by B.L. Unkel | Nov 2, 2024 | History
Frankincense, Myrrh, and Saffron are all good guesses. But they’re not correct. Try good old Cinnamon. It was one of the rarest spices in the ancient world. What is it? Cinnamon originated in the ancient country of Ceylon—now known as Sri Lanka—an island...
by B.L. Unkel | Aug 17, 2024 | Baking
I just love nice surprises, don’t you? Recently, my family had an unexpected one. We discovered mustangs in our front yard. No, not horses. I’m talking about wild Texas grapes. The Surprise Because I mow the yard, I knew there were “berries” growing high in a...
by B.L. Unkel | Jun 8, 2024 | Baking
What do you get when you combine and boil variations of two basic ingredients: sugar and butter? Answer: A sweet treat and sweeter memories. The Beginning Invented in the U.S., this boiled candy’s first confirmed written reference as “taffy” is found in the...
by B.L. Unkel | May 11, 2024 | Everything Else
May 10 was National Shrimp Day. Would it surprise you to learn shrimp is the U.S.’s favorite seafood? Twenty-five percent of all seafood eaten in the U.S. is shrimp. Food History Humans, especially those who lived near the sea, started eating shrimp thousands...
by B.L. Unkel | Apr 27, 2024 | Baking
One hundred and twenty years ago, on April 30, 1904, the World’s Fair in St. Louis opened its gates. For seven months (April 30-December 1), fairgoers enjoyed exhibits and foods from the U.S. and countries around the world. The Fair The Louisiana Purchase...
