D.

Black Corinth grapes from Greece are the source of dried Zante currants, sometimes known as “black Corinth raisins.” According to the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources department, the word “currant” evolved from “Corinth,” the name of the Greek port from which the fruit was exported to western Europe. By the 1700s, however, the currant trade shifted slightly westward toward Greece’s Ionian Islands, notably the island of Zante (also known as Zakynthos). Hence, the name Zante currants.

C.

One of the defining ingredients of the Hungarian kitchen—paprika—is based on red peppers, the best of which are said to come from the region of Szeged in Hungary. Curiously, these peppers have the highest vitamin C content of any vegetable. Indeed, paprika was used in numerous experiments by Hungarian physiologist Albert Szent-Györgyi who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1937 for his discovery of Vitamin C. By the way, Hungarians classify paprika into eight types, starting with the mildest, sweetest, and brightest red—Különleges–and proceeding to Erős, the spiciest and most brown in color.

C.

Peanut Butter and Mayonnaise, now largely forgotten, was once as popular a pairing as PB & J. During the Great Depression, people were looking for high-calorie combinations of protein and fat. Meat and dairy were expensive and consuming enough energy could prove difficult. Thus, the combination of peanut butter and mayonnaise on white bread was born and became a staple in Southern households in the United States. For the next 30 years or so, the PB & M was a favorite in many American kitchens, perhaps because adding mayonnaise to the era’s rustic, coarse nut butter may have been key for spreadability.

A.

Bamboo is not only the fastest-growing edible plant but also the fastest-growing plant on Earth. Period. Chinese Moso bamboo can grow over 3 feet in a single day! Bamboo shoots are low in fat and calories and contain loads of fiber and potassium. They have a very mild taste but take on flavors of other foods easily and can blend into almost any cuisine.

B.

An elaborate four-tiered wedding cake has remained uncut since it was made in 1898. The confection was made by Charles H. Philpott soon after he and his wife opened their family bakery—C.H. Philpott, Baker and Confectioner—in Basingstoke, England. For 66 years after the bakery’s opening, the Philpotts displayed the cake in the shop window, before moving it to their home in 1964 when the bakery closed. In 1995, almost a century after it was first baked and displayed, the Philpotts’ daughter donated the antique cake to the local Willis Museum. The cake is now displayed in the museum, under constant monitoring to ensure it stays intact.

C.

The practice of dyeing eggs for Easter originated in Greece where the custom is a deeply felt religious ritual. The eggs are dyed on Holy Thursday (the Thursday preceding Easter Sunday) and are eaten after midnight mass on Holy Saturday as a way of breaking the Lenten fast. In Greece, Easter eggs are always dyed red, symbolizing the blood of Jesus Christ, while the egg itself represents life and regeneration. In some parts of northern Greece, the eggs are also hand painted with figures, often of birds—a symbol of resurrection.

A.

The spaghetti-tree hoax was a three-minute prank report which aired on April Fools’ Day in 1957 on the BBC current-affairs program Panorama. The broadcast showed a family in southern Switzerland harvesting spaghetti from the family “spaghetti tree”. At the time spaghetti was relatively unknown in the U.K. The BBC told viewers they could grow their own spaghetti trees by “placing a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hoping for the best”. An estimated 8 million people watched the program and hundreds phoned in to question the authenticity of the story or to ask for more information about how they could grow their own.

C.

The tequila fish, prevalent in a single river near the Tequila volcano in Jalisco, Mexico, went extinct from the wild in 2003. Scientists at Michoacán University’s Aquatic Biology Unit knew the tequila fish played an important role in the river’s delicate ecosystem—eating dengue-spreading mosquitoes and serving as a food source for larger fish and birds. Only five pairs of tequila fish remained in captivity at England’s Chester Zoo. After the Mexican fish disappeared from its natural habitat, the team attempted reintroducing the species back into the wild. Now, almost two decades later, a thriving population of tequila fish, are once again swimming in the Teuchitlán River.

A.

The first American restaurant—specifically a tavern—was founded in Boston in 1634 by a settler named Samuel Cole. Early establishments like taverns were relatively inexpensive and generally attracted the poorer and middle classes, for whom preparing food at home was expensive (the cost of wood or coal required to keep a stove going was prohibitive for many). In fact, early on in the U.S., only the wealthy had the staff and economic resources to eat regularly at home. Among the most famous American taverns was Fraunces Tavern, founded in 1762 in New York City, and still operating today.

C.

Walla Walla in southeastern Washington is perhaps the only wine region in the world that is renowned for both its delicious red wines and its delicious, jumbo-size sweet onions—about 19.5 million pounds (9 million kilograms) of which are harvested each year. Like the Vidalia ones from Georgia and the Maui ones from Hawaii, Walla Walla onions are low in sulfur (the compound that makes you cry) and so sweet they can be eaten out of hand, as you would an apple.

D.

Graham crackers, named after Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham, are not considered an aphrodisiac. Graham believed eating a vegetarian diet rich in bread products could help keep society “pure” by preventing people from having impure thoughts and suppressing the impulse to masturbate (which Graham considered to be a catalyst for blindness and early death). While no food has scientifically been proven to stimulate desire, some foods do have certain “feel good” properties. Historically, spicy foods such as hot peppers were thought to awaken the senses, figs, rich in antioxidants, may help increase blood flow, and oysters, well oysters resemble certain parts of the anatomy. We’ll leave it there.

B.

