The combination of red beans and rice is associated with Louisiana and usually is kidney beans and rice flavored with ham? This traditional Creole dish is served on Monday and originated in southern Louisiana. When served with salad, red beans and rice is a complete, economical meal. [3: 8]

The tomato was first domesticated in Mexico? Tomatoes were transported to Europe in the 16th century as ornamental plants -- not to be eaten -- since they were considered poisonous by most Europeans. Thomas Jefferson kept a detailed diary of his gardening activities and an entry from his log reveals that he planted tomatoes at his Virginia home in 1781 [3: 9]

Food stores inside the Alamo at the time of the battle in 1836 consisted of approximately ninety bushels of corn, and twenty to thirty head of cattle? Scholars suggest that breakfast at the Alamo consisted of corn and beef, while lunch was beef and corn, and the supper meal was probably corn and beef. [3: 10]

Thomas Jefferson introduced the waffle iron to America? He also introduced Neapolitan "macaroni" (i.e. spaghetti) to America and served "French fries" with beefsteak. Some say that while he was in France, Jefferson obtained recipes for ice cream, although Dolly Madison frequently gets credit for introducing ice cream to the White House. [3: 11]

The vegetable okra is native to western Africa? The English word, gumbo, stems from ochinggombo, an African baNtu term for okra. Gumbo as an English word probably appears first in 1805. [3: 12]

At the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, the British shipped all the rice out of the former Carolina colonies and also took with them the seed rice? In order to counter a potential famine, Thomas Jefferson smuggled rice out of Italy and is responsible for restarting the Carolina rice industry. [3:13]

Friendly Native Americans taught pioneers crossing the American desert to eat insects? Hungry pioneers fried Rocky Mountain locusts in oil until crisp, then seasoned them with salt. One recipe for locust stew was: Boil prepared Rocky Mountain locusts in salted water. Add assorted cut-up vegetables, butter, salt, and vinegar to the broth and cook until the vegetables are tender. Serve as thick soup or over boiled rice as a main dish. [3: 14]

In 1837 a young Vermont blacksmith, John Deere, developed a plow that could clean, scour, and polish itself? This plow made it possible to convert the western prairies into vast fields of corn and wheat. [3: 15]