Stuffed animals!

Only 12 bottles were produced.
(Acknowledgement)

Vineyards (Bordeaux)

There are over 100,000 vineyards scattered across Bordeaux, making it one of France’s top wine regions.
(Acknowledgement)

Bouillabaisse, what else?

Oreo

(Acknowledgement)

Navel (hence navel orange)

This happens because they are connected when they first bloom – similar to conjoined twins.
(Acknowledgement)

Teff

About a fifth of Ethiopia’s harvested land is dedicated to harvesting teff, and the government wants to double production of the grain by 2015. Between 2001 and 2007, teff accounted for over 11% of Ethiopian calorie intake.
(Acknowledgement)

(Lord) Grey

Earl Grey tea is a tea blend with a distinctive citrus flavour and aroma derived from the addition of oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange.
(Acknowledgement)

Collection of Roman cookery recipes

The name comes from Marcus Gavius Apicius, a Roman gourmet and lover of refined luxury who lived sometime in the 1st century AD, during the reign of Tiberius. He is sometimes erroneously asserted to be the author of the book.
(Acknowledgement)

Pizza (Ellen DeGeneres' Oscar party)

He was the franchiser of Big Mama's & Papa's Pizza.
(Acknowledgement)

Mint

Oysters

Sir Walter Raleigh, as part of an expedition to Guyana, famously encountered the mangrove oyster during his stopover in Trinidad. Raleigh's widely-read account of the expedition, which had intended to find El Dorado, the mythical city of gold, included many exaggerated claims about the region. Due to this context, Raleigh's relatively accurate description of oysters growing on tree branches has been met with incredulity.
(Acknowledgement)

Broccoli

The hint about H. W. is related to a speech he gave in which he said he wouldn't eat broccoli.
(Acknowledgement)

Gin

'Madam Geneva' is a misspelling of the original drink that was called jenever.
(Acknowledgement)

Sous-vide

The intention is to cook the item evenly, and not to overcook the outside.
(Acknowledgement)

Organic agriculture

Apple

The Latin phrase is ab ovo usque ad mala.
(Acknowledgement)

Glycemic index

Glucose has a glycemic index of 100.

Excalibur

You do the math!

Squash

This tradition of interplanting corn, beans and squash in the same mounds, widespread among Native American farming societies, is a sophisticated, sustainable system that provided long-term soil fertility and a healthy diet to generations.
(Acknowledgement)

Blue Train

Canning

In both cases, jars of food are heated and processed in such a way to kill organisms in the raw food and to create a vacuum seal in the lid.
(Acknowledgement)

McDonald's Chicken McNugget

Songbirds

The dish uses bite size pickled or grilled songbirds as the main ingredient. It has been illegal to trap, sell or purchase birds and to serve ambelopoulia for over 30 years, but the law protecting the birds is rarely enforced.

World's hottest chili pepper

The New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute has identified the Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Blend as the newest hottest chili pepper as of February 2012. According to the Institute, the Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Blend ranks as high as 2,009,231 SHU on the Scoville scale, making it the hottest chili pepper in the world to date.

Mendoza in Argentina

The region around Greater Mendoza is the largest wine producing area in Latin America.
(Acknowledgement)

Sandwich

The modern sandwich is named after Lord Sandwich, but the exact circumstances of its invention and original use are still the subject of debate.

Bangers and mash

Although it is sometimes stated that the term 'bangers' has its origins in World War II, the term was actually in use at least as far back as 1919.

Boiling, roasting and smoking

The boiling of meat is looked at as a cultural way of cooking because it uses a receptacle to hold water, therefore it is not completely natural. Roasting and smoking are described as more natural.

Olives

(Acknowledgement)

Fortune cookies

They are often served as a dessert in Chinese restaurants in the United States and some other countries, but are absent in China. A 'fortune' is a piece of paper with words of wisdom or a vague prophecy.

Varietal

Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot.

Gravlax

Usually served as an appetizer, it consists of raw salmon, cured in salt, sugar and dill. The name comes from the Scandinavian word grav, which literally means 'grave' (in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish), and lax which means 'salmon.'

