Happy International Chocolate Day!

International Chocolate Day – September 13, 2022

Happy National Toasted Marshmallow Day!

National Toasted Marshmallow Day – August 30, 2022

National Toasted Marshmallow Day on August 30 is one of the most anticipated food holidays many look forward to every year. It not only allows us to enjoy a sweet treat like toasted marshmallows over a fire, but it also marks one of the last times people will be enjoying summer. Marshmallows, believe it or not, have been around for quite a while. In fact, ancient Egypt made the sugary treat thousands of years ago. History has also recorded people using it for treating ailments like angina. Now that’s something rather bizarre you don’t hear about every day. Let us take you on a journey of how this beloved treat came into being and how you can celebrate the day in all its glory.

Happy National S'mores Day!

National S’mores Day – August 10, 2022

HISTORY OF NATIONAL S’MORES DAY

While the origins of National S’mores Day remain unknown, s’more, the great American camping treat, has a long, delicious history. The first mention of such a treat was in the 1920s in a book of recipes published by Campfire Marshmallows, home of the original marshmallow and still in business today. At that time, the recipe was called a ‘Graham Cracker Sandwich’ and suggested the treat had already been made popular by the Boy- and Girl Scouts.

Later, in 1927, the Girl Scouts published a similar recipe in “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts” but they called it ‘some more.’ Finally, in the late ’30s to late ’50s, various recipes gave the name as we know it today, s’mores.

The ingredients for the original s’mores are: one marshmallow, milk chocolate squares, and two graham crackers. The traditional method for making s’mores is by a campfire and it’s hard to beat that experience. Part of the fun is each person searching for their own long, sturdy stick capable of holding a mound of marshmallows over the fire for toasting.

Then comes the toasting debate — how toasted do you prefer your marshmallows? Of course, this leads to a full-on psychological evaluation. Do you set your marshmallow on the fire and blow the flame out once it is burnt? Do you allow your marshmallow to hover over the flame and toast to a less than charred yet caramelized state? Do you barely get the marshmallow tan?

Happy National Ice Cream Sandwich Day!

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day – August 2, 2022

Celebrated every year on August 2, National Ice Cream Sandwich Day conjures up visions of our favorite summer treat. It’s a simple thing, really, but oh, what deliciousness! In our American version, take two rectangular or circular flat cookies made of chocolate or oatmeal and match them with your favorite flavor of ice cream. Then, make it into a neat little sandwich. There’s nothing better than the taste of sugary sweet, ice cold creaminess and sometimes, chocolate all together in one outrageously-good dessert!

Many countries around the world have their own version of the ice cream sandwich. In Vietnam, street vendors sell ice cream stuffed between two layers of bread. In Iran, pistachio or rose-flavored ice cream is sandwiched between two thin wafers. But no matter how you stuff it, the good, old Yankee version of an ice cream sandwich on National Ice Cream Sandwich Day is a must!

Happy National Milk Chocolate Day!

National Milk Chocolate Day – July 28, 2022

Calling all chocolate lovers! National Milk Chocolate Day is celebrated annually on July 28. When solid chocolate is combined with either powdered, liquid or condensed milk; it’s known as milk chocolate. Milk chocolate is the most popular member of the chocolate family and with good reason. It’s creamy, smooth and mostly used in candy bars. It is believed that in the mid-1800s, milk chocolate was first created as a beverage in Germany. The first milk chocolate, in the form of a bar that we all recognize today, was created by Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter while collaborating with Henri Nestlé, the founder of his Nestlé chocolate company. So if you’re a true chocoholic, get ready to celebrate all things milk chocolate!

Happy National Sour Candy Day!

National Sour Candy Day – July 18, 2022

All throughout history, people have enjoyed sour fruits and foods, but sour candy is a relatively new phenomenon, even when compared to regular candy. The NPR says this is because mass-produced candy did not have a great reputation when the industry first came about, in the 19th century. People were concerned about the unclean conditions in which they were made and the potentially harmful chemicals being used in the colorful sweets. For the most part, manufacturers did not stray into unknown territory to manufacture sour candies. There were a few exceptions, however. These manufacturers relied on acidic ingredients — most commonly, vinegar — to convert cane sugar to glucose, creating a sweet-tart combination.

Over the years, candy makers began to crave an increase in appeal. So they turned to the greatest opportunity they could find — Halloween. They ran Halloween-themed advertising that created a long-lasting association between this festival and candy. This association allowed candy makers to experiment with flavors not normally sold to the public, and the sour candy market officially took off. For example, Ferrara Pan Candy Company introduced a sour candy called the Atomic Fireball right around the time of the U.S. military’s first detonation of the hydrogen bomb. This candy — filled with capsaicin and cinnamaldehyde — would end up leaving the mouth numb.

