Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, food is sure to be at the center of it. Just for fun, I found some interesting food trivia suited for a holiday post:
The 30,000 Calorie Christmas Dinner (for one)
In 2010, Donna Simpson, from New Jersey, sat down to a Christmas feast that lasted two straight hours. Her goal was to become the fattest woman in the world. At the time of the 2010 feast, she weighed approximately 650 pounds and her goal was to reach 1,000 pounds. According to articles on the Internet, Ms. Simpson ate the following during her two-hour blowout:
2 portions of 25-pound oven roasted turkeys
2 portions of 15-pound maple glazed hams
10 pounds of roast potatoes
5 pounds of mashed potatoes
5 pounds of chopped carrots
5 pounds of sweet corn
Donna’s Christmas Dinner, 2010
5 pounds of roasted butternut squash
5 parcels of house-baked bread
4 pints of cranberry relish
4 pints of homemade gravy
5 pounds of herbed stuffing
1 tray of mixed green salad including salad dressing
“salad” of marshmallow, cream cheese, whipped cream and cookies.
CALORIE TOTAL: 30,000
But really, is this woman foolish or not? She apparently didn’t save room for Plum Pudding with Hard Sauce!
Who Doesn’t Like Brussels Sprouts Now?
Scientists in the UK linked 1,000 brussels sprouts together to make a vegetable battery, which is powering the lights of a tree on London’s South Bank. The battery was created by a team from “The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair”. Copper and zinc electrodes have been placed between the sprouts, creating a small reaction.
The Christmas Tree powered by Brussels Sprouts, created by a team from the “Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair”
The energy produced is harvested and delivers 63 volts, enough to light the low power LED’s on the tree. So, kids, don’t give your brussels sprouts to the dog under the table. Save’em and make a battery to charge your cell phone! (FYI: Bernard Lavery of the UK grew a brussels sprout in 1992, which weighed in at 18 pounds, 3 ounces. Whew!)
That’s a Serious Yule Log Cake!
In 2000, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Northlands Spectrum created the world’s largest log cake, which measured 72 feet long, 18 inches wide and 13 inches high. 3,500 people shared in the cake and the remainder was sent to the local food bank.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – Northlands Spectrum created the world’s largest log cake in 2011
Gobble, Gobble
That’s not the turkey making that sound, it’s the noise you make when you rip into an 86 pound turkey for Christmas dinner. “Tyson”, according to the Guinness World Records, has the notoriety of being the heaviest turkey.
“Tyson”, who holds the Guinness World Record for the heaviest turkey, at 86 pounds.
Such a Ham!
The largest cooked ham (2010) weighed in at 182.87 pounds, in Vicenza, Italy.
And Don’t Forget the Mashed Potatoes
In September, 2012, in France, Futuroscope and Joel Robuchon created great gobs of mashed potatoes, which were later served to visitors at the Futuroscope park. The attempt resulted in 2,297 pounds of mashed spuds (I wonder how much gravy they had to make to go with it?)
Everyone Loves Fruitcake!
In Managua, Nicaragua, a giant fruitcake, baked to help children’s charities stretched 1,640 feet long and weighed 31,865 pounds. The cake consisted of 60,000 eggs, nearly 100 pounds of both flour and sugar, 320 tubs of margarine, 75 buckets of candied fruit and 30 buckets of caramel. It also had unknown quantities of guava and pineapple jam.
World’s Largest Fruitcake, Managua, Nicaragua.
More trivia: there is still an opening for enterprising holiday cooks this year to become the Guinness World Record title holder for the largest bowl of gravy. Go for it!
