kebab recipe. Seasoned meat is cooked on a rotisserie and shaved when serving with pita or flatbread, lettuce, tomato, onion and a variety of sauces.³

The term “Dutch oven” refers to an American pot of European ancestry, it has been valued for its combination of steaming, baking, stewing and braising. Eighteenth-century American Dutch ovens were designed for the hearth, where they were heated with glowing embers.⁵

Edamame is the Japanese name for green soybeans.¹

Egg rolls are a small, stuffed Chinese pastry usually served as an appetizer. Paper-thin pastry wrappers are folded around a savory filling of minced or shredded vegetables and sometimes meat, then folded and rolled before being deep-fried.¹

There is absolutely no difference between brown and white eggs, aside from the shell color. Nutrition, flavor and quality are identical. Some regions of the United States prefer white, some brown. The color of the shell is determined by the breed of hen that lays the egg.²

Empanadas are named for the Spanish word Empanar which means “to bake in pastry.” Empanadas are Mexican and Spanish single-serve turnovers with a pastry crust and savory mean and vegetable fillings. They can also be filled with fruit and served as dessert.¹

An enchilada is a Mexican specialty made by rolling a softened corn tortilla around a meat or cheese filling. It is served hot, usually topped with a tomato-based salsa and sprinkled with cheese.¹

The first known Mexican-American enchilada recipe was not published in the Southwest. It was published in Ohio in 1876 by the territorial governor of Arizona, who wrote “any one who has ever been to a Spanish speaking country will recognize this as one of the national dishes, much as pumpkin pie is a New England specialty.”⁵

Roman restaurateur Alfredo di Lello is credited with creating fettuccine alfredo in the 1920s. The fettuccine is enrobed in a rich sauce of butter, grated parmesan cheese, heavy cream and black pepper.¹

Á la Florentine is French for “in the style of Florence (Italy)” and it refers to dishes that are presented on a bed of spinach and topped with mornay sauce.¹

Focaccia is an Italian bread that begins by being shaped into a large, flat round that is brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt.¹

French bread is a light, crusty, yeast-raised bread made with water instead of milk. French bread comes in many shapes, including the classic long, thin baguette, rounds and fat ovals.¹

The French Dip sandwich was created by accident in 1918 by a French immigrant in a Los Angeles sandwich shop. A roast beef sandwich that was being made for a hungry policeman was accidentally dropped into the roast drippings. The policeman later returned with several friends, all requesting “dipped” sandwiches. No one knows if the name comes from the French immigrant, the French roll used in the sandwich or if the policeman’s last name was “French.”⁵

French fried onions are small irregular onion strips that are coated in batter and deep fried until crunchy. This is the crunchy topping often found on green bean casserole. In 1986 Durkee’s French onions became French’s crispy fried onions.³

French onion soup is a type of soup usually based on meat stock and onions, and often served with croutons and cheese on top or a large piece of bread.³

Fricassee is a dish of meat (usually chicken) that has been sautéed in butter before being stewed with vegetables. The end result is a thick, chunky stew, often served with wine.¹

Funeral potatoes (also known as Mormon funeral potatoes or party potatoes) are a traditional potato hot dish or casserole that originated in the Intermountain West region of the United States. Both Mormon and Southern people call this dish “funeral potatoes” because the casserole is commonly served as a side dish during traditional after-funeral dinners.³

The distinct shiny brown coating of an authentic German soft pretzel comes from lye. Apparently, a German baker was carrying a tray of uncooked pretzels when he dropped them in a vat of lye solution – used to clean and disinfect baking utensils. He decided to bake them anyway. The result was a distinctive color and tang.⁴

Gingerroot’s name comes from the Sanskrit word for “horn root,” referring to its knobby appearance. The flavor of ginger is peppery and slightly sweet, while the aroma is pungent and spicy.¹

Italian for “dumplings,” gnocchi are shaped into little balls, cooked in boiling water and served with butter and Parmesan cheese or a savory sauce.¹

Goulash is a Hungarian stew made with beef and vegetables and flavored with Hungarian paprika. It is sometimes garnished with dollops of sour cream and often served over buttered noodles.¹

No one knows who exactly first created ground beef, but one popular theory traces the origins back to the days when Mongol horsemen were busy invading everywhere. These horse-bound warriors would ride with raw meat beneath their saddles. The movement of the horse would tenderize the meat; the men would be able to eat without having to dismount. This was the precursor to steak tartar.⁴

