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Food

Champagne cellar workers once wore heavy iron masks to work, because aging bottles could burst without warning. Coca-Cola started as a morphine addict's search for a cure, first sold in Atlanta in 1886. Coffee got a boost in 1600, when Pope Clement VIII declared it a Christian drink. Cheese has been found on mummies in China's Taklamakan Desert, dated to 1615 BCE. Pizza shows up in writing in 997, when a tenant owed a bishop twelve pizze each Christmas.

  • McDonald'sIn 1948, the McDonald brothers fired all 20 of their carhops and cut the menu to nine items.
  • ChocolateChocolate began as a bitter, foamy drink, not a sweet bar. For most of its history it was reserved for the elite.
  • Coca-ColaCoca-Cola began as a morphine addict's attempt to invent a cure. John Pemberton first sold it in Atlanta in 1886.
  • CoffeePope Clement VIII declared coffee a Christian beverage in 1600, opening Europe to the drink.
  • HamburgerIn 1896, a Chicago newspaper described a Sandwich Car selling hamburgers.
  • Ice creamIn 1851, Carlo Gatti sold ice cream in shells for a penny outside a London station.
  • CheeseThe earliest preserved cheese found came from mummies in China's Taklamakan Desert, as early as 1615 BCE.
  • Spice tradeSpice merchants told deliberately fantastic tales about where their goods grew. Hiding the source was good business.
  • French friesFrance, Belgium, Spain and Chile each claim to have invented french fries. Historians have never fully settled it.
  • TequilaIn July 2006, one bottle of tequila sold for $225,000. It came in a platinum and gold case and set a Guinness record.
  • SushiThe word sushi traces to an old term meaning sour tasting, not raw fish. Fermentation gave the dish its original tang.
  • Michelin GuideThe Michelin Guide began in 1900 as a free giveaway for drivers. Nearly 35,000 copies went out that first year.
  • PizzaThe oldest known written pizza was owed to a bishop in the year 997. A tenant owed twelve pizze every Christmas Day.
  • CurryCurry was a category the British invented, not a dish India named. Indians used specific names for their dishes.
  • ChampagneChampagne cellar workers once wore heavy iron masks on the job. Aging bottles could explode without warning.

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