Oktoberfest!

Continental breakfast

(Acknowledgement)

Donkey

(Acknowledgement)

Falafel

Generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East. It is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both.

Carpaccio

It was invented at Harry's Bar in Venice, where it was first served to the countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo in 1950 when she informed the bar's owner that her vegetarian doctor had recommended she eat only raw meat. It consisted of thin slices of raw beef dressed with a mustard sauce made of French Dijon mustard. The dish was named Carpaccio by the owner of the bar, Giuseppe Cipriani, in reference to the Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio, because the colors of the dish reminded him of paintings by Carpaccio.
(Acknowledgement)

Le Cordon Bleu ('The Blue Ribbon')

The origin of the school comes from L'Ordre des Chevaliers du Saint Esprit, an elite group of French knights that was created in 1578. Each member was awarded the Cross of the Holy Spirit, which hung from a blue ribbon. According to one story, the group became known for its extravagant and luxurious banquets, known as 'cordons bleus.' While these dinners ended at the time of the French Revolution, the name remained synonymous with excellent cooking. Another theory has it that the blue ribbon simply became synonymous with excellence, and this was later applied to other fields such as cooking.
(Acknowledgement)

Vanilla

At the age of 12, he invented a technique for pollinating vanilla orchids quickly and profitably. Albius's technique revolutionized the cultivation of vanilla and made it possible to profitably grow vanilla beans away from their native Mexico. Albius's manual pollination method is still used today, as nearly all vanilla is pollinated by hand.

Gail Borden, one of the inventors of condensed milk

Nicolas Appert condensed milk in France in 1820, and Gail Borden, Jr. in the United States in 1853, in reaction to difficulties in storing milk for more than a few hours.

Sake

It is produced by the fermentation of rice. The rice is first polished to remove the protein and oils from the exterior of the rice grains, leaving behind starch. Since sake made from rice containing only starch has a superior taste, the rice is polished to remove the bran.

James Bond ordering a martini shaken, not stirred

Garlic

Gilroy is well known for its garlic crop and for the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.

McDonald's Happy Meal

It was introduced in 1977.

Teas, or more specifically Chinese Famous Teas

China's Famous Teas is a list of ten notable Chinese teas. Contrary to popular belief, there is no steadfast list. The list varies considerably depending on the area where it is compiled and the current trend of tea consumption.
(Acknowledgement)

Mayonnaise

It is made by slowly adding oil to an egg yolk, while whisking vigorously to disperse the oil. The oil and the water in yolks form a base of the emulsion, while lecithin and protein from the yolks are the emulsifiers that stabilizes it.

Ethiopia

Wild coffee's energizing effect was likely first discovered in the northeast region of Ethiopia.

Corn kernels (popcorn)

Evening meal when Muslims break their fast during Ramadan

It is done right after Maghrib (sunset) time.

Caprese

Butterbeer from the Harry Potter universe

The earliest reference to the drink is from The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin, published in London in 1588 AD, and made from beer, sugar, eggs, nutmeg, cloves and butter back in Tudor times. The modern version was created anew for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida and J. K. Rowling insisted that it contain real sugar, not corn sugar.
(Acknowledgement)

Black and Tans

The unit's nickname arose from the colour of the improvised khaki uniforms initially worn by its members. Although established to target the IRA, the Black and Tans became known for numerous attacks on the Irish civilian population. Contrary to popular belief, the Black and Tan is not a drink commonly consumed in Ireland. The style is believed to have originated in pubs in Britain with drinkers ordering a mix of dark stout and draught bitter.

Bordeaux

The name derives from the French clairet, a now uncommon dark rosé and the most common wine exported from Bordeaux until the 18th century.

Wheat-less

During World War I, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urged families to reduce consumption of key staples to help the war effort. Conserving food would support U.S. troops as well as feed populations in Europe where food production and distribution had been disrupted by war. To encourage voluntary rationing, the FDA created the slogan "Food Will Win the War" and coined the terms "Meatless monday" and "Wheatless Wednesday" to remind Americans to reduce intake of these products.