Hash Browns are finely chopped or shredded, cooked potatoes that are fried until well browned. The mixture is usually pressed down into a flat cake in the pan and browned on one side, then turned and browned on the other.¹

Hasselback potatoes are a type of Swedish baked potato, where the potatoes are about halfway cut through into thin slices; butter, breadcrumbs and almonds are added on top of the potatoes. They were created in 1953 by Leif Elisson who was a trainee chef at the restaurant Hasselbacken on Djurgården in Stockholm.³

Hoisin is also called Peking Sauce; it is a thick, reddish-brown sauce that is sweet and spicy, and widely used in Chinese cooking.¹

Home fries are potatoes that are sliced or diced and fried, often with finely chopped onions or green peppers. The potatoes can either be raw or boiled before slicing. They are also called cottage-fried potatoes.¹

Honey can be stored indefinitely at room temperature and needs no refining and processing. Because bees do all the refining and processing for us. The final honey product doesn’t spoil because of its high acid and sugar content. Most bacteria and yeasts can’t tolerate these conditions.²

Joe’s Special is a dish that originated in San Francisco, named after a 1920s jazz musician. It always included eggs, spinach and ground beef. Other common ingredients in this breakfast scramble include onions, garlic and sometimes mushrooms.³

Key limes are limes from Florida that are smaller, rounder and have a color more yellow than green. Key limes have a more tart flavor than more common limes.¹

King Ranch Chicken is a popular Tex-Mex casserole. Recipes vary, but generally it has a sauce made of canned diced tomatoes (commonly the Ro-Tel brand) with green chiles, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, diced bell pepper, onion and chunks or shreds of chicken. The bottom of the casserole is lined with corn tortillas or tortilla chips, then layered with sauce and topped with cheese.³

King’s Hawaiian is a Los Angeles-based family-owned and operated bakery, known chiefly for its sweet Hawaiian bread. It was founded by Robert Taira in Hilo, Hawaii in 1950.³

Lancashire hot pot is England’s version of a layered, vegetable and meat stew. It often contains mutton and is covered in a layer of potatoes.¹

Traditionally, lemon ice box pie is a dessert consisting of lemon juice, eggs and condensed milk in a pie crust. It is a variation of Key lime pie. This dessert is a signature dish of Clancy’s in New Orleans.³

A cafeteria style restaurant called “The Lion House” in Salt Lake City, UT is famous for their dinner rolls called Lion House Dinner Rolls. Tourists travel far and wide to taste these famous dinner rolls.³

Lipton produces a variety of instant soup mixes. In the 1950s in the United States, Lipton ran an advertisement campaign promoting French onion dip prepared at home using Lipton’s French onion soup mix, thus helping to popularize chips and dip.⁵

A loin cut comes from the area on both sides of the backbone extending from the shoulder to the leg. The loin is a tender cut that be butchered into chops, steaks and roasts.¹

Lo Mein is a Chinese dish of boiled noodles combined with various stir-fried ingredients, then coated with a stir-fry sauce.¹

Marry Me Chicken is a updated take on “Engagement Chicken” which is a lemon and herb flavored roast chicken dish, purported to cause boyfriends to propose marriage. This recipe first appeared in Glamour magazine in December 2003 when it got its name. Marry Me Chicken recipes include sun-dried tomatoes and a cream sauce.³

Marsala is Italy’s most famous fortified wine. Marsalas have a rich, smoky flavor, much of which comes from oxidation during aging.¹

Marshmallow crème is another name for marshmallow fluff, which is a thick, fluffy, marshmallow-flavor mixture sold in jars or plastic tubs. It can be used in fudge and other candies, as an ice cream topping and cake filling and for the popular Fluffernutter Sandwich.¹

Meatloaf is defined as ground meat mixed with various seasonings and bound with eggs or breadcrumbs. The mixture can be either spooned into a loaf pan or hand formed into a loaf shape and placed in a baking pan before being baked.¹

Very simply, a meringue is a mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and granulated sugar. In order for the sugar to dissolve completely, it must be beaten into the whites a tablespoon at a time.¹

The foods of Mexican Americans are simultaneously one of the oldest regional cuisines in the United States and one of the newest immigrant contributions to this multicultural nation.⁵

Mexican rice is a Mexican side dish made from white rice, tomatoes, garlic, onions and other ingredients. It is traditionally made by sautéing the rice in a skillet with oil until it is golden brown. Water or chicken broth is then added, along with tomato sauce.³

