National Pasta Month

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October is National Pasta Month in the United States.

Pasta is a dish intimately associated with Italy and is made from an unleavened dough of durum wheat flour that is mixed with water or eggs. This is then formed into sheets or shapes, and other elements may be substituted for the wheat flour for such as different tastes, textures and gluten-free recipes.

Pasta comes in two primary types, dried and fresh. Dried pasta is, naturally, dried - spaghetti is one that many will be familiar with - whilst fresh pasta is not, being still moist. Dried pasta will keep in a cupboard for a substantial amount of time whilst fresh pasta needs refrigerating and eating quickly, or alternatively freezing. Pasta can be served with causes in different dishes, stuffed with different foods or served in such as lasagne, where the pasta is in layers. It can even be added to soup dishes. Many pasta dishes also incorporate cheese in them and some are baked in an oven.

Pasta is a versatile food, with a huge range of types and many different things that can be done with it. One thing that is usually not done is serving pasta plain, because without some other ingredients, it makes a rather boring dish.

American Cheese Month

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October is American Cheese Month in the United States.

American cheese is not cheese of any sort that is simply made in America. Instead, it is a specific type of processed cheese. By legal definition, for a cheese to be called American cheese, it must be processed from cheddar cheese, colby cheese, granular cheese, washed curd cheese or a combination of two or more of those. American cheese has a low melting point and, although it is available in blocks, like more traditional cheeses, it is also commonly available in slices, either in stacks or individually wrapped. These slices of American cheese are the type that are found in the typical cheeseburger; the low melting point means that the cheese will typically melt simply from contact with the burger. Like most processed foods, American cheese is perhaps not as healthy as its more traditional cousins.

National Sausage Month

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October is National Sausage Month in the United States.

The sausage is, normally, a meat product (there are vegetarian options) made from ground meat with spices and other flavourings. For meat-based sausages, pork, beef and poultry are all common choices. Filler ingredients such as breadcrumbs may also be added. These are then stuffed into a skin, traditionally made from intestine although there are other variants.

There are many different regional variations when it comes to sausages. Some of these are raw, and are cooked with different methods such as broiling, grilling, pan-frying and barbecuing. Other sausages are precooked or preserved by curing, drying and smoking, which in some cases means the sausage can be stored without being refrigerated. Sausages are one of the oldest preserved foods, as they were created by using the scraps left over from butchering an animal. Modern sausages are more likely to be deliberately created as an end product, rather than being a way to use up all the scraps.

With all the different regional varieties of sausage, from salamis to hot dogs to bratwursts and more, there are a host of different methods for classifying them as to type and recipes for creating them.

Vegetarian Month

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October is Vegetarian Month in the United States.

Vegetarianism is, at its root, the abstention from eating meat and the flesh of any other animal, eating only plants instead. However, there are degrees of vegetarianism.

The strictest form is vegan, which not only abstains from eating animal flesh, it also abstains from using any animal by-products; this includes such as eggs, milk and honey.

Ovo-lacto vegetarian includes the consumption of eggs and dairy. Variants of thus are ovo-vegetarian which includes eggs but not milk and lacto-vegetarian which includes dairy but not eggs.

Semi-vegetarians may infrequently include the consumption of such as fish, poultry or other meats; the justification for this, for the consumers, is that vegetarianism only relates to the eating of mammals. The Vegetarian Society does not consider this to be vegetarianism.

Vegetarianism can be healthy but also contains potential health problems due to dietary deficiencies, although there can also be health benefits such as heart health and longevity. Beans, mushrooms and nuts are an important part of any vegetarian diet, as they contain a lot of protein, something generally lacking outside of meat. The most important thing is that a vegetarian diet be balanced; eating properly requires research and care.

National Dessert Month

October is National Dessert Month in the United States.

Dessert is the name given to the course that (usually) concludes a meal, although sometimes coffee, or other hot drink, is considered to be the final course. The dessert is normally a sweet dish, but the name can be used to describe other foods, including those that can be eaten at other times of the day, such as pancakes, a common breakfast item. There are many different types of foods that can be called dessert, including, but not limited to, pies, puddings, cakes, pastries and biscuits/cookies, as well as more obvious dessert dishes such as ice cream.

Desserts, because they are sweet, have a tendency to be high in fats and sugars. Consequently, they can be both fattening and unhealthy if care isn't taken, or they are overindulged in.

