National Mousse Day

November 30th is National Mousse Day in the United States.

Mousses can be either sweet or savoury dishes. The name "mousse" is the French for foam, and pretty much describes what the dish is.

With both sweet and savoury versions possible, many different ingredients can be used to make a mousse.

The ingredients are foamed, so that air bubbles are incorporated into them, so they need to be in a suitable state to be foamed in the first place, by, perhaps, melting or puréeing them as appropriate.

The texture of the finish mousse can vary; it can be fluffy or thick depending on how it is made.

Cream is a popular base ingredient for making dessert mousses, which will then have other ingredients added for the flavour; chocolate being a popular choice.

National Lemon Cream Pie Day

National Lemon Cream Pie Day is in November 29th in the United States.

Cream pies are pies or cakes that are filled with pudding or custard, of different flavours. The crust can be of different types, including pastry. The lemon cream pie is a speciality of the Southern United States.

The traditional dish tends to be made on a standard pie shell; this could be a fresh one, or a pre-bought one. The lemon flavoured filling is made from cream, eggs and sugar - and, of course, lemons. This would then be baked in the oven.

This is traditionally an open topped pie without a top crust, but, as an alternative, it can be topped with meringue instead of being open. The meringue would be added after the pie has been baked.

National Chocolates Day

November 29th is National Chocolates Day in the United States.

This day is a celebration of chocolate in its oh so many different forms. There are, in fact, so many different types of chocolate that it's hard to pick where to begin.

The most basic forms are, of course, the simple chocolate bars. These can come in white, milk or dark (also called bittersweet) chocolate. These are broad categories, and the actual names, as well as what makes a chocolate fall into a particular category, vary in different regions and countries. The simple chocolate bar can then have things added to it, nuts being a popular addition.

Spreading out from the chocolate bar includes anything that contains chocolate. This includes sweets, or candies, biscuits, or cookies, and desserts and cakes. It can also include chocolate based drinks.

Although chocolate is often considered to be a sweet food, there are many savoury dishes that include it, and it was, in fact, originally used in savoury foods.

National French Toast Day

National French Toast Day is on November 28th in the US.

French toast is not truly from France, as the earliest known reference to it dates back to around the 4th or 5th century AD, centuries before France existed, and it has a different name in France itself. It is not toasted either. It is, though, made from bread.

French toast, which is also known as eggy bread, looks to have been a recipe designed to make use of stale bread - the French name translates as wasted (or lost) bread.

Slices of bread are soaked in beaten eggs and fried. It can be eaten as a sweet or a savoury dish; with the sweet versions, other ingredients such as milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon are also added, before the bread is fried. Sweet toppings may also be added, such as fruit or butter. In savoury varieties, salt and sauces may be used instead.

National Bavarian Cream Pie Day

November 27th is National Bavarian Cream Pie Day in the United States.

The Bavarian cream pie, which is sometimes just named Bavarian cream, is not really a pie and it probably isn't from Bavaria either. It is similar to cream, but actually has more in common with custard.

This is a sweet dessert that is believed to have been created in the early 19th century by Parisian chef Marie-Antoine Carême, an exponent of grande cuisine and believed to be one of the first ever international celebrity chefs. The latter being a quite impressive feat, predating television chefs by more than a little. It is named either after the German region of Bavaria, or to honour a visiting Bavarian notable.

Bavarian cream is a pastry cream that has been thickened with either isinglass or gelatin and then flavoured with liqueur. Whipped cream is added, and then the mix is used to fill a fluted mould, chilled, and then turned out when ready to eat. It is often served with fruit or fruit sauces.

National Cake Day

November 26th is National Cake Day in the US.

What is cake? Such a generic word it is. Nowadays, cake is normally refers to a baked dessert that is similar, in many ways, to bread. Cakes date back centuries, although the name is not quite as old. Early cakes were fried breads and cheesecakes - cheesecakes, despite the name, would rarely be considered to be a type of cake today, as in fact they are really a type of pie.

There are many different types of cakes, with some broad categories. There are the aforementioned cheesecakes, sponge cakes - which are very common - and butter cakes such as devil's food cake.

Fruitcakes are also a popular type, especially when celebrating certain things, such as weddings or Christmas with the Christmas cake. There are many different ingredients that can be added, too.

Some cakes may be left as-is, being essentially a sweet bread that is sliced, which may then be toasted or buttered. Glazes, frostings and icing are all popular decorations, Some cakes, such as the Victoria sponge, may be sliced and filling added between the layers, making a layer cake.

National Parfait Day

November 25th is National Parfait Day in the United States.

There are actually at least three different dishes called parfait, depending on where you ask for one. In France, parfait is a type of frozen dessert, but in the United Kingdom, it is a meat paste or pâté.