Monterey Jack cheese is named after David Jacks a 19^th century cheese maker who resided near Monterey, California.¹

Moo Shu is actually Mu Shu which is a stir-fried Chinese dish containing shredded pork, scallions, other ingredients and various seasonings. Then the mixture is scrambled with eggs, rolled in thin pancakes and served hot.¹

Muddy Buddies is another name for Puppy Chow which is a homemade snack made in the United States. The recipe’s name and ingredients can differ depending on the version, but most recipes will typically include cereal, melted chocolate, peanut butter (or other nut butters) and powdered sugar. Cereals used in the recipes are usually Chex or Crispix. The snack’s true origins are not known.³

American-style muffins fall into the quick bread category and are leavened with either baking powder or baking soda.¹

Early Greeks and Romans are thought to be among the first cultivators of mushrooms, using them in a wide array of dishes. The cultivated mushroom is what’s commonly found in most U.S. supermarkets today.¹

Mushroom is the colloquial name for approximately 38,000 varieties of fungi that have mycelia (threadlike roots) and often a distinctive cap and stem structure. Most varieties grown only in the wild, but more and more are being cultivated. Mushrooms can be sold fresh, dried, canned and frozen.⁵

Modern mustard was created by an Englishwoman, Mrs. Clements of Durham, in 1729. She ground up mustard seeds and other secret ingredients into a powder that could be mixed with water to make mustard something like today’s version. She sold her powdered mix town to town on horseback. When King George I tried some and became a big fan, mustard’s popularity took off. ²

New potatoes are simply young potatoes (any variety). They haven’t had time to convert their sugar fully into starch and consequently have a crisp, waxy texture and thin, underdeveloped wispy skins. New potatoes are small enough to cook whole and are excellent boiled or pan roasted.¹

Ohio shredded chicken sandwiches are a very regional dish. Some in Ohio have never heard of them, but others eat them at every potluck. They are popular at local diners and restaurants that serve lunch sandwiches. And there are countless ways to make them! Leftover filling is also seen served over cooked rice.³

Old Bay Seasoning was invented by a German immigrant Gustav Brunn in 1939 Baltimore. Its primary ingredient is celery salt, but allspice, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, chili, ginger, mace, mustard, paprika and black pepper are also in the seasoning mixture.⁵

Orzo is Italian for “barley.” Orzo pasta is tiny and rice-shaped and often used in soups.¹

There are almost as many kinds of pancakes as people. For the most part, differences in thickness and rising agents are the result of geographic availability. Culturally, the major differences between pancakes around the world are the toppings.⁴

Panzanella is an Italian bread salad made with onions, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, vinegar, seasonings and chunks of bread.¹

Parmesan cheese is a hard, dry cheese made from skimmed or partially skimmed cow’s milk. It has a rich, sharp flavor.¹

Thomas Jefferson helped establish pasta in America; he often tried to introduce foods that were popular in Europe to the United States. The song “Yankee Doodle” pokes fun at “simple” colonists trying to be cultured by eating “classy” foods like macaroni. At the time macaroni was all the rage with the European upper classes.²

Pastina means “tiny dough” and it refers to any of various tiny shapes of pasta such as acini de pepe or ditalini.¹

Pastry is a general term for sweet baked goods such as Danish Pastries and Napoleons.¹

Pecans are a native American nut, a member of the hickory family that is widely grown in Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and as far north as Virginia. The most well-known pecan dessert is Southern Pecan Pie.¹

Penne is Italian for “pens” or “quills.” They are diagonally-cut smooth tubes. Penne rigate have ridged sides.¹

There are over 30 species of mint; the two most popular and widely available are peppermint and spearmint.¹

Philadelphia Cheese Steak is a sandwich made on a French or Italian roll topped by thin slices of beef, cheese and sometimes sautéed onions. It was originated in Philadelphia in the 1930s.¹

Piccata is an Italian dish where seasoned and floured chicken is quickly sautéed and served with a sauce made from the pan drippings, lemon juice and chopped parsley.¹

A pilaf is a rice dish originated in the Near East and always begins by first browning the rice in butter or oil before cooking it in stock. Pilafs can be variously seasoned and usually contain other ingredients such as chopped cooked vegetables, meats, seafood or poultry.¹