There are ways around this inherent unhealthiness, though. Dishes made with fresh fruit, for example, fruit salad, are both sweet and healthy. Ice cream and sorbets can be made that use other things, such as artificial sweeteners, instead of sugar. Low fat substitutes can be used in sweet dishes. Quark, a type of soft cheese, can be used to replace soft cheeses in dishes such as cheesecake.

National Seafood Month

October is National Seafood Month in the United States.

As seafood is, literally, any form of sea life that is eaten as food, there are many different types and varieties of it. The two largest categories of seafood are fish and shellfish, and the definition is sometimes expanded to include any freshwater life that is eaten as food.

Seafood, assuming it isn't contaminated - a growing problem - is a healthy type of food. One portion of seafood eaten every week could lower the chances of heart disease and cut the chance of suffering a heart attack in half. Fish can also help with the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Seafood is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Research is still ongoing into these, but they could help health in general. One way of avoiding contaminated seafood is by eating types that are low on the food chain; the higher up the food chain, the greater the contamination.

Seafood can be prepared in many different ways. It can even be eaten raw, in dishes such as sashimi.

National American Beer Day

October 27th is National American Beer Day in the United States.

Given that beer is a global drink, what makes an American Beer?

Well, first of all, it really should be brewed in the United States. Beer is not always brewed in the country with which it is associated; there are many Australian beers and lagers that are brewed in other countries, under license. How true to the national beverage one is that isn't brewed in the country in which it originated is open to question. Some will always assert that beer brewed in a different place tastes different and, indeed, they could well be right, as the water used will be different for a start, and there could well be other differences caused by the brewing in a different environment (and under different government regulations).

The main type of American beer, and the one most associated with the US, is what is called American lager, which is a type of pale lager. Originally from Europe, this is what is described as a modestly hopped beer and will often use unmalted grains such as maize and rice.

The most well known American lager is probably Budweiser, but other brands exist, particularly in the Coors family of beers, such as Coors Light.

National Pretzel Month

In the United States, October is National Pretzel Month.

Pretzels are a type of bread product. They are traditionally baked in a very distinctive "knot" shape. The pretzel is believed to have originated in European monasteries, and have for a long time been associated with Christianity.

The settlers who later became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch introduced the pretzel to the Americas. From Pennsylvania, the pretzel then spread out to other parts of the region. As new production methods for baking were introduced, soft pretzels became popular.

Today, there are many different types of pretzel. These are available in both hard and soft forms, and can come with a whole range of different glazes and seasonings as well as seeds and nuts. The pretzel can come in both sweet and savoury varieties, and can come from small, snack sized types up to much larger ones that are used to make such as sandwiches.

National Pork Month

October is National Pork Month in the United States.

The pig is one of the oldest domesticated animals, dating back to at least 5000 BC, and pork is the name given to the meat from this animal. The pig is believed to have been domesticated from the wild boar in either the Near East or China. Wild boar, a wild version of the domesticated animal, can still be found.

Pork itself is one of the most popular and widely consumed meats in the world; however, there are a significant number of people who are prohibited from consuming it for religious reasons.

There are various different meats that are commonly consumed, such as loin, ham, gammon and bacon, as well as pork chops and loins. Pork is often preserved, and ham, gammon and bacon are all examples of preserved pork. Additionally, pork is also used as a base meat in other products, most notably sausages.

National Popcorn Poppin' Month

October is National Popcorn Poppin' Month in the United States.

Popcorn comes from a type of corn called maize. It is the kernel, which puffs up when heated. Popcorn is quite an old dish; examples have been found dating back to around 4700 BC.

Today, popcorn is strongly associated with entertainment, particularly with the cinema and watching films.. It is usually bought pre-made, but it can also be cooked at home, using either popcorn machines, on the hob, or possibly in the microwave.

At its most basic, popcorn is actually a healthy snack, as it is high in fibre and antioxidants and low in calories and fat and free from both sugar and sodium. That is before anything is added to it, and it is rare for it to be actually served like that.

Popcorn is quite a neutral dish; it can be made into a savoury one by adding salt, or a sweet one by adding toffee or butter and sugar. As an alternative to sugar, artificial sweeteners could be used.

National Pizza Month

October is National Pizza Month in the United States.

Italy is the country that is most associated with the pizza - one suggestion for the origin of the word is Latin, and another is Italian. The earliest known reference to pizzas is in a Latin manuscript from central Italy at the end of the tenth century. It is probable that the dish pre-dates this reference by a lot, and many other cultures have similar dishes that date back over seven thousand years.