This particular day is celebrated in the United States, so it's the United States version of parfait that is the correct dish, although even in the US, parfait refers to two different dishes.

The first of these is the traditional French parfait. The second is, like the French dish, also a dessert.

This dish is a layered one. Parfait cream, ice cream and flavoured gelatins are layered in a tall dessert glass and then topped with whipped cream, fruit and, sometimes, liquers. An alternative version uses yoghurt instead of ice cream and cream, and layers of fruits, nuts and granola.

National Sardines Day

November 24th is National Sardines Day in the United States.

Sardines, which are also known as pilchards, are a variety of different fish within the herring family. They are small and oily, and the name is believed to have originated from the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean, where the fish were once common. Whether a fish is a sardine or a pilchard can vary from country to country, and can actually be used to refer to the same fish at different ages.

Sardines are a common food fish, commonly canned but they can also be eaten fresh. They are high in both vitamins and minerals, and tend to be low in contaminants. this is because they are low on the food chain; those higher up it may have consumed large quantities of lower species, concentrating the contamination. As with many commercial fish, they have been heavily harvested, sometimes too much so.

Canned sardines can be preserved in many different liquids, like most canned fish. Oils, such as olive oil, water and sauces are all popular. Canned sardines can be eaten as is. Fresh sardines can be grilled, and they are also pickled, in brine and vinegar, and smoked.

Eat a Cranberry Day

November 23rd is Eat a Cranberry Day in the United States.

Cranberries are the fruit from the evergreen shrub of the same name. Unusually for fruit with "berry" in the name, they are actually berries. So many are not. Given how tiny cranberries are, eating merely one in celebration of this day is not really useful.

There are different species of cranberry plants. Although some do grow outside North America, the berries were first eaten by North American natives, and the United States and Canada are still the biggest producers of the berry. The first reference to Native Americans eating cranberries dates back to the fifteenth century; it is probable that they were consumed before that.

Cranberries can be eaten raw - and have been marketed as a "superfruit" when raw, as they are high in antioxidants and nutrients - they are usually eaten processed in other forms. This is because the raw cranberry is hard and bitter. Commercially, they are sweetened and sold as cranberry juice, cranberry sauce (a popular condiment with turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas) and dried. Even dried cranberries are sweetened.

Although cranberries do seem to have health benefits, there are some people who are advised against taking them, namely those taking warfarin as a medicine, as it seems they react badly together.

National Espresso Day

November 23rd is National Espresso Day in the United States.

The first machine for making espresso, which is a type of coffee, was patented in 1884 in Turin in Italy. This machine made the coffee in bulk, rather than individually.

To make espresso, water that is just short of boiling is forced through finely ground coffee beans. The drink that results from this process tends to be thicker than other coffees and have a higher proportion of solids, as well as being stronger flavoured and having a foam on the top.

Although espresso can be drunk as it is, it is also used as a base in many other coffee drinks, including lattes and cappuccinos, but there are others. Such a drink will often have "shots" of espresso in them, with each shot being an individual serving.

National Cashew Day

November 22nd is National Cashew Day in the United States.

Cashews refer to the fruit of the cashew true, properly known as the cashew nut, even though this is not actually a botanical nut, but rather a seed. It is considered to be a culinary nut, though. There is a fleshy part called the cashew apple which is attached to the cashew nut.

Cashews are, like many other nuts, eaten in many different ways, such as salted and roasted in snacks. They are also popular in cooking, especially as, unlike other, similar nuts, they are a good source of starch and therefore work well at thickening dishes. This ability makes them popular in many Asian cuisines, where they are used because of this. Other regions also have their own specialities, as cashews are consumed all over the world.

They are, however, a comparatively modern worldwide food, as until the 16th century they were only seen in South America, and are native to Brazil. Portuguese traders spread the tree around the world.

Like many other nuts, cashews are a good source of various nutrients. Also like many other nuts, they can trigger allergic reactions in people.

National Peanut Butter Fudge Day

November 20th is National Peanut Butter Fudge Day in the United States.

Fudge is made from a mixture of milk, butter and sugar, which is then heated to what is known as the soft-ball stage, 240 °F (116 °C), the name of the stage being how the temperature was determined before thermometers were used. The mix would have been dropped into cold water to see if it formed a lump, and there are different ball stages too.

Fudge is a surprisingly easy confection to make, assuming that the temperature is done correctly.

Fudge is also a very versatile dish, in that many other things, such as fruit, nuts and flavourings can also be added. With peanut butter fudge, what is added is, naturally, peanut butter. The peanut butter comes in two main varieties, smooth and crunchy, and these could give a different texture to the finished product. Once cooked, the fudge is placed into tins, allowed to cool, and then cut into pikes.

Carbonated Beverage With Caffeine Day

Today, November 19th, is Carbonated Beverage With Caffeine Day in the US.