The flesh of a pimiento (Spanish for pepper) is sweet, succulent and more aromatic pepper than that of the red bell pepper. Canned and bottled pimientos are available year-round and are most commonly seen as the red stuffing found in a green olive.¹

Pimento Cheese is often called the “comfort food” of the American South. The basic mixture is grated cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, chopped canned pimentos, salt and pepper.⁵

Pistachio nuts have a delicate, subtle flavor that is wonderful either for eating out of hand or for flavoring both sweet and savory dishes.¹

Today’s pork is leaner with ⅓ fewer calories and higher in protein than pork consumed just 10 years ago. This is thanks to improved feeding techniques.¹

Pork shoulder is also called picnic ham, which isn’t a true ham since it comes from the shoulder instead of the leg. When this cut is smoked is has a very ham-like flavor. It is a slightly tougher cut of pork so it requires longer cooking.¹

A pot roast is usually made with an inexpensive, less tender cut of beef that is browned, and then braised very slowly in a covered pot with a little liquid. The result is a flavorful, tender piece of meat.¹

The potato was not readily accepted in Europe because it is know to be a member of the nightshade family (as are the tomato and eggplant) and therefore thought to be poisonous. In the 16^th century, Sir Walter Raleigh was instrumental in debunking the poisonous potato superstition when he planted them on property he owned in Ireland. Today, hundreds of varieties of this popular vegetable are grown around the world.¹

According to the USDA, Americans consume about 130 pounds of potato per year – over 50 percent of which is consumed as French fries, chips and other potato products.⁴

The idea of using mayonnaise, hard boiled eggs, sweet gherkins, onions and whatever the palate craves is wholly unique to the American potato salad. In 1886 a cookbook published two versions of potato salad; this was the first publication to distinguish “American potato salad.”⁴

Potatoes are probably the most versatile vegetable in the world and can be cooked in any way imaginable. Potatoes of one variety or another are available year-round.¹

Praline is a name for a brittle confection of typically almonds and caramelized sugar. It can be eaten as candy or sprinkled atop desserts as a garnish.¹

Cooking food thoroughly using steam under pressure seems modern, but the French scientist Denis Pepin invented a pressure cooker in 1679. It was called a “digester” and was used to soften bones and otherwise wasted meat parts. An American version of a “digester” was first mentioned in the 1854 edition of American Home Cook Book.⁵

The pretzel can be traced back to the Romans, although the twisted loose knot shape was introduced in the early part of the 7^th century. The first U.S. commercial pretzel factory was established in 1861 in Lititz, Pennsylvania.¹

Puff pastry is made by placing chilled butter between layers of pastry dough, then rolling it out, folding it in thirds and letting it rest. This process is repeated 6 to 8 times, producing hundreds of layers of dough and butter. When baked, the moisture in the butter creates steam, causing the dough to puff into hundreds of flaky layers.¹

Most canned pumpkin is actually squash – a mix actually of butternut, Hubbard, and other squashes. The texture and consistency of the squash is actually better for canning purposes, and the taste is nearly identical to that of the pumpkin.⁴

Generally served with pasta, puttanesca sauce is a spicy mélange of tomatoes, onions, capers, black olives, anchovies, oregano and garlic; all cooked together in olive oil. According to the one story the name of the sauce comes from the fact that the intense fragrance of this sauce was like a siren’s call to the men who visited “ladies of pleasure.” The sauce name comes from the Italian word puttana.¹

Ramen is an Asian instant-style deep-fried noodle that are usually sold in cellophane packages, sometimes with bits of dehydrated vegetable and broth mix.¹

Ranch dressing has been the best-selling salad dressing in the United States since 1992, when it overtook Italian dressing. It is also popular as a dip and flavoring for chips and other foods.³

Rice feeds more of the world’s population than any other food. Sixty percent of the people on earth live on rice as their main food. The Chinese, who have been eating rice for four thousand years, eat about a pound per day per person.²

Rice first came to America in 1685 and was widely cultivated in South Carolina. It remained the colony’s most important crop until the introduction of cotton.²

Rice is tropical grass, native to Southeast Asia. It requires a hot, moist climate and freestanding water in which to grow.²

The majority of the rice produced in America is in Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana, but the “Carolina” variety of long grained rice (the rice grain is four to five times longer than it is wide) is still one of America’s most popular types of rice.²