The traditional pizza is made from flat, round bread that is covered in tomato sauce and cheese, as well as possibly other toppings, then baked. This is the simple cheese pizza today, and there are many other variations, including the folded pizza known as the calzone. The cheese used should be, but usually isn't, buffalo mozzarella. Pizzas can also be cooked in different ovens.

The modern pizza can be made up any way desired, but many variations are not considered to be "true" pizzas by purists. Some versions don't even use bread. The crust of the pizza can also vary, from thin and crispy to deep dish to stuffed, to name a few. Probably the greatest number of different pizza types can be found in America, many of which use typically American toppings which are less likely to be found on the Italian pizza.

National Pickled Peppers Month

October is National Pickled Peppers Month in the United States.

There are a variety of different pickled peppers. They are created by preserving, using pickling, different types of capsicum peppers.

Capsicum peppers themselves come in a range of different types. There are the large, mild, red, green, orange and bell peppers. At the other end there are the small and hot chilli peppers.

Not every type of capsicum is traditionally pickled. One variety that is commonly pickled is the jalapeño. These are small peppers that are sliced, pickled and used in a variety of different dishes, especially in Tex-Mex cooking, and on pizzas and in sandwiches.

Other types that are also commonly pickled, albeit less commonly than the jalapeño, are the Greek, banana, Hungarian wax and sport.

Adding pickled peppers can spice up a meal, but care should be taken to make sure that the taste fits.

International Day of the Nacho

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International Day of the Nacho falls on October 21st.

Nachos are a Tex-Mex dish, a combination of Texan and Mexican cuisine. The primary ingredient is tortilla chips, which are either wedges of corn tortillas that are fried or baked, or circles pressed out of corn masa that are also fried or baked. As a snack, they are served with melted cheese and jalapeños. However, there are more complex versions which can involve additional items such as chilli, olives, salsa, guacamole and more. Such dishes can easily be made large enough to serve as a full meal.

Nachos are credited to Ingnacio "Nacho" Anaya, who created the dish in 1943 for the wives of U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Duncan. After arriving at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedra Negras after it had closed, the snack was created using what little was left in the kitchen. The first nachos were the basic ones; tortilla chips, melted cheese and pickled jalapeños.

National Apple Day

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October 21st is National Apple Day in the United States.

The apple is a sweet (usually) edible fruit that grows on the apple tree. Although the tree originated in Central Asia, it is now grown worldwide, with China accounting for about half of the over 80 million tonnes of apples grown every year. The apple is a fruit that has religious or mythical significance in many traditions.

There are over 7,500 known cultivars of apples, making the selection found in the typical supermarket seem rather sparse. Apples are eaten many different ways, both cooked and raw. Some apples, of cultivars known as cooking apples, are larger and often tarter than dessert apples and are usually and not eaten raw, instead being cooked in various dishes. There are other cultivars that are dual purpose, used for both cooking and eating raw.

The juice from apples is also drunk. This can be as simple fruit juice, known as cider in the U.S., or as the alcoholic variety, called hard cider in the United States but known in most other countries as cider, or perhaps apple cider.

Apples contain a moderate amount of dietary fibre, but are otherwise quite low in essential nutrients.

National Eat Country Ham Month

October is National Eat Country Ham Month in the United States.

Ham itself is a pork product, but what is the difference between regular ham and country ham?

Country ham is a fairly modern product, as the first mention to it dates back only to 1944. It is a type of cured ham, but the curing part is a lot older than this particular ham.

First, country ham is salt-cured for several months. It is then, optionally, smoked using a hardwood. Following that, or skipping the smoking process, the ham is then aged for a variable period, anything from a few months to a couple of years.

The crust of the ham may be removed, or cleaned, before it is eaten, for the outside of it can be very salty, but this depends on personal preference. The ham itself, even with the crust removed and after being soaked, still tends to be on the salty side, so this is not a ham to choose if you don't enjoy salty food.

National Cookie Month

October is National Cookie Month in the United States.

The cookie, which is also known as a biscuit in most countries outside the United States, is a type of, usually sweet although there are some savoury variants, baked item that tends to be small and flat.

The simplest cookie ingredients are just fat, sugar, flour and eggs. This is a rather boring type, and other ingredients are usually added to the mix. Cookies are very flexible, so there are a whole range of different varieties around. Some of the more popular additions to the mix are nuts, fruit - usually dried - and chocolate. Some cookies are also filled.