Caviar

Traditionally the designation caviar is only used for sturgeon roe from the wild sturgeon species living in the Caspian and Black Sea.

Super Bowl Sunday

Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935)

He is a legendary figure among chefs and gourmands, and was one of the most important leaders in the development of modern French cuisine. The moniker 'king' is often used to describe him.

Junket

Pretzels

Within the Catholic church, pretzels were regarded as having religious significance for both ingredients and shape. Pretzels made with a simple recipe using only flour and water could be eaten during Lent, when Christians were forbidden to eat eggs, lard, or dairy products such as milk and butter. As time passed, pretzels became associated with both Lent and Easter.

Red wine

The program speculated that red wine decreases the incidence of cardiac diseases. Further dietary studies have a cast a doubt on the claim.

Ketchup

It would have allowed public schools to cut out a serving of cooked or fresh vegetable from hot lunch program child-nutrition requirements. It was criticized by nutritionists and Democratic politicians who staged photo ops where they dined on nutrition-poor meals that conformed to the new lax standards and the policy was subsequently shelved.

Hoisin

Symbolic foods eaten or displayed on the Passover Seder plate

Each of the six items arranged on the plate has special significance to the retelling of the story of the exodus from Egypt, which is the focus of this ritual meal. The seventh symbolic item used during the meal - a stack of three matzos - is placed on its own plate on the Seder table.

Gratin

It can be done using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter. The etymology of gratin is from the French language in which the word gratter meaning to 'to scrape.'

Rutabaga

This taboo existed from the 1916-17 famine Steckrübenwinter (Rutabaga winter) when Germany, already drained by World War I's endless Western Front, had one of the worst winters in memory, where often the only food available was Swedish turnips. This led a distaste to the vegetable which still continues today with the older generations having had experiences from World War II or having had a childhood with parents talking about the aforementioned famine.

Oysters

The belief that oysters were unsafe to eat in May through August arose when refrigeration was less prevalent than it is today.

Potato (the Irish Famine)

The Lumper potato, widely cultivated in western and southern Ireland before and during the great famine, was bland, wet, and poorly resistant to the potato blight, but yielded large crops and usually provided adequate calories for peasants and laborers. Heavy dependence on this potato led to disaster when the potato blight turned a newly harvested potato into a putrid mush in minutes.

Turkish delight

Saliva nests, used for bird's nest soup

A few species of swift, the cave swifts, are renowned for building the saliva nests used to produce the unique texture of this soup. The edible bird's nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans.

Diet Coke

Frangelico

The liqueur's likely namesake was the famous painter Fra Angelico (d.1455) who was a Dominican.

Meritage

Tibet

Tsampa is sometimes called the national food of Tibet. Besides constituting a substantial, arguably predominant part of the Tibetan diet, its prominence also derives from the tradition of throwing pinches of tsampa in the air during many Buddhist rituals.

Pasta primavera

A meat such as chicken, sausage or shrimp is sometimes added, but the focus of primavera is the vegetables themselves. The dish may contain almost any kind of vegetable, but cooks tend to stick to firm, crisp vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, peas, onions and green bell peppers, with tomatoes.

Red-eye gravy

The gravy is made from the drippings of pan-fried country ham, bacon, or other pork, sometimes mixed with black coffee. The same drippings, when mixed with flour, make the flavoring for a white gravy. Red-eye gravy is often served over ham, cornbread, grits, or biscuits.

Dispensing system that prevents oxidation of wine in opened bottles

The system usually works by putting nitrogen into the opened bottle and is used in restaurants that offer wines by the glass.

Taste

The four categories are bitter, salty, sour and sweet. Umami is described as savory, brothy, and meaty.

