Can you believe it's already time to say goodbye to October and hello to November???
We're kicking off this new month with a handful of food holidays to celebrate. Whether you love to eat your veggies or if you need to treat yourself to donuts and nachos, there's a food holiday for everyone in November.
October 31: National Candy Apple Day
According to this Food & Wine article, candy apples were never meant to be eaten! Can you imagine that?
They were created in 1908 by William W. Kolb, a candy maker from New Jersey, who was simply trying to make an attractive display to draw people into his shop. The apples were were a way for him to show off his red cinnamon candy, but instead of buying the candy, people wanted the apples.
William's candy apples became very popular, and over time, they became a popular Halloween treat. They also became the inspiration for a new color: Candy Apple Red! (It's a color you can't miss!)
November 1: World Vegan Day, National Vinegar Day, National Deep Fried Clams Day, National Pâté Day, and National Calzone Day
Prepare to kick off November with FIVE food holidays!
November 1st is World Vegan Day, which was started in 1994 by The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom to commemorate the organization's founding. The day promotes vegan living and raises awareness of the benefits of plant-based diets.
It's also National Vinegar Day, which celebrates one of our favorite kitchen staples. Vinegar is made by fermentation, and there are so many varieties out there. Plus, vinegar is incredibly versatile. Not only can it brighten up a dish, but you can also use it to clean your home!
In fact, you can even splash some vinegar on your deep fried clams today.
National Deep Fried Clams Day celebrates this popular seafood item that's been around since the 1840s. Legend says that this tasty clam preparation was invented by Lawrence Henry "Chubby" Woodman, who had a roadside restaurant in Essex, Massachusetts. Woodman's restaurant is still around today, so if you're in the Essex area, be sure to celebrate at the birthplace (allegedly 😉) of deep fried clams.
Want to enjoy a luxurious spread as well? How about some rich pâté on crusty bread? November 1st is also a celebration of pâté, which is French for paste. Pâté is traditionally a liver paste, but you can also make pâté out of other meat and seafood.
And our last food holiday of the day (but definitely not the least) is National Calzone Day. (Loosely translated, "calzone" means "pants legs" in Italian.) The celebration was started by Minsky's Pizza in Kansas City in 2016 to celebrate the restaurant's 40th birthday and to honor their loved calzones.
November 2: National Deviled Egg Day
Is it party without this eggs-ellent hors-d'oeuvre?
According to historians, the first reference to deviled food was in 1786. Calling something "deviled" meant that it had spice or zest. The term was applied to eggs that were prepped with mustard and pepper.
There are a bunch of variations on deviled eggs. You can go as fancy as you want by adding caviar on top, or you can keep it simple with traditional seasonings and garnishes, like paprika and chives.
How do you like to devil your eggs?
November 3: National Sandwich Day
John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, is said to be the inventor of the sandwich. Which makes sense. But as we've learned with all of these food holidays, there are always conflicting stories about the origin of the foods we know and love.
However, no matter who truly invented the sandwich, we can't deny that the sandwich is one of the popular lunch items ever.
Do you have a favorite type of sandwich? What do you like to put in between the bread slices? And, most importantly, is a hot dog a sandwich? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
November 4: National Candy Day
So many candies. So little time.
Dentists may hate this food holiday, but if you're ever going to eat candy, make sure to do it on November 4th. This day celebrates ALL candies — hard candies, soft candies, bars, drops, and more.
Fun fact: two of the top selling candies in the United States are M&M's and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. What are your favorite candies? Share with us in the comments!
November 5: National Doughnut Day and National Chinese Takeout Day
Some foods are so good that they get multiple holidays dedicated to them. Doughnuts are one of those foods!
November 5th is the second doughnut celebration in the year. The first one happens on the first Friday of June, and that National Doughnut Day was created to celebrate the Doughnut Lassies of the Salvation Army who helped soldiers during WWI. To learn more about National Doughnut Day (the June one) and the Lassies, be sure to listen to the very first episode of "Every Day is a Food Day."
It's also National Chinese Takeout Day, and if you want the interesting history behind Chinese food in America and its influence on takeout, we cover all that and more in our podcast episode, "Takeout: Let's Get Carried Away." Listen today!
November 6: National Nachos Day
Did someone say nachos???
This beloved snack of chips and queso is said to have been created in 1943 by a maître d’ named Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya at the El Moderno Restaurant in Piedras Negras, Mexico.
The story goes that late one night, a group of customers came to the restaurant looking for a snack. However, Ignacio was the only one there because the kitchen staff had already gone for the day. So Ignacio cut up some tostadas into triangles, then topped them with shredded cheese and jalapeños. He heated the dish up, so that the cheese melted all over the tostada triangles. He served it to the hungry customers — and it was a hit!
Ignacio's dish, called the "Nacho Special," grew in popularity, and soon people were coming from all over to eat nachos!
Tell us in the comments which food holidays you're looking forward to celebrating!
There are plenty of food days to choose from, and as always we have some great snacks to go along with these delicious dishes. Plus, if you want to dig even deeper into the history behind some of these days, remember to check out our podcast, "Every Day is a Food Day."
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