Your Upcoming Food Holidays, Plus Yumday Treats!

It's the time of year when cozy foods that feel like big warm hugs are mandatory.

And, for this week's food holiday stories, we'll give you an extra hug by suggesting wholesome snacks you can enjoy anytime, anywhere, so you won't miss out on the celebrations.

Photo by Marius Ciocirlan on Unsplash

October 24: National Food Day and National Bologna Day

National Food Day was created in 1975 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). This celebration was initiated to raise awareness about nutrition and food safety. Like ensuring that antibiotics used on farm animals are regulated, emphasizing clearer food labeling, and encouraging healthy food in restaurants. This celebration is also a step towards eradicating hunger.

Nutrition, food safety and health, that's what Yumday snacks are all about. So join us, not just in celebrating food but also the women, BIPOC, and innovative founders whose ingenuity brought these delicious and unique snacks from all over the world.

Let's support these independent food brands that are also helping local farmers and communities create sustainable, unique, and flavorful products. Want to share the celebration with your friends, family or an organization that you care about? Send them a Yumday snack box or contact us and let's chat about how we can help with your causes.

October 24 is also the day when we celebrate the typical lunchmeat sandwich filling - Bologna.

Bologna is a sausage made from pork, chicken, turkey, beef, venison or a combination of meats or soy protein. It is derived from mortadella sausage, which originated in Bologna, Italy.

Mortadella was initially food for the rich that eventually became popular in Europe. Then, Italian immigrants brought the recipe to America and gave it their own twist.

Nowadays, this economical lunchmeat with a smooth, consistent texture is so iconic, yet interestingly called "baloney" - a term for nonsensical or deceptive.

Many say that the term "baloney" was used for this dish because it contained animal organs and other parts that don't usually get sold as a product. But, this dish actually uses higher-quality cuts with various herbs and spices. That's why some historians say that Americans started calling the dish *baloney* because it was easier to pronounce and spell compared to *bologna*.

October 25: National Greasy Food Day

This feel-good holiday is all about deep-fried foods.

The Egyptians invented deep-frying around the 5th millennium BC. And the very first fried foods were cakes, which were more like doughnuts.

It was quick, easy, and a great way of preserving food so people could consume it at a later time. Then, in the middle ages, batter filled with meat and fruit, like fritters recipe, became popular in Europe. It was also around the 16th century that tempura became popular in Japan. Then in 1830, French Fries became popular in Belgium.

Nowadays, recipes using oil, butter, or fat have been an addicting favorite for people around the world. But if you want a healthy version to celebrate this day, pick from Yumday snack shop. You'll find equally delicious and satisfying food without the nasty feeling of having junk in your system.

October 26: National Pumpkin Day and National Mincemeat Day

Can you imagine this season passing by without pumpkins?

Pumpkins, they're mandatory during Fall.

But, since we've talked about the origins of pumpkins last week, we'll give Yumday's pumpkin snack suggestions instead.

Take a bite of Partake's (limited edition) Pumpkin Spice Cookies. They're delicious with a delightful aroma that reminds you of the warm and cozy feeling of Fall. They're gluten-free and allergy-friendly too, so they're perfect for sharing with family, friends, and kids.

If you're a professional on the go, you can grab Lupii Cashew Ginger Pumpkin Seed. This protein bar has the taste of a creamy cashew base, sprinkled with warm ginger and the sweet, earthy crunch of pumpkin seeds. So grab one (or as much as you can) to pump up and power your day!

Now that you're pumped up, you'll have the energy to prepare mincemeat for our next celebration.

Mincemeat was traditionally made with meat as an ingredient. But modern mincemeats mostly contain only fruits, liquor, and spices.

They were mentioned in 15th century English recipes and described as a fermented mixture of meat and fruit. These early recipes used vinegar and wine, but by the 18th century, distilled spirits like brandy were commonly used.

Spices like clove, nutmeg, mace and cinnamon were also typical for mincemeat during the late medieval and Renaissance meat dishes.