Ricotta cheese is made from the whey of cheeses such as mozzarella, provolone and Swiss. Literally translated, ricotta means “twice cooked.” This is because it is made by cooking the whey from a previously cooked cheese.²

Rigatoni pasta is a large grooved macaroni noodles about 1 ½ inches wide.¹

Risotto is an Italian rice specialty made by stirring hot stock into a mixture of rice that has been sautéed in butter. The stock is added slowly while cooking until all the liquid absorbed.¹

Salisbury steak is essentially a ground-beef patty that has been flavored with minced onion and seasonings before being fried or broiled.¹

Salsa is Mexican and Spanish word for “sauce” which can mean cooked or fresh mixtures. Salsa can range in spiciness from mild to mouth-searing.¹

To prepare a food as “scalloped” means to layer slices of it with cream or creamy sauce in a casserole. Scalloped foods are often topped with bread or cracker crumbs before being baked.¹

On U.S. restaurant menus, the term scampi is often used to describe large shrimp that are split; brushed with garlic oil or butter and broiled.¹

A scone is a Scottish quick bread named from the Stone of Destiny (or Scone) the place where Scottish kings were once crowned. Today’s versions are more flour-based and baked in the oven. Scones can be savory or sweet and are usually eaten for breakfast or tea.¹

The original triangular-shaped scone was made with oats and griddle-baked. Today’s versions are more often flour-based and baked in the oven.¹

History tells us that sesame seed is the first recorded seasoning, dating back to 3000 B.C. Assyria. It grows widely in India and throughout the Orient. These tiny, flat seeds come in shades of brown, red and black, but those most commonly found are a pale grayish-ivory. Sesame seed has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor that is versatile enough for use in baked goods such as breads, cakes and cookies, salads and other savory dishes.¹

7 UP was invented in 1929 to compete with Orange Crush as lemon-lime alternative. It contained seven ingredients and was sold in seven-ounce bottles.⁵

Lobster may be America’s favorite shellfish; but the more affordable shrimp is the most popular. In fact, shrimp is the most popular fresh or frozen seafood, period. Frozen shrimp first appeared in the 1950s, and now almost all the shrimp sold has been frozen prior to sale.²

Americans eat over 800 million pounds of shrimp a year. Of that total, 600 million pounds are imported, much of it from farms in China, Ecuador and Taiwan.²

A slider is an American term for a steam-grilled sandwich, typically around 2 inches across, made with a bun. The term primarily refers to small hamburgers, but is sometimes used to describe any small sandwich made with a slider roll. Sliders can be served as hors d’oeuvres, snacks or entrées.³

A Sloppy Joe is a sandwich composed of a split hamburger bun topped with a mixture of cooked ground beef, onions, green peppers and spicy tomato sauce. The name is related to its appearance and the fact that it’s messy to eat.¹

The Rival Company introduced the Crock-Pot Slow Cooker in 1971. An electric bean cooker called the Beanery was modified with improvements including the size to make the first slow cooker.⁵

Also called a crockpot, the slow cooker is and electric “casserole” that cooks food with low, steady, moist heat. It’s designed to cook food over a period of 8 to 12 hours.¹

Originating in 19^th century New England, this whimsically named Snickerdoodle is a cookie that has a crackly surface and can be soft or hard and is traditionally sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar before being baked.¹

Eight out of every ten cans of soup sold in the United States are Campbell’s® brand, most common are Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup, Cream of Mushroom Soup and Tomato Soup.²

Spanakorizo is Greek for “spinach rice.” This is a pilaf dish that includes long-grain rice and fresh spinach along with dill, cumin, salt, black pepper, red wine vinegar, onion and olive oil and can be topped with feta cheese and lemon.³

Spices are the pungent or aromatic seasonings obtained from the bark, buds, fruit, roots, seeds or stems of various pants and trees. Spices were prized long before recorded history. Spices were used for crowning emperors, making medicines and perfumes, religious ceremonies and as burial accoutrements for the wealthy.¹

A streusel is a crumbly topping consisting of flour, sugar, butter and various spices that is sprinkled on coffee cakes, breads, muffins and cakes.¹

Stroganoff is named after 19^th century Russian diplomat Count Paul Stroganov, this dish contains thin slices of beef, onions, mushrooms, all sautéed in butter and combined with a sour cream sauce.¹

German for “whirlpool” or “eddy,” strudel is a type of pastry made up of many layers of very thin dough spread with a filling, then rolled and baked until crisp and golden brown. Apple strudel is probably the most famous of type of strudel.¹