To cook them, the cookies are normally baked in an oven, but this does not have to be the case, as there are no-bake recipes around. No-bake cookies tend to be made from a binder, which is melted and then mixed with the other ingredients, and then allowed to set afterwards.

National Chili Month

October is National Chili Month in the United States.

Chili, or chilli, is commonly used as a short name for the dish chili con carne, which means chili with meat.

Chilli is a spicy stew made from meat - typically, but not always, beef, and there are vegetarian options, such as five bean chilli and those made with vegetarian protein options - chilli peppers and tomatoes. Chicken and pork are also used.

The precise recipe for chilli does depend on the area, and does vary. Beans are a common ingredient, even in non-vegetarian recipes, with red kidney beans being popular. Other ingredients include spices, such as cumin, and garlic and onion, but others can be used, and there are many personal recipes for the dish.

As well as being made from scratch, chilli can also be purchased pre-made, and tinned. It can also be used in other dishes, such as in chilli burgers and chilli dogs.

Chilli can be as hot as you want it to be, from essentially unspiced to dangerous to eat. It is commonly served with nachos and rice, and cheese is a popular topping.

National Caramel Month

October is National Caramel Month in the United States.

Caramel is made by heating different types of sugars (there are several sugars) and is versatile with a range of uses. Caramel, when made, varies in consistency, as it can be anything from liquid to solid, depending on what is being made with it.

To make caramel, sugar is slowly heated to 170°C, at which point caramelisation occurs. In caramelisation, sugar molecules break down and then reform.

Caster sugar can be heated with water to make a sauce. Sugar can be made into candy by heating it with butter, milk or cream and vanilla flavouring.

Some different types of caramel are candies like pralines, nougats and brittles, or desserts such as crème caramel and crème brûlée. There are many different things that can be made, and these are only a few. Caramel can also be used in combination with other foods; chocolates are popularly filled with caramel.

National Liqueur Day

In the United States, October 16th is National Liqueur Day.

Liqueur may be very similar to liquor, at least in spelling and sometimes in pronunciation, the latter especially in the United States and Canada where the names are often pronounced in a similar fashion, but the two are different types of drinks, although both are alcoholic and, indeed, both are also distilled drinks.

Liquor is a strong distilled beverage made from various different sources. Liqueurs are distilled drinks that have then been flavoured. This can also increases the confusion, due to the increasing number of liquors, such as vodka, which are now available in flavoured forms.

Different flavourings can be added to liqueurs, such as flowers, nuts, fruits, cream, herbs and spices. They frequently have added sweeteners, such as sugar, and are therefore frequently sweet drinks. The drinks from which liqueurs are descended are herbal medicines.

One difference between liqueurs and liquor is that the former usually has a lower alcoholic content than the latter, although they are still stronger than wines and beers, but some of them do have high percentages of alcohol.

National Eat Better, Eat Healthier Month

October is National Eat Better, Eat Healthier Month in the United States.

For a variety of reasons, or diet today is not as healthier as it could, and should, be. Too many meals are eaten "on the go" rather than whilst sat down, and many are purchased from fast food restaurants, which can be high in thinks that make food taste good, but are not healthy. At home, family and evening meals are often pre-packaged meals that are then heated up at home, and these also can be high in substances that are unhealthy. Fresh fruit and vegetables are also not eaten as often as they should be.

There are ways we can try and eat better and healthier, often quite simple. Avoid buying processed and junk foods, and you avoid the additives they contain. Take a few moments to sit and enjoy your food when eating during working hours, instead of simply eating at your desk or workplace. Making your own packed lunches instead of buying pre-made and fast food can not only be healthier, it can also be cheaper.

Make batches of healthier food at home when you have free time, and then either eat it during the week, or build up a collection of homemade frozen food. Choose leaner meats, and eat more fish. Grow your own vegetables, if you have the time, ability and space to do so.

It may seem that you can't afford to take the time to eat better, but it will give you more time in the long run.

National Dessert Day

In the United States, October 14th is National Dessert Day.

Now this is a celebration day many people could get behind - one celebrating the dessert. Of course, the word dessert does cover a huge range of dishes. The dessert is the final course in a meal, usually the main meal of the day.

