Food Trivia - Hagen Dazs

HÄAGEN DAZS


Sounds Like: An imported Scandinavian product.

The Truth: It was created by Ruben Mattus, a Polish immigrant who sold ice cream in New York City, who used what the New York Times called the "Vichyssoise Strategy":

Vichyssoise is a native New Yorker. Created at the Ritz Carlton in 1917, it masqueraded as a French soup and enjoyed enormous success. When Mattus created his ice cream, he used the same tactic ... He was not the first to think Americans would be willing to pay more for a better product. But he was the first to understand that they would be more likely to do so if they thought it was foreign. So he made up a ridiculous, impossible to pronounce name, [and] printed a map of Scandinavia on the carton.

The ice cream was actually made in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Food Trivia - Kohlrabi

This member of the Mustard Family was developed in Germany sometime around the 16th century. (Although one source claims that Charlemagne ordered it planted throughout his domain during the 9th century). It matures in about 2 months when started from seeds, and about 40 days from transplants. Available from May to December, there are green and purple/ red varieties.
Although not widely grown commercially in the U.S. it is popular in Israel, Germany, Austria, Russia, Italy, and Hungary. It is frequently grown as a kitchen garden vegetable in some U.S. regions, and is also grown for livestock feed in Europe. In Asia it is popular in northern China (where it is called gai laarn tau), India (ganth gobhi or knol-khol) and Nepal.
It can be eaten raw in salads, or cooked. Its leaves can be used much like spinach. Although traditional dishes are usually quite elaborate, stuffed, creamed, etc., it stands up excellent on its own.