What about Sacher torte? That’s a luxurious chocolate cake from Vienna. You had to know it was named after someone fancy, right? Franz Sacher was a 16-year-old apprentice chef in 1832. He was told to make a dessert for a prince. The prince was like, “Don’t embarrass me,” and young Franz said, “I got this.” Then he served up a chocolate cake with apricot jam. And for that, he gets a whole cake. Meanwhile, I burned toast this morning and got a stern look from my husband.
Then there’s graham crackers. You think, “Oh, a wholesome treat for kids.” Nope. Reverend Sylvester Graham was a Presbyterian minister in the 1800s who believed that bland, unsweetened crackers would curb what he called “carnal urges.” He thought if you ate his crackers, you’d stop sinning. Joke’s on him: we now put marshmallows and chocolate on them and call it s’mores. We literally burn them over a fire to make them taste better. Reverend Graham is definitely rolling over in his grave.