This may seem like a long winded way of saying Coca-Cola (or, if you prefer, Pepsi Cola) Day, but that is not necessarily true.

Certainly, cola, no matter who manufactures it, is probably the best known carbonated beverage with caffeine, but they aren't the only ones, and there are others that qualify.

As well as cola, both coffee and tea contain caffeine. Now, these aren't normally served carbonated, but there's no reason why they can't be - especially if you're having a chilled variant, such as iced tea or all the different varieties of cold coffee around.

The ice cream soda, or float, too, can qualify. These drinks are made with either a soft drink or carbonated water, so the obvious choice here is an ice cream soda based on a cola, such as the Coke Float. One with espresso in it would also qualify.

So, if you choose to celebrate this day, you needn't be limited to the popular brown fizzy drinks.

National Vichyssoise Day

National Vichyssoise Day is on November 18th in the United States.

Vichyssoise is a soup, which could, at its most basic, be described as potato and leek.

The name is French, and it's named after the French town of Vichy, but it's uncertain as to whether the soup itself actually is. It's possible that it actually originated in the US, even if it was created by a French chef. The chef most commonly credited with it is Louis Diat in 1917, who worked at the Rizt-Carlton in New York City. He himself said that is was an attempt to recreate a soup his mother used to make in his childhood.

The soup itself is thick, made from chicken stock, onions, potatoes, cream and puréed leeks. The soup is one that is by tradition served cold, although it can also be served hot. The cold soup is intended to be a cooling soup in the summer months.

National Baklava Day

National Baklava Day is on November 17th in the United States.

The name baklava comes from an Ottoman Turkish word and is used to refer to a type of sweet pastry common in the Middle East, especially in countries that were formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. They may predate the Ottoman Empire, but this is not known for certain one way or another. There are similar products that are older.

Baklavas are made from layers of filo pastry that are filled with chopped nuts. This is then sweetened with either honey or syrup, resulting in quite a sticky end product. Different types of chopped nuts are used to make this, and they can simply have one layer of chopped nuts, which is usually on the top of the pastry, or many, which are interspersed between multiple layers of pastry.

Homemade Bread Day

November 17th is Homemade Bread Day.

The name "bread" covers a wide range of foods prepared using a dough of flour and water. Breads can be sweet, savoury or neither, and can be made using a range of different flours, and then have different things added.

It is one of the oldest foods and still a staple today. At one time, it was common for many households to make their own bread, but this became less common, and purchasing pre-baked - and, for loaves, often pre-sliced - bread became the norm, certainly in the more developed countries. Lacking the time to make their own bread, households would instead buy it from supermarkets and other shops.

There were always some who continued making their own bread and, today, thanks to the invention of the breadmaker, it is now much easier to do this than it used to be. You can make your bread in the traditional way, baking it in an oven, or, instead, you can use a breadmaker to make it, often using pre-mixed kits, so all you need to do to have your own homemade bread (and that's a lovely smell to wake up to) is pour the required ingredients into the breadmaker and select the right programme, and everything is done for you.

National Fast Food Day

November 16th is National Fast Food Day in the United States.

This is one day, like National Junk Food Day, with some rather negative connotations. Although, unlike the other celebration, that does not have to be the case.

Fast food is simply food that is served very quickly. It is usually associated with junk food from restaurant chains and take-aways, especially those such as McDonald's, but also from other shops, outlets and stands with or without seating, where food is rapidly prepared and served to a customer, with minutes if not seconds. Although the term "fast food" became popular in the United States in the 1950s, due to the construction of drive-in restaurants, the concept has been around longer. Centuries, in fact; back in Roman times cities had vendors specialising in serving food fast for those with no means or time to prepare their own.

The association with chains such as McDonald's has led to them being called fast food restaurants. Food from such places often tastes good, but is typically unhealthy, hence the negative connotations.

This does not have to be the case, though. The food just needs preparing and serving fast. Any food that is healthy, yet equally speedy to ready, would also be fast food. So, you can either celebrate this day by eating junk food, or alternatively find some quickly prepared food that is healthy.

National Bundt Day

National Bundt Day in on November 15th in the United States.

Although it may not sound like it initially, this is another one of the more commercial days. It was created by Nordic Ware, the company that manufactures the Bundt pan, in order to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the pan's creation.

The Bundt pan is used to cook Bundt cakes, and the name was trademarked in the US by Nordic Ware.

The Bundt cake is descended from a European fruit cake known as a Gugelhupf, which is similar to a brioche. The ingredients used to make a Bundt cake can vary, and they are to a large extent a type of sweet bread. They have a distinctive, ring shape, which is what the Bundt pan is intended to create. The cake, given its toroidal shape, is rarely frosted but instead tends to be dusted with such as icing sugar.