Rum

The story goes that Nelson's body was preserved in a cask of rum to allow transport back to England. Upon arrival, the body was removed and it was discovered that the sailors had drilled a hole in the bottom of the cask and drunk all the rum, in the process drinking Nelson's blood. Thus, this tale serves as a basis for the term Nelson's Blood being used to describe rum. It also serves as the basis for the term 'Tapping the Admiral' being used to describe drinking the daily rum ration. The details of the story are disputed, as many historians claim the cask contained French brandy whilst others claim instead the term originated from a toast to Admiral Nelson.

It is a layered drink that looks colorful

Slightly different densities of various liqueurs are used to create an array of colored layers, typically three to seven.
(Acknowledgement)

Quinoa

During the European conquest of South America, it was scorned by the Spanish colonists as 'food for Indians', and even actively suppressed, due to its status within indigenous non-Christian ceremonies.

Collation

Jugging

Sometimes the cooking liquid includes some of the animal's blood.

Cobb salad

Arabica

Robusta makes up most of the rest. Coffea arabica is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated, being grown in southwest Arabia for well over 1,000 years.

Pisco

Haggis

It is a kind of sausage.

Rob Roy

Malting

Angels on horseback

In the United Kingdom they can also be a savoury, the final course of a traditional British formal meal.

Liqueurs have added sugars; spirits do not

Popular spirits include brandy, fruit brandy (also known as eau-de-vie / Schnapps), gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whisky while Grand Marnier, Frangelico, and American schnapps are liqueurs.

Zagat Survey

Allspice

Isinglass

Isinglass finings are widely used as a processing aid in the British brewing industry to accelerate the fining, or clarification, of beer. They are used particularly in the production of cask-conditioned beers, known as real ale, although there are a few cask ales available which are not fined using isinglass. Although very little isinglass remains in the beer when it is drunk, many vegetarians consider beers which are processed with these finings (such as Guinness) to be unsuitable for vegetarian diets.

Madeira

Due to this unique process, Madeira is a very robust wine that can be quite long lived even after being opened.

Alewife

Alewives are perhaps best known for their invasion of the Great Lakes by using the Welland Canal to bypass Niagara Falls.

Courvoisier ("Pass the Courvoisier")

It is frequently cited as the favorite drink of Napoleon.

Afternoon tea

Sesame seed

The phrase is of course "open sesame" from Ali-Baba.

Swizzle stick

The swizzle portion of the swizzle stick name originated from the Caribbean cocktail, Rum Swizzle.

Came up with potato chips

The angered cook was frustrated by this remark, so he decided to give the maximal opposite of what the client was complaining about: he sliced potatoes paper-thin, over fried them to a crisp and seasoned them with an excess of salt. When the crisps were prepared, he gave them to the customer, who loved them. The chips became popular, and became known as Saratoga Chips. Crum was able to open his own restaurant with the profits he made selling his new chips. They remained a local delicacy until the Prohibition era, when an enterprising salesman named Herman Lay popularized the product throughout the Southeast United States.

Rijsttafel

It consists of many (forty is not an unusual number) side dishes served in small portions, accompanied by rice prepared in several different ways. Popular side dishes include egg rolls, sambals, satay, fish, fruit, vegetables, pickles, and nuts. In most areas where it is served, such as Indonesia, the Netherlands, and other areas of heavy Dutch influence (such as parts of the West Indies), it is known under its Dutch name.

Slow Food movement

Slow Food began in Italy with the foundation of its forerunner organization, Arcigola, in 1986 to resist the opening of a McDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome. The Slow Food organization spawned by the movement has expanded to include over 100,000 members with chapters in over 132 countries.

Ajinomoto

Rolling boil

Mimosa

Outside the USA the mixture of orange juice and champagne is referred to as a Buck's Fizz, while the term mimosa is used in the United States.

Method in which food is put into a folded parcel and baked.

The parcel is typically made from folded parchment paper, but other material such as a paper bag or aluminium foil may be used. The parcel holds in moisture to steam the food. The moisture may be from the food itself or from an added moisture source like water, wine, or stock.

Torte

Variations may include bread crumbs as well as some flour. The most well-known of the typical tortes include the Austrian Sacher torte and Linzertorte and the many-layered Hungarian Dobos torte.

