B.

The Detachable Mustache Guard was designed to be affixed to the rim of cups, tumblers, and wine glasses, in order to protect well-waxed whiskers from tea steam, beer foam, and red wine stains. Patented by, the presumably long-suffering and hirsuit, C. H. Barrows on May 28, 1878, the invention’s popularity spread throughout Europe, until potters began featuring a cup with a mustache guard built right in. For many decades, famous china manufacturers such as Limoges, Meissen, Royal Bayreuth, and others created their own versions. Mustache cup production slowed after 1920 and finally faded from cups altogether by the later 20th century. However, as facial hair returns to fashion, a plethora of protective paraphernalia has hit the market including the “Mo’ Guard”, “Whisker Dam,” and “Lipmaster.”

C.

Terre de Lait, an organization for the French dairy industry, has created the “Fromagissons” campaign, a combination of fromage (cheese) and agissons (let’s act). The campaign asks people to start buying traditional cheeses in support of French cheesemongers who have seen sales fall as much as 60 percent since the crisis began. French magazine Agri Culture reports that only 500 tons of an anticipated 2,000 tons of cheese were sold in April. Terre de Lait is urging it’s countrymen to “work together” so that France remains the country of over 1,000 cheeses.

D.

The U.S. Artichoke industry emerged around 1900 in California, and much of the crop was shipped east, where Italian Americans paid handsomely for the edible thistles. At first, mafia families used their control of rail-line entry points into New York to impose an informal import tax on artichoke shipments. But later, they began intimidating growers into limiting crop sizes and selling at deflated prices. By 1935, the Sicilian American mafia had controlled the American artichoke market (worth about $12.5 million in 2020 dollars) for at least two decades. Mayor LaGuardia had campaigned for office on a promise to take on the mob, and had a penchant for drama. On December 21, 1935, surrounded by horn-blowing policemen, he hopped onto the back of a vegetable truck at the Bronx Terminal Market to denounce the mafia’s tactics and embargo the artichokes.

C.

To make a special savory/spicy mezcal known as mezcal de pechuga (pechuga is Spanish for breast), maestro mezcaleros (master mezcal makers) traditionally hang skinless turkey or chicken breasts inside the still during a third distillation.  Variations include deer, rabbit, and even iguana. The steam cooks the meat as the spirit distills, allowing the meat’s fat and juices to drip into the mezcal. Collagen released from the protein creates a rich, robust mouthfeel not found in most mezcals. The meat also provides a subtle savory note that balances the sweetness of fruits and grains often steamed with it.  Mezcal, by the way, is slightly different than tequila.  Mezcal can be produced from up to 28 varieties of agave, around the city of Oaxaca and a few surrounding states. Tequila is made only from blue agave and must be produced in the state of Jalisco and its environs. Mezcal is made by roasting or grilling the agave hearts in pits (for its unique, smoky flavors), while tequila makers bake them in above-ground ovens.

D.

The London restaurant Wright Brothers recently partnered with The Ginstitute Distillery of West London, to create an oyster-flavored gin said to have “high mineral notes and a pink-pepper finish.” It’s also claimed to be a perfect gin to accompany seafood dishes. The gin is made with Carlingford oyster shells, which are cold-macerated in neutral spirits and then distilled. The oyster distillate is then added to the gin along with juniper, Amalfi lemons, and kelp seaweed.

B.

All of those Fujis, Romes, Deliciouses, and Granny Smiths in your market can be traced back to one place where apples still grow wild—Kazakhstan. According to Gastro Obscura, the ancestor of the domestic apple is the Malus sieversii, which grows wild in the Tian Shan Mountains. Scientists believe that Tian Shan apple seeds were transported out of Kazakhstan by birds and bears long before humans ever cultivated them. By the time humans did begin to grow apples the Malus sieversii was growing in Syria. The Romans discovered it there and then spread the fruit around the Roman Empire. Wild apple forests still exist in Kazakhstan in protected patches within National Parks.

C.

There are well over 100 different shapes of pasta, which come dried or fresh. All of the pastas in the question are dried. Fisckariedd are the leftover cuts after other forms of pasta are made. These leftover pieces are dried and then tossed into soups. Strozzapreti are tightly rolled short ropes. The name translates as “strangle the priest.” And corzetti are large flat disks which can be stamped with a logo or other mark. They are usually served with a sauce or in a soup.

D.

The Romans fattened snails on choice tidbits of food and housed them in special snail boxes, before they were cooked. Today, the French, and especially the Alsatians, have raised the eating of escargots to a fine art. The drizzling of snails with garlic butter is merely the tip of the iceberg. There are dozens of ways of preparing snails, including a famous one in which the mollusks are simmered with wild chanterelle mushrooms, garlic, and shallots in a wine and whipped cream stock, then served with a chilled riesling.

C.

Fried beer was created in Texas (logically enough) in 2010 by a beer lover named Mark Zable, according to Gastro Obscura. Fried beer is not, as one might think, a batter made with beer which is then fried. That would be too easy. Zable concocted a method (using Guinness) to keep the beer liquid while frying the pretzel dough encasing it. Each liquid beer-filled nugget is fried 20 seconds, but Zable will reveal nothing more about the secret recipe. Fried beer made its debut at the Texas State Fair. And yes, you had to show your ID to “eat” it.