National Raisin Bran Cereal Day

November 15th is National Raisin Bran Cereal Day in the United States.

Raisin bran is a breakfast cereal, which is also known as sultana bran. Today, the name is a generic used for different cereals manufactured by different companies, but it was once a trademarked name. The trademark was rejected for being simply a description of the contents - raisins and bran - rather than being something creative. Descriptions cannot be trademarked.

The first Raisin Bran was created by U.S. Mills in 1926. The cereal is, just as its name sounds and why the trademark was rejected, raisins and bran, the latter being whole grain wheat flakes that are high in fibre. The dish is, however, high in sugar due to raisins having a substantial amount of fructose. Raisins are a type of dried grape, although of what type does vary. in some countries, a raisin is a dried, dark coloured large grape, whilst sultanas are golden-coloured. This results in the different names for the cereal.

National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day

National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day is on November 15th in the United States.

Hermit cookies are, in general, spiced anyway, so having a spicy hermit cookie is hardly different from a normal one. Spicy in this case means because spices are used in the mixture, not because they are hot.

Hermit cookies, or biscuits, are soft and chewy cookies that date back to the 19th century. The name is believed to come from the fact that the cookies keep well and can therefore be hidden away, rather like a hermit.

To the base cookie mix, spices such as cinnamon, cloves and allspice are added, as well as nuts, usually chopped, and dried fruit. This type of cookie is often made by moulding the mix into a large, flattened loaf, which is then cut into smaller cookies.

National Spicy Guacamole Day

National Spicy Guacamole Day is on November 14th in the United States.

Rather than celebrating guacamole in general, this is another of the more specific days celebrating a particular type of guacamole.

Guacamole is an avocado based sauce that originated from the Aztecs in Mexico. It can range from a bland, or mild, cooling dish to one that can be quite spicy, depending on what ingredients are used.

All guacamole uses a lot of avocado in the mix - that's one thing to check for on store-bought guacamole, the percentage of avocado; some is less than 10%, which is terrible - as well as other ingredients. Peppers are commonly used, and there are different types. Guacamole can be made spicy by adding chillies to the mix. As there are different types of chillies, some of which are a lot spicier than others, the type and quantity will make a difference as to how spicy the dish turns out. Jalapeños, which are common in Tex-Mex dishes, are a popular type.

National Pickle Day

November 14th is National Pickle Day in the US.

This day does not celebrate the general "pickle" - a term that can be used for anything that has been pickled in vinegar - but instead to the more specific pickled cucumber (generally known as the gherkin in the UK, although gherkins actually have a specific size and species of cucumber).

There are a number of different types of pickles, such as brined, which do not use vinegar, kosher dill and Polish. Pickles are small cucumbers that have been pickled in vinegar or brine, or other suitable solution.

Pickles can be served on their own, or as a side dish, or an ingredient in other dishes. Sliced horizontally, they are a popular topping on sandwiches and hamburgers. They can also be finely chopped to make a relish.

Pickles have few calories normally, but those that are sweet pickled - which uses sugar - are naturally more calorific.

National Indian Pudding Day

National Indian Pudding Day is on November 13th in the United States.

Indian pudding does not come from India; instead, it's named after the American Indians (the name pre-dates other terms for the natives of the Americas). It is, in fact, British in origin.

Indian pudding is descended from the British dessert dish known as hasty pudding. The dish itself dates back to at least the 16th century, although it was not called hasty pudding until the mid-18th.

The original dish is made from wheat flour which is the cooked in either water or milk until it resembles an oatmeal porridge  in consistency. Indian pudding originated in New England in the 17th century, where the settlers used the natives cornmeal to replace the wheat flour of the original. Hasty pudding tended to use water, whilst Indian pudding used milk, and the dish was sweetened with such things as maple syrup or molasses, and flavoured with spices such as ginger or cinnamon. Nuts, eggs, butter and raisins are also used, and the dish is baked in the oven to give it a different texture to the original.

National Pizza With Everything (Except Anchovies) Day

November 12th in the United States in National Pizza With Everything (Except Anchovies) Day.

This doesn't celebrate the humble cheese pizza, although cheese is still used, but instead it celebrates everything else that can go on a pizza. Except anchovies, of course. Anchovies - small, strongly tasting fish - seem to be one of the more unpopular pizza toppings.

Also known as the works, this pizza can have a wide range of different toppings on it although, considering how many different things can be added (pretty much anything edible in fact can and probably has been added to a pizza) it is probably best not to put every single possible topping on to one single pizza - unless it's really, really big - or you will just end up with a mound of food.

Most pizza places, though, will only have a comparatively limited number of toppings. Comparatively, because this can still be dozens of different toppings, even if it isn't all the many hundreds if not thousands of toppings available. Some toppings will likely not work well with each other, so some forethought is advised before going wild.