Apples

It is made by distilling apple cider and aging in oak casks for 2 to 5 years or more. Calvados is made in Calvados, Normandy, France, and dates back at least to the 16th century. It is an excellent brandy to use in cooking, especially in chicken dishes and desserts.

Portion of the distilled spirit lost to evaporation during aging

Vegetarian

It was listed by the New York Times as one of the top ten bestselling cookbooks of all time, and is likely the most popular vegetarian cookbook in the world. Katzen has written two books that might be considered sequels; the first, called The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, expands on topics such as baking that the Moosewood book does not cover in depth, and is done in the same hand-lettered style as the original. The second, The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without, came out in 2007 and returned to Katzen's original hand-written style after years of more conventionally designed books such as Still Life with Menu and Pretend Soup.

Pralines

Early pralines were whole almonds individually coated in caramelized sugar, as opposed to dark nougat, where a sheet of caramelized sugar covers many nuts. French settlers brought this recipe to Louisiana, where both sugar cane and pecan trees were plentiful. During the 19th century, New Orleans chefs substituted pecans for almonds, added cream to thicken the confection, and thus created what became known throughout the American South as the praline.

Surimi

Cheese

Macaroon

They are often confused (due to the very similar spelling) with the French Macarons which are entirely different in appearance.

Cajun/Creole cuisines of Louisiana

Oregano

Oregano is an indispensable ingredient for Greek cuisine. Oregano adds flavor to Greek salad and is usually used separately or added to the lemon-olive oil sauce that accompanies many fish or meat barbecues and some casseroles. Oregano became popular in the US when returning WWII soldiers brought back with them a taste for the "pizza herb."

Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore is the most popular dish prepared in this style.

Tahini

Tahini-based sauces are common in Arab and Israeli restaurants as a side dish or as a garnish, usually including lemon juice, salt and garlic, and thinned with water. Tahini sauce is a popular condiment for meat and vegetables in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Grappa

In Italy, grappa is primarily served as a "digestivo" or after-dinner drink. Its main purpose was to aid in the digestion of heavy meals. Grappa may also be added to espresso coffee to create a caffè corretto meaning corrected coffee.

Herbs

His published books, The English Physitian (1652) and The Complete Herbal (1653), contain a rich store of pharmaceutical and herbal knowledge.

Getting all the dishes of a meal at the same moment (vs) separately

Hákarl

It is prepared by gutting and beheading a Greenland or Basking shark and placing it in a shallow hole dug in gravelly-sand, with the now-cleaned cavity resting on a slight hill. The shark ferments for 6-12 weeks depending on the season in this fashion. Following this curing period, the shark is then cut into strips and hung to dry for several months. Those new to it will usually gag involuntarily on the first attempt to eat it due to the high ammonia content. It is often eaten with a shot of the local spirit, brennivin.

Clarence Birdseye (1886-1956)

He is considered the founder of the modern frozen food industry.

Durian

It is a large, green, thorny fruit cultivated in south east Asia, particularly in the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia. It is considered a great delicay by most, and is also known the 'king of fruits.' To the foreigner, the most distinctive feature is apparently its seriously pungent smell, which to western tastes can be repellent.
(Acknowledgement)

Seawater

It is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other products in the open ocean, an enclosed section of the ocean, or in tanks, ponds or raceways which are filled with seawater.

Hushpuppies

Two other legends surrounding the hush puppy date back to Civil War days. Southern soldiers would sit beside a campfire, preparing their meals. When Union soldiers came near, they would toss their barking dogs some of the fried cakes with the command "Hush, puppies." A common explanation for the name in Charleston, SC is that slaves returning into the homes of their masters carrying food recently prepared in the outdoor kitchens would throw the batter balls to the barking dogs, telling the "puppies" to "hush."
(Acknowledgement)

Aspic

Almost any type of food can be set into aspics. Most common are meat pieces, fruits, or vegetables. Aspics are usually served on cold plates so that the gel will not melt before being eaten. By the Middle Ages at the latest, cooks had discovered that a thickened meat broth could be made into a jelly and that the jelly could seal cooked meat from the air and therefore keep it from spoiling.