Su filindeu meaning “the threads of God” in local dialect, is a rare pasta dish from the island of Sardinia. The pasta is made by pulling and folding semolina dough into thin threads, followed by placing the noodles into sheet-like layers on a tray to dry. The dried sheets of noodles are broken into pieces and served in a mutton broth with pecorino cheese. Because of its time-consuming and challenging nature, su filindeu wasn’t readily available to the public. In fact, originally only three women— matriarchs of the Abraini family— knew how to make it.  The recipe has been passed down to subsequent generations for over 300 years. Additionally, su filindeu is on the Ark of Taste list— an international directory of endangered heritage foods. The list is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are a part of a distinct region, sustainably produced, and unique in taste. Have you ever had a bowl of su filindeu? Neither have I.

C.

Avocado toast was first served by Australian restaurateur Bill Granger 26 years ago in a corner breakfast café in Sydney. Since its inception, the dish has become a global phenomenon, characteristic of the rising popularity of Australian-style breakfasts and brunches among millennials. Granger may have been the first Australian to put avocado toast on a menu, but he was no means the first Australian to put the two things together. Sir W.W. Cairns, the Governor of Queensland from 1875-1877, told colleagues he was very fond of the fruit for breakfast, and he used to eat it “spread on bread, with pepper and salt to give it some zest.” The British publication The Colonies and India, released an agricultural dispatch in 1891 which included one of the earliest written accounts of bread with avocado (avocadoes at the time were called “alligator pears,”) from Australia’s Brisbane Botanic Gardens.

C.

Sensory specific satiety is the name of the phenomenon whereby the body has different limits for different foods. It’s why you can eat a big meal (as at Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or Christmas) and although you are “stuffed,” still have “room” for dessert. Scientists believe that sensory specific satiety is an evolutionary mechanism and was historically how humans ensured a balanced intake of nutrients. So, for example, eating pumpkin, berry, or pecan pie—even after a big meal—made (and makes) sense in terms of the vitamins and nutrients those foods provide.

B.

Posset, a British cocktail consisting of curdled milk, alcohol, and sugar was the precursor to eggnog. Royalty thickened their posset with cream or curds, leaving commoners to turn to more inexpensive options such as eggs. Consumed for both pleasure and health, posset was even prescribed in 1620 to King Charles I for a cold. Shakespeare mentioned the drink in both Hamlet and The Merry Wives of Windsor. To make your own, heat about one cup of cream or whole milk along with 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, a teaspoon of grated ginger (or more if you’re a ginger fan), and a splash of rose water. Serve in your fanciest glass and feel free to add the whiskey or spirit of your choice.

C.

The word “butler” is thought to have derived from the term “bottler.” From the Middle Ages through the mid-eighteenth century, the English upper classes bought wine in barrels and then transferred it into bottles that sometimes carried a family seal, crest, or other private marking. In a significantly large and wealthy household, it was one of the head servant’s tasks to monitor the wine cellar, filling glass bottles as needed for the dining room. Thus the “bottler” from the Old French bouteillier “bottle bearer” became, in time, the “butler”.

C.

In 2021, six San Francisco Bay Area restaurants were awarded 3 stars, Michelin’s highest honor. The 3-star honorees are: Atelier Crenn, Benu, Quince, The French Laundry, Single Thread, and Manresa. There are only 13 three-star restaurants throughout the U.S. (the six previously mentioned, plus five in New York, one in Chicago, and one in Virginia). Additionally, only six restaurants in the U.S. made the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list. Benu and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco and Single Thread in Healdsburg ranked 28th, 48th and 37th, respectively.

B.

The original spudnut, a potato-based donut, was created by American drug store clerk, Bob Pelton. After returning home from service in the navy in the 1930s, Pelton was inspired by German, fastnachts, yeast-raised fritters also made from mashed potatoes. As Dick and Mac McDonald were opening the first McDonald’s restaurant in 1940, Bob and his brother Al started the first spudnut shop in Salt Lake City. On Halloween, the Peltons handed out their doughnuts to trick-or-treaters. Salt Lake City resident, David Fisher, fondly recalled in an interview, “We would always take a couple of different Halloween masks with us so we could go back two or three times. Spudnuts were better than a crummy candy bar.” By the 1950s, 350 spudnuts stores were open across America. By 1964, spudnut franchises were selling over 400,000 donuts a day.

C.

While blue cheeses such as Roquefort, Stilton, and Gorgonzola, and are lovely with fortified sweet wines like Port, they are usually terrible partners for Cabernet Sauvignon.  Blue cheese is so powerful and salty that it strips the character right out of Cabernet and other red wines and makes them taste bland and dull.  While it may be tempting to add a dollop of blue cheese to a grilled steak, know that the Cabernet Sauvignon you’re having alongside is going to suffer.  A better pairing with Cabernet Sauvignon, according to Max McCalman, the first maître fromager (person in charge of cheese)— in a North American restaurant —would be Carmody, a cow’s milk cheese.  A, B, and D are among his other favorite matches.

C.

In Bordeaux, France, lamprey are an unassuming local specialty. These scaleless fish are caught from nearby rivers; they mostly live in coastal or fresh bodies of water. Lamprey can be 5 inches to as much as 3 feet in length and are often deglazed in red wine and baked into casseroles. Lamprey à la Bordelaise—consists of cured ham, red Bordeaux wine, various fresh herbs, garlic, leeks, and other vegetables blended into a thick stew. Just the ticket for a First Growth.