National Sundae Day

November 11th is National Sundae Day in the United States.

Sundaes are an ice cream dessert. Although the precise origin of the name is uncertain, as is the origin of the sundae itself, it's believed that it does come from the word Sunday, in one origin story because the drinking of sodas was banned on Sundays. This was, as you can probably tell, some years back.

There are many different places in the US that claim to be the origin point of the ice cream sundae. The earliest of these is from Two Rivers, Illinois, where the owner of Berners' Soda Fountain, Edward C. Berners, was apparently asked to drizzle chocolate syrup over ice cream back in 1881. This is disputed, as it is claimed that Berners would have been too young to own a soda fountain back then.

Ice cream sodas were banned in some states of the US on Sundays, so sundaes got around that by simply skipping out the soda part of the ice cream soda.

Whatever their origin, a sundae is classically made from vanilla ice cream, flavoured sauce, whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top. There are many, many more varieties of sundaes than that, though, with more ingredients such as fruit included in some.

National Vanilla Cupcake Day

November 10th is National Vanilla Cupcake Day in the US.

This is another, really precise, national day, celebrating just an item of food but a specific type of that food item. In this case, vanilla cupcakes.

Cupcakes, which are also known as fairy cakes and patty cakes, are small, individual cakes that were originally baked in cups, hence the name. Nowadays, they have their own baking trays, as well as paper and aluminium "cups", so that there is no need to bake them in a normal cup.

These particular ones are flavoured with vanilla. This could be in the mix, or it could be in a glaze or icing applied to the top of the finished cupcake. Vanilla, true vanilla, comes from an orchid and is the second most expensive spice after saffron due to how labour intensive production of it is.

National Scrapple Day

November 9th is National Scrapple Day in the United States.

What is scrapple? It's likely that many have never heard of this dish. It sounds like it contains apples, but this isn't true, as the dish is derived from scraps of meat - pork - left over after the carcass was butchered.

Scrapple is an American dish, but it has its origins in other dishes going all the way back to Roman times. The first scrapple recipes are believed to have been created by German colonists to the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries who settled in Pennsylvania, with that state and the surrounding being where the dish is most well known. It is also strongly associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch and the Amish.

The dish is made from pork scraps which are then combined with flour, cornmeal and spices and formed into a loaf shape. This loaf is then sliced, and the slices are fried before eating.

Scarpple is a dish that was intended to make sure nothing of the pig was wasted. The pork used in it would not have been used in anything else.

National Vegan Month

November is National Vegan Month in the United States.

Veganism is probably the most strict type of vegetarianism around.

The original use of the word "Vegan" dates back to 1944 and the formation of the British Vegan Society. Back then, the term was used to describe a non-dairy vegetarian diet, but has since been expanded - and grown a lot stricter.

Today, a vegan does not consume, or use, any animal products of any type. This related not just to food; vegans do not use animal products - even those that don't require the actual death of the animal - in any non-food items. Vegans also do not consume fish, eggs, dairy and other animal-derived substances, such as gelatine, whereas some of the less strict vegetarian diets do allow the consumption of such, and certainly allow the use of animal products (such as wool and leather). Even foods such as honey are prohibited in a vegan diet. The logic behind not using any products, including those that do not require the death of the being in question, is that the philosophy rejects any use that treats them as a commodity - even if that is only as a source of a renewable resource.

A pure vegan diet, as long as it is properly balanced, is regarded as being a healthy diet by various bodies around the world, not just by vegan societies (as the latter would certainly regard it as being healthy, no matter what). The key words in that sentence are, of course, properly balanced. An improperly balanced diet is certainly not healthy - but that is true of every type of diet, not just a vegan one. However, due to the lack of some nutrients not being provided by vegetables, namely the vitamin B12, it is recommended that vegans either take supplements or eat foods that have been fortified by it.

National Cappuccino Day

National Cappuccino Day is on November 8th in the United States.

The cappuccino is a coffee drink which derives its name from the Capuchin friars, not because they created it, but because of the colour of the habits worn by the friars. The habits are a distinctive red-brown, of the same colour as the drink.

The cappuccino is believed to have originated in Vienna in Austria in the 18th century, where it was called Kapuziner, which was later translated back as cappuccino. The modern day name originates from Italy in the 1930s.

Cappuccinos are a drink made from espresso and milk - rather like a latte in its components, but different in the end result and presentation. Commercial cappuccinos are made, usually with a cappuccino machine, by having the espresso in the bottom of the cup, then an equal amount of hot milk and then finally the last third is topped with foamed milk. The top is often decorated; at its most basic with a sprinkling of cocoa powder, sometimes through a stencil, but there is an extensive field of decoration called latte art where the decoration is made with the same milk.

November is National Raisin Bread Month

November is National Raisin Bread Month in the United States.