Dessert dishes are typically sweet, but do not have to be. They can also be referred to as the sweet course, afters or pudding. Early desserts tended to be made from natural ingredients, with honey and nut based ones popular (some of which still are, such as the baklava). Some dessert dishes are also eaten at other times of the day. For example, pastries are a popular breakfast item in many countries.

Sweet desserts tend to be, by their very nature, high in sugar, and sometimes fats, so they are often not the healthiest if dishes to consume. This is not always the case, though, as there are many dishes that can be made with fruit that tend to be healthier - although this does depend on how the fruit is served and what with.

Desserts includes pastries, ice cream, cakes, cookies, custards and pies, but are not limited to these, and there are many different sub-types.

National Yorkshire Pudding Day

October 13th is National Yorkshire Pudding Day in the US.

The Yorkshire pudding, which is also simply known as the Yorkshire, dates back to at least the early 18th century, which is when the earliest known reference to them occurs. The Yorkshire is a traditional staple of the British Sunday Lunch, and is a type of savoury popover.

The ingredients of a Yorkshire pudding are really quite simple, being only  batter made from milk, flour and eggs, although seasonings, such as salt and pepper, and water are also sometimes added. Although the ingredients are simple, it's not always as easy to get a Yorkshire to turn out the way it should, as they are supposed to rise when cooking. The batter is poured into oiled and preheated baking pans and placed in the oven. Flat Yorkshires are not what you want, and opening the oven at the wrong time can cause them to sag.

Yorkshire puddings vary in size, from miniature to giant. Mini and normal Yorkshires commonly accompany a meal, whilst giant puddings are frequently filled with other ingredients, especially gravy, and eaten as a meal, rather than as an accompaniment.

National Gumbo Day

October 12th is National Gumbo Day in the United States.

Gumbo apparently first came from southern Louisiana in the 18th century, and is still strongly associated with that region, and New Orleans, and is the official cuisine of the state. There are different verities of gumbo available; the original is known as the Creole variety, as they first cooked it. The dish draws on the cuisines of France, Spain Africa and the Native Americans, with Italian and German influences.

So, what is gumbo? Well, it's basically a sort of stew. A stock, which can come from different sources, then has meat or shellfish added to it, thickener, and various seasonings, as well as vegetables that are also used for seasoning such as onions, bell peppers and celery.

A wide variety of different main components of the dish can be used, such as crab and shrimp for shellfish, and chicken, rabbit, duck and even alligator for meat. Beef and pork are rarely used, though, other than as sausages. The dish is often simmered for some time before eating. Depending on the ingredients, the dish can cover a gamut of costs for preparation, from cheap to expensive.

National Sausage Pizza Day

October 11th is National Sausage Pizza Day in the United States.

Pizza is always a popular dish and there are a whole range of toppings that can be put on them if you desire. Practically anything, in fact, although some are more popular than others - and there are always some toppings that people will think are a horrible idea.

Today the topping is sausage (usually with the other standards, such as cheese and tomato), which is apparently a topping strongly linked with the Chicago pizza.

The sausage topping is not what people in some other countries, such as the UK, would consider to be a sausage, even though they technically are. Rather than the traditional British sausage, a sausage pizza tends to use those of other countries. Consequently, this type of pizza in the UK would be more commonly known by such names as pepperoni and salami, rather than sausage, so anyone expecting to get an old fashioned banger on this pizza is probably going to be disappointed. Not that you couldn't use such as a topping if you wanted to.

National Angel Food Cake Day

National Angel Food Cake Day is on October 10th in the United States.

Angel food cake is so named because of how light it is, which made it "food of the angels". The cake is an American variant of the sponge cake that dates back to the late 19th century, when the first recipes were being published in cookbooks. This apparently included the first cookbook by a Black American woman.

The cake is made from egg whites, which are whipped until they are stiff, with cream of tartar added to the mix. The rest of the ingredients are then folded in, which in a basic cake is just flour, preferably wheat. The resulting cake then has a very light texture, as there is no fat used in the standard recipe. The cake is usually cooked in a specific angel food cake pan, which has a tube in the centre.

Once the cake is baked, it may then be covered in such things as a frosting, glaze or a fruit sauce. Some modern chefs have added spices to the mix.

National Moldy Cheese Day

October 9th is National Moldy Cheese Day.

Now, this is one day that could probably have been better named. Calling it mouldy cheese just isn't that appealing, even if it is accurate.