Sauerkraut

Similar euphemisms, some of which did not spring up until World War II, include "liberty measles" for "German measles," "Eisenhower jacket" for "Hindenburg jacket," "Eisenhower herring" for "Bismarck herring," "liberty steak" for "hamburger."

Mead

Kimchi

The Kimchi Field Museum in Seoul has documented 187 historic and current varieties of kimchi. Although the most common seasonings include brine, garlic, scallions and chili pepper grind, countless varieties of seasoning and ingredients can be replaced or added depending on the type of kimchi being made. Kimchi has a reputation of being a healthy food. The US magazine Health named kimchi in its list of top five "World's Healthiest Foods" for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly retarding cancer growth.

Tsukiji fish market

Tapenade

Its present form was invented less than 100 years ago by the chef in the Maison Dorée in Marseilles, although olive-based pastes have existed in the region for a long time. Tapenade's base ingredient is olive. The olives (most commonly black olive) and capers are finely chopped, crushed, or blended. Olive oil is then added until the mixture becomes a paste. Tapenade is often flavored differently in varying regions with other ingredients such as garlic, herbs, fish, lemon juice, or brandy.

Cha chaan teng

An important part of Hong Kong culture, cha chaan teng is featured in many Hong Kong movies and TV dramas.

Shiraz

Shiraz is widely used to make a dry red table wine. It is often vinified on its own, but is also frequently blended with other grape varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Viognier. It is grown in many wine producing regions around the world, with concentrations in Australia, The Rhone Valley in France, and the US. It is often used as a blending grape in Spain and Italy as well.

Neapolitan

Neapolitan ice cream was named in the late 19th century as a reflection of its presumed origins in the cuisine of the Italian city of Naples, and the many Neapolitan immigrants who brought their expertise in frozen desserts with them to the United States.

Madeleine cake

Madeleines are very small cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions. Their flavour is similar to, but somewhat lighter than, pound cake, with a pronounced butter-and-lemon taste.

Decaffeination

It was developed by the Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company. To decaffeinate the coffee bean by the Swiss Water method, a batch of green (unroasted) beans is soaked in hot water, releasing caffeine. This process is done until all the caffeine and coffee solids are released into the water. These beans are then discarded. Next, the water passes through a carbon filter which traps the caffeine molecules but allows the water and the coffee solids to pass through. The caffeine-free water which comes through, known as "flavor-charged" water by the company, is then put in a similar filtration device, and new coffee beans are added. However, since the flavor-charged water cannot remove any of the coffee solids from the new beans, only the caffeine is released. The process repeats, filtering out all the caffeine until the beans are 99.9% caffeine free. These beans are removed and dried, and thus retain most if not all of their flavor and smell.

Barnacle geese

This belief stemmed from the observation that these geese were never seen in summer, when they were supposedly developing underwater (they were actually breeding in remote Arctic regions). The barnacles and the geese shared similar black and white colours, plus a certain type of barnacle looked - with a bit of imagination - like a tiny black and white goose. The geese and the barnacles appeared in different seasons. Though the issue was controversial, it was an important part of medieval cuisine.

Earl Grey

It is named after the 2nd Earl Grey, British Prime Minister in the 1830s, who reputedly received a gift, probably a diplomatic perquisite, of tea flavoured with bergamot oil. The legend usually involves a grateful Chinese mandarin whose son was rescued from drowning by one of Lord Grey's men, although this blend of tea was first made from fermented black Indian and Ceylon teas. As green tea is much more popular in China than black tea, it seems somewhat unlikely that they would have had a recipe for what we now call Earl Grey to bestow on visitors, though over the years many other varieties of tea have been used.

Rastafarian

The word derives from the English word vital, with the initial syllable replaced by i. This is done to many words in the Rastafari vocabulary to signify the unity of the speaker with all of nature.