This type of bread is considered to be a sweet bread. Just as the name suggests, it is bread that has raisins mixed into it. Raisins are a type of dried grape; in many regions and countries, raisin is used to specifically denote those made from a large, dark grape.

Raisin bread is normally flavoured with cinnamon, and made from a white dough, although it can be made with other flours as well. Other ingredients may also be added; these include brown sugar, honey, butter or eggs. Chopped nuts are also a common addition, such as hazelnuts, pecans or walnuts.

Henry David Thoreau is supposed to have created raisin bread in the nineteenth century, but there have been recipes around since the late seventeenth century, and bread made with raisins in it has been made since the fifteenth in Europe.

There are different types of raisin bread, including some regional specialities, such as the German stollen, which contains marzipan and icing sugar, and is served at Christmas. It is frequently eaten for breakfast, often toasted. The cinnamon swirl, which looks like a Swiss roll when sliced, is a common type of raisin bread. This would be sliced and served toasted. Other raisin breads are used to make sandwiches, or served with cheese. In the United States, bread called raisin bread must have a weight of raisins that is at least 50% of the weight of the flour used to make it.

National Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day

November 7th is National Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day in the US.

How precise a national day is this? It's not chocolate, it's not even chocolate with nuts, but it's a specific type of chocolate with a specific type of (culinary) nut.

Bittersweet chocolate is chocolate that has less sugar added than the more sweet types, such as milk chocolate. It also has less, or no, milk added Bittersweet is also known as dark chocolate in other countries. The percentage of cocoa does vary for bittersweet, both within the chocolate type itself and in different countries and regions. The actual components measured also changes. In the US, bittersweet has 35% or more chocolate liquor and 12% or less in milk solids.

Nuts, both culinary and botanical, are always a popular additive to chocolate, and almonds are no exception. Almonds are often added to sweet dishes, but they will usually be cooked (such as by toasting) first.

National Pomegranate Month

November is National Pomegranate Month in the United States.

The pomegranate is a fruit that originated in Persia (modern-day Iran). The tree has been cultivated in that region, and in other countries of the Middle East, South Asia and the Mediterranean, for several thousand years, with remains of the fruit being found that date back to the Early Bronze Age in Jericho and Cyprus. The fruit was spread to China and South-east Asia along the Silk Road or by sea traders. It has since been spread to other regions and countries to which it is not native, including the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and the pomegranate has a symbolic presence in many different cultures.

The name of the fruit, pomegranate, comes from two Latin words. The first, pomum, meaning apple, and the second, granatum, meaning seeded. The fruit has a hard case, which isn't eaten, inside of which are many small seed casings. These are seeds which are covered in a sweet, red jelly. The seeds can be eaten raw, and are also eaten in desserts and used in drinks.

Pomegranates are being studied for their ability to scavenge free-radicals and the juice has been shown for affecting the risk of heart disease. There are clinical trials underway to see what the true health benefits are (sellers of pomegranate derived products have used the, rather limited, evidence to date to promote the fruit without regard to its actual proven benefits), and the seeds are high in a number of different nutrients.

National Nachos Day

November 6th is National Nachos Day in the United States.

Nachos were apparently created quite recently by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya who, in the town of Piedras Negras in Mexico in 1943, created the dish out of leftovers to for the wives of some American serviceman stationed nearby.

The original, basic, nachos were created from tortillas, which were sliced into triangles, and cheddar cheese. This was then heated up and was then topped with sliced pickled jalapeño peppers.

Modern day dishes can be far more elaborate. The tortillas tend to be from tortilla chips, which are the same triangular pieces of tortilla, but which are then fried.

Other toppings used include guacamole, different meats, olives, refried beans, chile con queso, salsa and sour cream to name just a few. Rather than being merely a snack, it is possible to create a large, filling dish suitable for a main meal simply by adding more toppings.

Nachos, in one form or another, have since spread far and wide, becoming a popular snack.

National Peppercorn Month

November is National Peppercorn Month in the United States.

This month is sometimes called National Pepper Month, but it is best known as Peppercorn, not Pepper. This is to distinguish it as being about pepper, the spice, rather than pepper, the vegetable. The spice is the fruit of a flowering vine that is native to south India. The fruit is small, and each drupe contains a single seed.

Today, pepper is a common, and inexpensive, condiment and cooking ingredient, but this was not always true. During the Middle Ages, for example, pepper, the spice, was the one of the most expensive substances in Europe. During this time, pepper was extremely rare, and had to be shipped in from India, and fortunes were made trading in it, especially in regards to the powerful mercantile city-state of Venice, which was for years associated with the pepper trade. Pepper was even used as a form of collateral or currency, it was so valuable. In modern times, pepper, which is often paired with salt on tables, is one of the most common spices used in European cooking, and cuisines descended from it. The biggest exporter and producer in modern times is actually Vietnam, not its native India.

