People in Ireland stored their butter in bogs for at least 3,500 years, leaving behind well-preserved waxy globs with a very pungent odor. In a recent study, researchers dated 32 globs of bog butter at National Museum of Ireland from about 1700 B.C. to the 17th century. They ...read more
How did pizza, a saucy dish originating in a southwestern region of Italy, become so dominant in the United States? Legend has long recognized Gennaro Lombardi as the founder of the country’s first pizzeria. He supposedly received his business license for it in 1905. Over a ...read more
January 17, 1920, marked a dark day for American brewers. At the stroke of midnight, America became a dry country under Prohibition, with over a thousand producers swiftly banned from selling their chief commodity: alcohol. Prohibition forced brewing companies to adapt or ...read more
If anyone had cause to wonder about the allure of the candy cane, look no further than the words of Will Ferrell’s Buddy the Elf: “We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.” In fact, according to the National Confectioners ...read more
Turkeys these days are mostly seen as vessels for stuffing on your Thanksgiving table. But in 300 B.C., the birds were viewed by the Maya as vessels of the gods and honored accordingly. In fact, the birds were originally domesticated to play a part in religious rites. Prized ...read more
A private buyer paid a record-high $1.1 million for a 750-milliliter bottle of single malt whisky at an auction in Edinburgh. With a standard pour of around 1.5 oz, that means each drink of the stuff would tally up to just over $63,000. Not that this particular whisky may ever ...read more