Soda bread

There are several theories as to the significance of the cross in soda bread. Some believe that the cross was placed in the bread to ward off evil. It is more likely that the cross is used to help with the cooking of the bread or to serve as a guideline for even slices. Soda bread eventually became a staple of the Irish diet. It was, and still is, used as an accompaniment to a meal.

Baba ghanoush

It is made of aubergine, mashed, and mixed with various seasonings. Frequently the eggplant is baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste.

Tea

The most well-known work attributed to Shennong is the The Divine Farmer's Herb-Root Classic first compiled some time during the end of the Western Han Dynasty, several thousand years after Shennong supposedly existed - which lists the various medical herbs such as reishi which were discovered by Shennong and given grade and rarity ratings. Tea is said to be his discovery. Shennong is also venerated as the Father of Chinese medicine and is believed to have introduced the technique of acupuncture.

Cassava

For some varieties of cassava, cooking is sufficient to eliminate all toxicity. Larger varieties need additional processing.

Limburger cheese

The bacteria used to ferment Limburger cheese and other rind-washed cheeses is the same bacteria found on human skin partially responsible for human body odor.

Whey (or) milk plasma

It is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Whey is used to produce ricotta and brown cheeses and many other products for human consumption.

Buccan

The term "buccaneer" is said to be derived from buccan. In the Caribbean, these seafarers would smoke fish, wild pigs and turtles to provision their ships.

Olestra

Sales were over $400 million in the first year but by 2000 sales slowed to $200 million, largely caused by the unappealing health warning label, which was mandated by the FDA, as: "This Product Contains Olestra. Olestra may cause abdominal cramping and loose stools. Olestra inhibits the absorption of some vitamins and other nutrients. Vitamins A, D, E, and K have been added."

Paella

Paella is usually garnished with vegetables and meat or seafood. The three main ingredients are rice, saffron, and olive oil. There is an old story of how the Moorish kings' servants created rice dishes by mixing the leftovers from royal banquets in large pots to take home. It is said by some that that word paella originates from the Arabic word baqiyah, meaning leftovers.

Tofu or bean curd

The making of tofu from soy milk is similar to the technique of making cheese from milk. Wheat gluten, or seitan, in its steamed and fried forms, is often mistakenly called "tofu" in Asian or vegetarian dishes.

Baklava

It is a pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts, usually walnuts or pistachios, and sweetened with sugar or honey syrup. Baklava is a popular dessert throughout the former Ottoman world. After the meal, an assortment of small pastries is typically brought to the table on a brass tray, accompanied by tiny cups of Turkish coffee.

Wendy's

Implemented initially at Wendy's second location, the "Pick-Up Window" used a speaker box to allow a customer to drive up, place an order, then drive to the window to complete the order.

Lambic beer

The origins of Lambic beer lie in the working classes of the region some 500 years ago who appreciated a weak, quenching drink that could be produced cheaply and easily on the farm.

Chevon

Menudo

The popularity of menudo in Mexico is such that Mexico is a major export market for stomach tripe from US and Canadian beef producers. Large frozen blocks of imported menudo meat can frequently be seen in Mexican meat markets. Menudo is eaten for breakfast and is known as the "Breakfast of Champions" in New Mexico and Texas.

Kung Pao chicken

Kung Pao chicken is a very popular staple of North American Sichuan-style Chinese restaurants, and many recommend using it as a measure of the skills of a chef. Kung Pao Chicken has found popularity among hackers, in whose cultural jargon it is known as 'laser chicken.' This term probably originates with regard to the spicy hot taste and red sauce, likened to a laser beam.

Fugu

Pufferfish contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in the internal organs, especially the liver and gonads, and also the skin. Therefore, only specially licensed chefs are allowed to prepare and sell fugu to the public, and the consumption of the liver and ovaries is forbidden. But because small amounts of the poison give a special desired sensation on the tongue, these parts are considered the most delicious by some gourmets. Every year, a number of people die because they underestimate the amount of poison in the consumed fish parts.