The most common types of peppercorn are black and white. Black peppercorns are cooked and dried unripe fruit, and white ones are ripe fruit seeds. Other varieties include green, which is dried unripe fruit, and red, which is ripe red pepper preserved in brine and vinegar. There are other variations, some of which actually come from different plants.

National Doughnut Day

National Doughnut Day is on November 5th in the United States.

Doughnuts, or donuts, are popular all over the world with many different variations. They are a type of sweet snack made from dough which is then deep fried, but there are other ways of making them.

The most common doughnuts are the ring doughnut, which, as the name suggests, is ring-shaped, and the filled doughnut. The latter variety has a filling injected into it. The modern doughnut is today considered to be an American dish, although its origin is uncertain. It is certainly quite a recent creation, probably dating back to the 18th century at the earliest.

Ring doughnuts, after cooking, can be covered in a host of different glazes and toppings. Filled doughnuts can be filled with jams, creams and other preserves. That can also be coated or topped.

Other shapes do exist, such as the doughnut hole, which resembles the hole missing from a ring doughnut, or the Spanish churro, which is a log, ribbed cylinder. There are many more.

National Georgia Pecan Month

November is National Georgia Pecan Month in the United States.

This day celebrates exactly what it sounds like - pecans from Georgia. This makes it much more of a state celebration, than a national one, even though Georgia is the world's largest producer of pecans.

Pecans are culinary nuts, not true nuts, and are a source of omega-6 atty acids as well as protein and unsaturated fats. Like many nuts, they can help with health. They have also been linked with the reduction of what is known as "bad" cholesterol, or LDL, levels, and may also be beneficial for neurological health.

Just as with other nuts, whether culinary or true nuts, there are many different ways of preparing them, both sweet and savoury. In Georgia, a popular way is in pecan pie, which makes that a good way of celebrating a day devoted to Georgia pecans.

National Candy Day

November 4th is National Candy Day in the United States.

Candy, also known as sweets, covers a wide range of sweet confections that use sugar as one of the main ingredients. Sugar substitutes and artificial sweeteners are also used in sugar-free varieties.

Sweets have been around for millennia, although the earliest forms of candy used honey as a sweetener, rather than sugar. The earliest sweet confections usually involved dipping an item in honey. Commonly used foods treated in this way were fruits and flowers, but other things such as nuts and, occasionally, insects were also covered in honey. Some candy available today is still made in this manner, but sugar is normally used nowadays. Sugar from sugar cane started being used over 2,000 years ago, and different types of sugar are now used today.

Sugar candy comes in many different types, from hard boiled sweets to brittle to soft and chewy. The amount of sugar can also vary, with some types being almost completely made from sugar. Candy can also include chewing gum and even chocolate. In sugar based candy, the sugar is dissolved in water or milk to make sugar syrup which is then used as the base. Colourings and flavourings of all types are also added.

Most countries and cultures have their own types of candy. In the past, candy has been used as a medicine but these days it is almost always used as a treat food. The high percentage of sugar in most sweets can cause problems, both with weight gain and with damage to teeth.

National Peanut Butter Lover's Month

November is National Peanut Butter Lover's Month in the United States.

Not a celebration devoted to peanut butter itself, but to the many who love it.

Peanut butter itself is a paste that is made from dry roasted peanuts. This paste is common in many countries around the world. Although peanut butter is primarily used as a sandwich spread, especially in the American favourite of peanut butter and jelly (the latter being jam in other countries), it is also used as an ingredient in many different recipes, both sweet and savoury, including many different cookies and candies.

John Harvey Kellogg, who is probably most well known for his corn flakes, patented one of the earliest forms of peanut butter, in which the peanuts were boiled rather than roasted, on 1898, but the first peanut butter recipe was actually patented by a Canadian in 1884.

The botanist and inventor, George Washington Carver, is often, mistakenly, credited as having invented peanut butter at the beginning of the twentieth century, but recipes had existed for years before that (with one Aztec recipe dating back to the 15th century). The reason for this mistake is that Carver was responsible for patenting many different ways of preparing peanuts, as well as growing them, and disseminating recipes for using them

Peanut butter is today commonly available in two main varieties, smooth and crunchy. The difference between the two types is pretty obvious - one is crunchy, the other isn't. Peanut butter is an excellent source of many different nutrients, although it is also a source of fats, both saturated and unsaturated.

National Sandwich Day

November 3rd is National Sandwich Day in the United States.

The sandwich is considered to be named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (Sandwich is a town in Kent in the UK). The concept of the sandwich is surprisingly modern, dating back to only the 18th century in Western Europe, although the idea of using bread with food does predate that by some time and is found in many cultures, wraps being one of the most common.

