Sate

Sate, originally from Indonesia (aka Satay in Thailand), are marinated and grilled meats, traditionally skewered on either bamboo or the center 'rod' of the coconut leaf.

Seltzer

Seltzer is called after Selters, a small German village along the rhine River that bottled and shipped naturally carbonated spring water since the 1800s. Seltzer however generally refers to man made / carbonated water, not natural spring water.

Thyme

used culinarily across the planet, the medieval Europeans used to place it under their pillows at night as a sleep aid and thwart off nightmares.
Nowadays it also happens to be one of the main ingredients in Listerine mouthwash.

Scallops

Scallops are called Couquilles St. Jaques in french, Jakobsmuschel in German. In these and a few other languages the name refers to the saint "St. Jacob" of pilgrim's fame. It is one of the largest known edible mussles. Its shell to this day is the symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella.

Marshmallow

In old egypt they blended plant sap, honey and nuts to make the precursor to today's marshmallow. Today's it made from sugar, corn syrup and a few other equally good-for-you ingredients. Sidenote: In German it is called "Maeusespeck", which means "the fatty bacon of mice". Yup, i want to put that on my sweet potatoes please.

Green Bean Casserole

Most dishes at traditional holiday feasts have some sort of historical story to them. Not so the green bean casserole. In the 50's, with convenience foods (read cans) on the rise, Campbell's was looking to promote their individual sales items while telling the ladies of the house that their new recipes were not only delicious, but easy & fast to make! Enter a dish made of canned beans, cream of mushroom soup and crispy onions out of a tin!

Papardelle

The root of the pasta name papardelle (look like very wide fettucine) is pappare. Which means to 'tuck into' or to 'gobble up'. How appropriate a meaning this week :)