Category:
Food

Viva Les Crepes

Released in 1971, this album taught you how to cook crepes. Unfortunately I can't find any audio clips of it online. From the album cover:

You'll be amazed at how easy it is. In this very authoritative, informative and thoroughly entertaining album, Chef Claude takes you on a most delightful musical, educational and palate-pleasing tour of the world of crêpes. He teaches you — in record time — a simple, fool-proof technique for making these delicate, paper-thin pancakes.




Some more info from the Louisville Courier-Journal (Dec 27, 1978):

Posted By: Alex - Wed Mar 22, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Food, Cookbooks, 1970s

Jalaproctitis

Jalaproctitis is the medical term for the rectal burning sensation often experienced by people when they defecate after having eaten jalapenos. It was given this name by researchers at the University of Texas who conducted an experiment to study the effects of jalapenos (whether it acted as an expectorant, caused painful urination, and burning defecation). From the New England Journal of Medicine (Nov 16, 1978):

To investigate these issues, we prospectively studied participants in a jalapeno-pepper eating contest. Subjects included three women and two men ranging in age from 22 to 42. None had a history of lacrimation, rhinorrhea, dysuria or discomfort on defecation before the contest. One was a smoker, and one had cough and scanty sputum production before the contest.

After giving informed consent, subjects consumed as many large jalapenos as could be tolerated in a three-minute period. The number of peppers consumed ranged from three to 13, with a median of five. Three of the participants noted lacrimation and rhinorrhea immediately after the contest. In none did cough or sputum production develop. One male subject complained of dysuria, and four of five noted a burning discomfort on defecation within 24 hours of the contest.

The limited information obtained from this study does not indicate clinical usefulness of jalapeno as an expectorant. We believe that jalapenos may well be the cause of transient dysuria and, in addition, may result in a syndrome of burning defecation that might appropriately be termed "jalaproctitis."

Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 18, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Food, Experiments, Body Fluids, Excrement, Pain, Self-inflicted and Otherwise

48 Famous Sardine Meals

I accept that there are famous chicken, beef, and pork meals. There are famous fish meals as well (such as fish and chips). But famous sardine meals? Even after looking through the recipe book below (available via archive.org), I'm not convinced there are any.



Also, the book only lists 38 recipes. Either the authors didn't think anyone would actually count, or the archived copy has pages missing. The pages aren't numbered, so hard to know which is the case.

  1. Sardines in the blazer
  2. Sardines on brown bread toast
  3. Sardines with anchovy sauce
  4. Sardine canape
  5. Sardines a la steensan
  6. Creamed sardines
  7. Sardines fried in batter
  8. Grilled sardines
  9. Sardine snacks
  10. Sardine and asparagus timbales
  11. Hot sardine rolls
  12. Mystery sandwiches
  13. Sartuna sandwich
  14. Sardine kedgerel
  15. Sardines "my own"
  16. Fried sardines
  17. Stuffed tomatoes
  18. Pilchered eggs
  19. Sardines lyonnaise
  20. Virginian sardine sandwiches
  21. Sardine salad en mayonnaise
  22. Hot sardine sandwich
  23. Broiled sardines
  24. Sardine relish
  25. Curried sardines
  26. Sardine croquettes
  27. Baked sardines
  28. Broiled sardines
  29. Sardine salad
  30. Sardine and olive sandwiches
  31. Sardine cocktail
  32. French toasted sardines
  33. Devilled sardines
  34. Japanese salad
  35. Pickled sardines
  36. Mayonnaise dressing
  37. Thousand island dressing
  38. Sour cream dressing

Note: my wife says that 'sardines on toast' is quite famous in Britain. So my lack of sardine awareness probably represents an American bias.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Mar 10, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Food, Cookbooks

Crisco is digestible

When the best that a company can say about their food is that "it's digestible," it sounds like damning with faint praise.