Tortellini

Another separate but similar legend, originating in medieval Italy, tells how Venus and Jupiter (also known as Aphrodite and Zeus) arrived at a tavern on the outskirts of Bologna one night, weary from their involvement in a battle between Modena and Bologna. After much food and drink, they shared a room. The innkeeper, captivated by the two, followed them and peeked through the keyhole. All he could see was Venus's navel. Spellbound, he rushed to the kitchen and created tortellini in its image.

Mongolian barbecue

Although the stir-frying of meats on a large, open surface is supposed to evoke Mongolian cuisine, the preparation actually derives from Japanese-style teppanyaki which was popular in Taiwan in the middle to late 20th century.

Midori

It is now manufactured in Mexico, though it was originally made in Japan until 1987.

Spicy heat of a chili pepper

The number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Many hot sauces use their Scoville rating in advertising as a selling point. The scale is named after its creator, American chemist Wilbur Scoville. Pure capsaicin is rated highest at 15-16 million units while the bell pepper is at 0.

Ceviche

It is not cooked by heat but rather by the acid in the citrus juice.

Gin

This is the origin of the cocktail 'gin and tonic.'

Potato

The potato was first domesticated in southern Peru and spread from South America to Spain and from there to the rest of the world after European colonization in the late 1400s and early 1500s. It is also strongly associated with Idaho (USA), Prince Edward Island (Canada), Ireland and Russia because of its large role in the agricultural economy and/or history of these regions.

Mayan

The chocolate residue found in an ancient Maya pot suggests that Mayans were drinking chocolate 2,600 years ago, which is the earliest record of cacao use.

Vermouth

Vermouth is used in many cocktails, where it serves as a moderating agent to reduce the percentage of alcohol by volume in the drink and provide a herbal flavor.

Feast

The traditional Wazwan is considered the height of Kashmiri cuisine and considerable time and effort are invested into the preparation of the banquet. Rogan Josh, an aromatic lamb dish, is a popular item in a Wazwan.

Sugar, to increase the alcohol content after fermentation

The technique was developed by the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal, for whom it was named. This process does not make the wine sweeter but only artificially inflates the alcohol content. The process is considered controversial and has caused discontent in the French wine industry due to the perceived advantage that chaptalization gives producers in poor climate areas.

For jelly, the fruit pulp is filtered out during preparation

Jam refers to a product made with whole fruit, cut into pieces or crushed. The fruit is heated with water and sugar to activate the pectin in the fruit and the mixture is then put into containers. Although these terms exist in North America, the UK and Australia, popularly most jams are generically referred to as "jelly" in North America, as whole fruit jams and fruit butters are less popular commercially than jelly. In the UK and Australia both terms are used in their "correct" sense, although the term jam is more popularly used in Australia as a generic term. To further confuse the issue, the term jelly is also used in the UK and Australia to refer to a gelatin dessert, but in North America the commercial product Jell-o is used as a generic name for the same.

Mickey Finn

Serving a drugged drink is hence called "slipping a Mickey."

Jerk

Jerk seasoning principally relies upon two items: allspice (Jamaican Pimento) and Scotch Bonnet peppers (among the hottest peppers on the Scoville scale). Other ingredients include Cloves, cinnamon, scallions, Todd (elm cultivar), nutmeg, thyme, garlic, which is mixed together to form a marinade which is rubbed onto pork, chicken, or fish.

Mecca

Zamzam is a well located within the Masjid al Haram in Mecca, near the Kaaba, the holiest place in Islam. It is 30 metres deep. Muslims believe that the Zamzam well was revealed to Hagar, wife of Abraham and mother of Ishmael.

Cardamom

It is a common ingredient in Indian cooking, and is often used in baking in Scandinavia. It is native to the jungles of south India and Sri Lanka, and belongs to the family of ginger. Cleopatra apparently found the scent of cardamom so enticing that she would burn the crushed pods, instead of incense, before the arrival of Marc Antony.

Tea

Czech Republic

156 liters per year! Followed by Ireland at 131 and Germany at 115.