When sugar became cheaper, mincemeat recipes got sweeter, directing this dish towards desserts.

By the 20th century, mincemeat, originally used to preserve meat without salting or smoking, evolved into a common mixture used for mince pies or mincemeat tarts, and was popularly served during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

October 27: National American Beer Day

Beer, as we now know, is the most popular and most consumed alcoholic beverage around the world. We also know its origins and how it is created from previous blog posts.

So, for this week, let me introduce the innovative American snack invention made from beer.

Yes, you can eat your beer!

ReGrained SuperGrain is the rescued nutritious grain created every time beer is brewed. This upcycled brewer's grain becomes the ingredient in making pasta, cookie dough and puffed snacks.

The products made with SuperGrain have higher dietary fibre than whole wheat flour, contain as much protein as almond flour, and have a versatile flavor.

Try ReGrained Puff snacks, and tell us what you think in the comment below.

October 28: National Chocolate Day

As we all know, chocolate comes from the tropical cacao tree, cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico.

It was considered the drink of the gods by Mayans, and Aztecs used cocoa beans as currency.

Chocolate seduced humanity from ancient times to the modern-day. They're delicious and filled with health benefits, and many would say chocolate is a medicine for your soul.

And thankfully, they're readily accessible for our generation.

So, on October 28, wouldn't it be nice to have a nice warm cup of chocolate, sit by the fire, and enjoy the company of your loved ones?

And if you're hungry, may we suggest having Partake crunchy chocolate chip cookies, or Yes Bar macadamia cherry cholate snack bar to munch on...

But if you're in a rush, you can always grab BTR Bar peanut butter chocolate chip bliss. Or stash all of them into your bag!

So that even if you have a busy day, you can join us for the chocolate day celebration wherever you may be.

October 29: National Oatmeal Day and National Breadstick Day

Oatmeal comes from oats, which were weeds that grew in fields prepared for other crops. They were domesticated around 3,000 years ago, but they were regarded as diseased wheat by Ancient Romans and used as cheap horse food.

On the other hand, Scotts and Germanic tribes ate oats with their meals, and not long after, the rest of the world realized the nutrition and the marvels of this crop.

We've even talked about how oatmeal has helped in eradicating hunger among children around the world, in our previous blog post.

And if you're looking for a more handy snack to join the celebration, grab Kakookies Cashew Blondie. They're naturally luscious and rich with golden cashews and whole grain oats. They're an ideal energy snack to satisfy your hunger and sustain your energy.

You can also have breadsticks to go with your snack.

Breadsticks are said to have been created in the 1600s by a Florentian abbot and were originally called *grassini* meaning "long-shaped, bone thin" bread.

Still, another story tells about the young duke, Vittorio Amedeo II di Savoia. He has been suffering from intestinal disorders that affected his ability to eat, so his mother asked the court physician to find a remedy. The physician told the tale of how his mother's homemade bread cured him of a similar affliction, and asked a local baker to reproduce the recipe. The result was the *grissini* which became the preferred bread of the Savoia household.

Endorsed by royalty, breadsticks became an immediate hit, and eventually spread around the world.

October 30: National Candy Corn Day

Candy corn, the small famous Halloween tri-coloured candy, was created by George Renninger, an employee of Wunderle Candy Company.

It was originally called *chicken feed* in the 1880s, and was one of the agriculture-inspired treats sought by America's confectioners to be marketed to the rural society. It was also initially advertised as an affordable treat and consumed all year round.

Then in the 1950s, the harvest-themed colors became more pronounced and its advertising increased in the month of October. Soon, it became a Fall and Halloween staple and commonly handed to kids doing trick-or-treat.

Do you like candy corn?

Some say it tastes like wax... 

So, if you want more enjoyable and delicious snacks, check out our Yumday shop.

You could also sign-up for Yumday's snack subscription — and rest assured that you'll always have a delicious snack to help you celebrate these food holidays.

Plus, these snacks are perfect to munch on while you enjoy our podcast, like this timely episode: "Oh my Gourd, Becky: it's Pumpkin Szn!"