Better Homes and Gardens - Sep 1956



Better Homes and Gardens - Sep 1954



Better Homes and Gardens - Mar 1957

Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 01, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Food, Advertising, 1950s

The taste of food in dark isolation

Beatrice Finkelstein, a nutrition researcher at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, conducted a series of "dark-isolation studies" during the 1950s. Subjects were placed for periods of 6 to 72 hours in a totally dark, sound proof chamber furnished with a bed, chair, refrigerator, and chemical toilet.



The purpose of this was to find out how astronauts might react to being confined in a small, dark space for a prolonged period of time. And in particular how their responses to food might change.

Some of her results:

Food has had varying degrees of significance. Some subjects have spent excessive amounts of time eating, nibbling, or counting food; others have become very angry with the food or very fond of it. Here again, evidence is strong that food in a situation of stress may be used as a tool to obtain personal satisfactions.


But the stranger result was how the lack of visual input completely changed the flavor of the food:

Palatability and acceptability of food in many instances are contrary to that on the ground or in the air; e.g., brownies have enjoyed only a fair degree of acceptability whereas ordinarily they are highly acceptable; canned orange juice usually rates low in acceptability; in isolation it has moderate to high acceptability. Data also indicate that the ability to discriminate one food from another within the same food group is impaired. All meats taste alike. Subjects are unable to distinguish one canned fruit from another. White, whole wheat, and rye breads used in sandwiches are similar in taste. Thus it is quite apparent that removal of the visual cues ordinarily associated with eating interferes with the taste and enjoyment of food and therefore the acceptability of food.

More info: "Feeding crews in air vehicles of the future"

Beatrice Finkelstein (source)

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 30, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Food, Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy, Experiments, Psychology

Kicking the pickle

1949: Ruth Brand "kicked off" National Pickle Week. And apparently that's a genuine giant pickle in the photos, not a fake one.

"Harry Conley of the Green Bay Food company, who is president of the National Pickle Packers association, officiates in Chicago at the 'kickoff' of the national pickle week campaign. Pickle week will be held May 20 to 28. Kicking the world's largest pickle is Ruth Brand, Chicago."



Lancaster Intelligencer Journal - Feb 11, 1949



But what is this about Amerigo Vespucci being a pickle dealer? I'd never heard this before.

Some research reveals that the claim traces back to a remark made by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his book English Traits:

Strange, that the New World should have no better luck,— that broad America must wear the name of a thief. Amerigo Vespucci, the pickle-dealer at Seville, who went out, in 1499, a subaltern with Hojeda, and whose highest naval rank was boatswain's mate in an expedition that never sailed, managed in this lying world to supplant Columbus, and baptize half the earth with his own dishonest name.


Smithsonian magazine investigated the claim and doesn't think it's very likely. Vespucci did work for a while as a ship chandler, and in this capacity it's possible he may have supplied some ships with pickled foods. But to go from this to calling him a pickle dealer is a bit of a stretch.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 29, 2023 - Comments (6)
Category: Food, Pickles, 1940s

Coconuts:  Production, Processing, Products

Every now and then, WU strives to find a video or book or practice so boring that it merges into true weirdness. I think 311 pages on the humble coconut might qualify. Learn about the ten different cuts of coconut meat, and so much more!










Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 24, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Boredom, Food, Industry, Factories and Manufacturing, Books

Stange Seasoning

The name isn't as bad as Hurff Canned Goods, but even so, Stange Seasoning doesn't sound very appetizing.

Stange was acquired by McCormick and Co. in 1980.

Food Technology - Sep 1958

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 15, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Food, Odd Names

The Prima Diner

Dinner ain't over till the fat lady bakes!

Read it here.


Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 15, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Food, Cookbooks, Music, 1980s

Treasure Chest

It occurs to me that these Jam Handy PSA's, with just a little inflection, could become episodes of TWILIGHT ZONE.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 07, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Domestic, Food, PSA’s, Industry, Factories and Manufacturing, 1950s

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