Manchego cheese

Manchego is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the manchega breed.  I suppose this is Don Quixote's favorite cheese.

The Manhattan

The thing I learned today is that the Manhattan, the classic cocktail cocktail made from whiskey, vermouth, and bitters, is traditionally topped with a maraschino cherry!  But it's the drink of the sophisticated man.  Isn't the cherry a bit, you know, girly?  (This one has an orange peel.)

The Meyer lemon

The thing I learned today is that the Meyer lemon, a cross between a true lemon and mandarin, is native to China and was named for the explorer Frank Meyer who brought it to the U.S. in 1908.

Simmering

The thing I learned today is that simmering is defined as a temperature just under boiling, or usually about 200 degrees F (93 C).

Most southern Americans know the tortilla only as a corn or wheat flatbread, but in Spain the word "tortilla" usually refers to a kind of potato cake or omelet.

Swanson frozen dinners

The Swanson & Sons company was not the first to introduce the frozen TV (re-heatable, later microwaveable) dinner --- that was most likely William Maxson, in 1944, who created them for serving on airplanes --- but popularized them, and trademarked the name, in 1952. The first Swanson TV dinner consisted of turkey, stuffing, cornbread, and buttered peas. What? No dessert?!

Fonio

Fonio is a nutrient-rich ancient grain cultivated in West Africa.  Guinea annually produces the most fonio in the world, accounting for over 75% of the world's production in 2019.  The name is of Wolof origin.

Steak Diane

Steak Diane is a dish of pan-fried beefsteak with a sauce made from the seasoned pan juices. It was originally cooked tableside and sometimes flambéed. It was most likely invented in London in the 1930s. The name most likely comes from Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt.

Myristicin is an organic compound present in nutmeg that gives it psychoactive properties when ingested in large quantities.

Mrs. Butterworth, the advertising icon who originated in 1961 and is owned by the syrup brand of the same name, almost never goes by her first name: Joy.

The island of Bermuda has fast food outlets, but chain restaurants are banned by law.

Sailor Jack and Bingo

The logo for the Cracker Jack snack, featuring a boy and his dog, was introduced around 1918. The boy's name is Sailor Jack and his dog is named Bingo.

By a 1964 Act of Congress, bourbon is known as "America's native spirit." Or, you know, possibly not.

In 2008, Lousiana's House of Representatives designated the sazerac --- a mix of rye whiskey, absinthe, and bitters --- as New Orleans' official cocktail.

The Hawaiian island of Lanai was once known as "Pineapple Island" because it was owned by the Dole corporation, governed by James Dole, and was the world's foremost exporter of pineapples. Yep, just sittin' on the porch, eatin' pineapples.

Brazil nuts contain trace amounts of radium, up to 1,000 times the amounts found in other foods, possibly due to the extensive root systems of the nut tree.

Aquavit

Aquavit is a spirit principally produced in Scandinavia, flavored by caraway seeds or dill.

A Cobb salad is made from greens, tomato, bacon, chicken, eggs, avocado, and Roquefort cheese. Its origin is unknown, but typically its birth is associated with the Brown Derby Diner in Los Angeles.

Asado is a term for barbecue and its techniques in Argentina and other South American countries, including Brazil.

The term "bok choy" (Chinese cabbage) comes from the mandarin baicai, or "white vegetable."