In general, the sandwich is a type of portable food dish in which one or more ingredients are placed between two or more slices of bread. It is a popular food for lunches, especially of the packed variety, but there are variants served as finger and party food. A court in the US defined a sandwich as using at least two slices of bread, rather than anything else that might be stuffed.

There are variants; the sandwich can be understood to only mean an item made with sliced bread, but it can also include such as submarine sandwiches, or subs, or anything else in a bread roll of any type. There are also what are referred to as "open" sandwiches, which have only one slice topped with ingredients. In these, it is more common to use a roll or a bap, rather than bread.

Sandwiches can have a whole host of different ingredients; there is no real limit to what can be put in them. The cheapest form of sandwich is a bread sandwich - that is, a slice of bread between two slices of bread! This recipe can be found in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (although I think she used toast).

National Deviled Egg Day

November 2nd is National Deviled Egg Day in the US.

Deviled eggs (aka devilled eggs and eggs mimosa) have nothing to do with the devil. They are instead a dish that uses hard boiled eggs as its base. These eggs are then peeled and cut in half lengthways. The hard boiled yolk is removed and mixed with other ingredients, and then the mixture is replaced in the space. The "devilled" of the name refers to the spice mixture that was used, devilled being a common term used to refer to spicy foods.

This is an old dish, dating back to Roman times if not longer, and there are variants in many countries. The yolk in devilled eggs is mixed with ingredients, usually including mayonnaise and mustard, and with other possible items including, but not limited to, Worcestershire sauce, ground black pepper, powdered cayenne pepper, vinegar, green olives and caviar but there are many others used. The mixture, once it has been replaced in the egg, is then often topped or dusted with more ingredients, such as paprika.

Good Nutrition Month

November is Good Nutrition Month in the United States.

A healthy lifestyle is comprised of different elements, and one of these is good nutrition. It can be a lot harder to get good nutrition than might be thought, for a number of reasons.

One problem is that what is actually considered to be good nutrition changes; what is considered nutritious at one time may not be at another. In addition, we lack a lot of control over how the food we eat is grown and prepared, and determining what can be good for you from a nutrition label isn't always easy.

Getting the right nutrients in order to survive and thrive is essential, and doing your own research in this area is a good idea. Increasing the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet can be helpful, and vitamin supplements can help make up for shortfalls. Reducing the amount of processed foods consumed is probably essential.

National Fun with Fondue Month

November is National Fun with Fondue Month in the United States.

The name "fondue" is derived from a French word, "fondre," which means "to melt." The traditional fondue is a cheese fondue that is made from melted cheese. Bread is dipped into this using long forks. The cheese itself - although other ingredients are usually added to it - is served in a large pot kept warm and, therefore, liquid at the table.

Whilst the cheese fondue may be the traditional fondue, it has since evolved into other forms. As well as bread, other foods may also be dipped into the mixture, including cooked meat and vegetables. Sweet fondues have also evolved, such as the chocolate fondue, a more recent introduction. The chocolate fondue is similar to a cheese fondue in that foods are dipped into a bowl of melted chocolate; in this case, the items used include fruit, such as strawberries, and marshmallows. As well as being dipped into the mixture, the melted chocolate may alternatively be poured over a skewer of various ingredients; this type is often seen at fairs and events.

National Deep Fried Clams Day

In the United States November 1st is National Deep Fried Clams Day.

Clams are a type of bivalve mollusc, seafood of the shellfish variety. Although clams are eaten, not everything that is called a clam is actually edible. There are different varieties of clam which are eaten in many different countries around the world.

In North America, the name "clam" is normally reserved to describe the Hard Clam. This is a clam species that is found on the eastern coast of the continent.

A popular way of serving hard clams is raw and on an open half shell, but this is not the only way. In this case, the clams are cooked by deep frying them. They would first be removed from their shells and coated in beaten eggs. Following this, the clam would then be dipped in some sort of seasoned mixture, such as batter or breadcrumbs, and then fried.

National Vinegar Day

November 1st is National Vinegar Day in the United States.

Whilst in the past vinegar has had a lot of different uses, such as cleaning, industrial and medicine, due to it being an easily obtainable and made mild acid, today it is mostly used in cooking and other culinary matters.

Vinegar comes from the fermentation of ethanol, in a process that can either be fast or slow. There are a wide range of different vinegars, as anything that can be used to create ethanol can also be used to make vinegar. Some popular types are wine, cider and malt, with the latter being a popular dressing for fish and chips in the UK, resulting in it being often referred to as chip shop vinegar.

Vinegar can be used to pickle foods, which was originally a way of preserving them but is now often an end in itself. It is also used in such things as salad dressings and sauces as well as being used as marinades and as an ingredient in recipes.

With a wide range of flavours and types all over the world, there are a vast range of dishes and other foods that use vinegar in them.