June is the month to go bananas. Bananas were first popularized in the US in June, 1876 and since that time people have sliced them into cereal, turned them into pudding, dipped them in chocolate, and dished up decadent banana cream pies. Of course New Orleans is home to the famous Bananas Foster (bananas sauteed in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and rum, poured over vanilla ice cream) and the big banana of them all, Emeril’s ultimate Banana Cream Pie. Hands down, it’s the best!

FYI, there is an edible variety of banana that grows all over New Orleans. They’re a bit starchy, but good nonetheless.

Slip out and get some bananas, they’re an appealing food.

This month in food we celebrate some sweet treats. Aside from National Chocolate √âclair Day (June 22), it was June, 1847 when donuts were said to be invented. Believe it or not, the story holds that a sea captain created the doughnut when he cut out the un-cooked center of his mother’s fry-cakes. Another story attributes doughnuts to the Pennsylvania Dutch and their fry cakes. But these stories are filled with holes because archaeologists have found petrified donuts in prehistoric Native American ruins of the southwestern U.S.

No modern day donut discussion is complete without mentioning Krispy Kreme and there’s a totally homegrown connection. That super secret, melt-in-your-mouth, dough recipe was created by a French Chef from New Orleans and sold to Krispy Kreme’s founder in 1937.

One last sweet bite: Twinkie creator James Dewar supposedly ate 2 Twinkies a day until he died in June, 1985.

Baseball season reminds me of summers spent at Wrigley Field, great hot dogs, the seventh inning stretch and Cracker Jack. I used to love (still do) digging in the box for the “prize,” a silly fortune, tatoo or flip book. Did you know that on this day in 1893, the forerunner to Cracker Jack (a concoction of popcorn, peanuts and molasses) was introduced by F.W. Rueckheim and his brother Louis at the World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago’s first World’s Fair?

Several years later, Louis discovered the process for keeping the molasses-covered popcorn pieces from sticking together. The brothers showed their treat to a salesman who is said to have exclaimed, “That’s crackerjack!” The Rueckheims then had the words trademarked.

For more fun Cracker Jack facts, read on…
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I’m not a huge fan of ketchup, but I’ve got a kid who eats it on everything from chicken nuggets to broccoli. Here’s a fun bit of ketchup lore and history: Ketchup was first made in China and was originally a sauce made from mushrooms, not tomatoes. It was once used as a medicine in the U.S. and in the 1830s was sold as Dr. Miles’s Compound Extract of Tomato.

National Doughnut Day is celebrated annually on the first Friday of June. The best I can determine from doing a bit of research is that it was established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise funds during the Great Depression and to honor the Salvation Army workers during World War I. Krispy Kreme is offering a free doughnut to anyone stopping by any of their shops today.

Gazpacho, one of summertime’s coolest soups, is actually an ancient dish mentioned in Greek and Roman literature. The familiar contemporary Spanish version contains tomatoes and green peppers, New World ingredients which Spain did not know of until the 16th century. Andalusian cookbooks call it a salad, but Americans call it a soup and we have recipes right here on this site for you to try -

Vichyssoise is a chilled leek and potato soup with a French name although it was invented in New York City 85 years ago. According to legend, Louis Diat, Chef de Cuisine at the NY Ritz-Carlton, created the soup and intended to serve it warm as a first course for an important restaurant opening. Failing to heat his creation in time for the meal, Chef Diat added cream to the soup, sprinkled it with chives and served it cold. He called it “Vichyssoise” in honor of his home town. Making it at home is a breeze…
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Why is Devil’s Food cake called Devil’s Food? Research suggests that there is no one answer, but most agree that it is an American invention that appeared around the turn of the 20th century. Some believe Devil’s Food is so called because it’s sinfully rich and delicious. Others say the name is a play on opposites: dark and rich versus light and airy angel food. Just so you know, the difference between Devil’s Food cake and Chocolate cake is the amount of chocolate used - more chocolate produces a dark, black, Devil’s Food. Happy National Devil’s Food Cake Day.

I am immersed in all things pork as I prepare to interview “hamthropologist” Peter Kaminsky, author of “Pig Perfect - Encounters with Remarkable Swine and Some Great Ways to Cook Them”. In his book, Peter notes that in Spain, long slices of cured ham like “Serrano” and prosciutto are called “lonchas,” and that according to the Oxford Dictionary of the English Language, “lonchas” is the origin of the word “lunch.”

According to “Modern Drunkard,” the word “cocktail” was used in print for the first time on this date in 1806. Some believe the word “cocktail” was coined in New Orleans and we certainly celebrate the cocktail with a really slick museum (Museum of the American Cocktail) and a great event, Tales of the Cocktail. For more info on how New Orleans sips, check out www.museumoftheamericancocktail.com and www.talesofthecocktail.com