By the end of the 19th century, the sour candy craze had spread all over the U.S. A contributing factor was the sour candy known as Warheads, by the Foreign Candy Company. Their founder, Peter De Yager, actually traveled throughout East Asia — ground zero for sour candy — to find the sourest variety of candy and he found it in Taiwan.

The American Licorice Company — who have their own sour candy line — founded National Sour Candy Day. They wanted to celebrate this sweet and they encourage more people to experience all the wonderful flavors of sour candy on this day.

Happy National Gummi Worm Day!

National Gummi Worm Day – July 15, 2022

We can trace National Gummi Worm Day to the marketing minds at Trolli, the German confectionery candy that created them in 1981— on July 15, according to some sources. They were a cheeky response to the reigning gummi candi, the popular gummi bear, which originated in1920 in Bonn when Hans Riegel began making candy in his kitchen.

Riegel’s company, HARIBO, produced soft, fruity gelatin dancing bears that evoked entertainment at European circuses and festivals. The bears became worldwide favorites.

Trolli wanted to give kids something that had a gross-out factor they could play up with their parents, so they created gummi worms. Gummi historians don’t agree on this, but some claim that Trolli introduced the gummi worms on the anniversary of the birth of the bears in Bonn — July 15.

After the bears became popular, there were gelatin candies in other shapes, but nothing could beat the bears until the worms emerged. So Trolli celebrated their success by giving the worms their own special day.

In 2004, Trolli decided to break the mold with another non-bear form — roadkill. They produced gummi squirrels, chickens, and snakes with tire tracks giving evidence of their demise. By then, Kraft Foods had bought the Trolli U.S. brand, and they had to take the product off the market the next year in response to consumer protest.

Today, gummi worms are sweet and sour. They can be dual-color and dual-flavor. They’ve been served in ice cream, used to make vodka shots, and poked half-way down into the frosting of chocolate cake to make dessert even more fun. And they’re a key part of the global gummi and jellied candy market that is predicted to reach $40 billion between 2020 and 2024.

Happy National Graham Crackers Day!

National Graham Crackers Day – July 5, 2022

National Graham Cracker Day celebrates graham crackers, which have interesting origins. The story goes that a reverend from the 19th century called Sylvester Graham, who was part of the temperance movement that wanted to curb the intake of alcohol, invented the crackers as a way of controlling lustful desires. He believed that a simple vegetarian diet and lifestyle was how God intended human beings to live. The people who followed him were called ‘Grahamites’, and together, these people led one of the first all-vegetarian movements in America. According to Graham, such a lifestyle, free of sins related to lust and gluttony, also kept diseases like tuberculosis, spinal diseases, and insanity at bay. Thus, he created the graham cracker recipe from coarsely ground whole wheat flour, brans, and grains. The reverend added only a little sweetness to make it easier to consume, but he kept the flavors mainly bland. 

Happy National Ice Cream Cake Day!

National Ice Cream Cake Day – June 27, 2022

No one knows for certain who came up with the ice cream cake or even when it originated. Multiple theories abound about this invention. Some food historians believe the sixteenth century was when the initial versions of the ice cream cake came to be. Others think Victoria Era desserts called ‘Bombes’ — which were made of ice cream and fruit and sometimes contained cake or biscuits — were the inspiration for the ice cream cake. Yet others believe wealthy English lords and ladies, who could afford treats like this, invented the ice cream cake. One more version of events attributes the trifle as being the first version of the ice cream cake; the theory is that since sponge biscuits were used to keep the ice cream in the trifle in place, they are the initial version of the ice cream cake. These earlier variations are not the current dessert we all know and love, however. The current design includes a cake that is baked and then cooled, and ice cream is added after to create the finished dish. Some companies even decorate this for an added flourish. These cakes gained in popularity over the years, but they only became affordable after World War I.

Happy National Fudge Day!

National Fudge Day – June 16, 2022

Ever hear anyone exclaim, “Oh, fudge!” when they’ve screwed something up? Like the Slinky, the Post-It note, potato chips, and penicillin, the dense candy-like treat known as fudge is believed to have been a mistake. According to legend, a confectioner flubbed while trying to make caramel, but ended up creating something just as tasty. We celebrate this happy accident on June 16, which is National Fudge Day. Fudge also has historical ties to female scholars in the late 19th and early 20th century, when recipes for it spread like wildfire among students at women’s colleges such as Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith. One student made 30 pounds of the stuff for the Vassar Senior Auction in 1890!