Dressings (also called Stuffings) are usually well seasoned and based on breadcrumbs or cubes. It can be cooked separately or in the food in which it is stuffed.¹

A strata is a family of layered casserole dishes in American cuisine. Bread is layer with filling to produce layers (strata) and a beaten egg mixture is poured over top. After resting, the dish is baked and served warm.³

Succotash is a southern United States dish made with lime beans, corn kernels, and sometimes chopped red and green sweet peppers. The name is taken from the Naragansett Indian word msickquatash meaning “boiled whole kernels of corn.”¹

Why do we prefer sweet tastes to bitter ones? Most things found in the wild that taste sweet are good to eat. On the other hand, most bitter things are poisonous or just not good for you. Over the course of history, the people who preferred sweet things tended to survive better than those who ran around eating bitter things.²

Sweet roll refers to any number of sweet, baked, yeast-leavened breakfast or dessert foods. They may contain spices, nuts, candied fruits or any other sweet filling and are often glazed or topped with icing. A sweet roll is often round and small enough to comprise a single serving.³

Tamale pie is a Southwestern casserole dish. It is prepared with cornmeal crust and ingredients typically used in tamales. It has been described as a comfort food. The dish may have originated in Texas in the early 1900s.³

A taquito is a Mexican food dish that typically consists of a small rolled-up tortilla that contains filling, including beef, cheese or chicken. The filled tortilla is then shallow-fried or deep-fried. The dish is often topped with condiments such as sour cream, salsa and guacamole.³

Tater tots are a food made from a potato that has been grated and then deep-fried. They are recognized by their compact cylindrical shape and crispy exterior.³

Teriyaki is a Japanese dish where beef or chicken has been marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sake, sugar, ginger and seasoning before cooking. The sugar in the marinade gives the cooked food a slight glaze.¹

Tex-Mex cuisine emerged after 1821 when Americans from Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas migrated to Texas, bringing their cooking methods for bacon, ham, cornbread and biscuits. These cooking methods and recipes mixed with the Tejanos’ diets in Texas.⁵

Tian is a French word describing a Provencal dish of gratinéed mixed vegetables.¹

Toffee is a candy made by cooking sugar, water (or cream) and usually butter anywhere from 260 F to 310 F depending on making chewy or crunchy toffee.¹

Tomatoes were thought to be poisonous until the middle of the nineteenth century. Botanists in Northern Europe placed the tomato in the nightshade family of plants, which includes belladonna and mandrake. The tomato’s leaves and stems are actually poisonous not the tomato itself.²

Americans eat roughly eighteen pounds of tomatoes per person every year, in one form or another.²

A Torte is a rich cake, often made with little or no flour but instead with ground nuts or breadcrumbs, eggs, sugar and flavorings. Tortes are often multilayered and filled with buttercream, jams, etc.¹

Shape is the main difference between the types of pasta. Tortellini means “little twists.”²

Tortilla is considered Mexico’s everyday bread, it is unleavened, round and flat and resembles a very thin pancake. It can be eaten plain or wrapped around various fillings.¹

Tzatziki is a Greek sauce made with drained plain yogurt, grated or chopped cucumber, minced garlic, olive oil, vinegar and minced fresh dill or mint.¹

A white sauce is a simplified roux based sauce that can be made thin, medium or thick. This sauce started being made in America in early twentieth century guided by cookbooks from Fannie Farmer and others.⁵

Zeppola is an Neopolitan pasty created in 1840 by Don Pasquale Pinatauro in Napoli. It is usually a deep fried dough ball of varying size topped with powdered sugar and may be filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream or a butter and honey mixture.³

Ziti means “bridegrooms” in Italian. This pasta shape is a relatively thin tube ranging in length from 2 to 12 inches.¹

Zucchini is a popular summer squash shaped like a curved cylinder. Fresh zucchini is available year round in most super markets with a peak period in late spring.¹

Trivia Sources

¹ The New Food Lover’s Companion: Comprehensive Definitions of nearly 6000 food, drink and culinary terms (3^rd Edition) Sharon Tyler Herbst, 2001, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.                           ISBN: 0-7641-1258-9

² Why does popcorn pop? Don Voorhees, 1995, Fine Communications  ISBN: 1-56731-490-2

³ Wikipedia.org

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• Strata
• Sweet Roll
• Tamale Pie
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• Zeppola