The reason it's accurate is because an awful lot of cheeses have mould in them. These moulds are deliberately added to the cheese, either before or after the cheese itself is aged. Originally, these moulds were present in the aging room, but with modern cheeses they are added from previously prepared cultures. Using these cultures means that the end result is more consistent.

The most distinctive mouldy cheeses are the blue cheeses, but mould is present in others, even if it isn't noticeable, as some moulds may be the same colour as the cheese. In a blue cheese, distinctive veins of mould pattern the cheese, and tend to give it a stronger taste. The effect on the flavour of the cheese does vary, but most blues are quite strong.

Stilton cheese, which should properly be referred to as Blue Stilton, as there is also a white variety, is a well known mouldy cheese and has a protected designation of origin, meaning that cheese called that may only be produced in the English counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. The distinctive blue veins in Blue Stilton are caused by the crust of the cheese being pierced with needles, which allows air to enter.

Mouldy Cheese Day

October 8th is Mouldy Cheese Day in the United States.

This doesn't sound the best day to celebrate; however, it isn't celebrating cheese that has gone mouldy in the fridge. Mould can be important in the cheese-making process, but cheese that has gone off is another thing entirely.

This day is instead celebrating cheese that is distinctively and intentionally mouldy, most of which is known as blue cheese.

The term blue cheese is a generic name for what is actually a wide range of different cheeses that are made with cow's, goat's and sheep's milk. Blue cheese has had a mold culture, Penicillium, introduced so that it ends up with a distinctive mottled or veined appearance.

Whilst it varies from cheese to cheese, blue cheese tends to have a strong taste and smell. Some of the more well known blues around are Stilton, Danish Blue, Gorgonzola and Roquefort, but it is possible to convert many base cheeses into blues by adding mould to them when they are made.

National Fluffer Nutter Day

National Fluffer Nutter Day is on October 8th in the United States.

Now, this is one that is unlikely to be known of by many outside the US. The name just by itself is rather peculiar. What it is is a sandwich that is similar to the classic American one of peanut butter & jelly.

This sandwich is normally made from white bread. One piece of bread is spread with peanut butter of a preferred type, whether crunchy or smooth. The other piece is spread with marshmallow creme. The two slices are then placed together to make the sandwich, which is also referred to as a fluffernutter.

Marshmallow creme is a spreadable marshmallow-like creme that comes in different flavours. One particular brand of the marshmallow creme is Marshmallow Fluff, which may well be the oldest type, although the recipe has probably been changed in the interim. The sandwich itself dates back to around the First World War, but the name itself did not come about until later in the century, when it was invented to help sell more product.

National Frappe Day

October 7th is National Frappe Day in the United States.

Frappés (when referring to the coffee drink, not the New England milkshake) are the in thing these days, especially from shops such as Starbucks and even fast food chains like McDonalds, and the name is French in origin, but the Greeks are credited with creating it back in 1957. The name frappé normally means to hit, but in this context it means chilled.

Frappés are a type of iced coffee that is covered with foam and is normally made from instant coffee. They were apparently invented by accident at the International Trade Fair in Thessaloniki, when the representative of Nestlé, unable to find any hot water to make his coffee, instead mixed it with cold water and ice cubes in a shaker.

Outside of Greece, the frappé tends to be made with espresso coffee. In the United States, the name is used to refer quite a few drinks, some of which are frozen and some of which are just chilled. Some varieties do not even contain coffee. The frappucino is a common variant, and is a trademark of Starbucks. Some of the drinks use milk instead of water, and flavoured varieties are also quite common.

National Noodle Day

In the United States October 6th is National Noodle Day.

The word "noodle" covers a wide range of different foods. They are predominately made from an unleavened dough which is then made into different shapes. Noodles are quite an old dish, with the earliest traces dating back over 4,000 years in China.

The dough used to make noodles can use a number of different primary ingredients, such as wheat, rice and eggs. Many different Eastern cuisines use noodles in their cooking, and they have been a staple in Chinese cooking for centuries.

In British English, the term noodle is usually used to refer to long, thin shapes (not dissimilar to spaghetti). In US English the term is used more generally, and can be used to mean different shapes.

Noodles are often dried for ease of storage, although they can be bought and made fresh, and, although often cooked by boiling, they can also be fried. Many stir fry dishes use noodles in them.

In some ways noodles are similar to pasta.

National Apple Betty Day

October 5th is National Apple Betty Day in the United States.

Apple Bettys are, not surprisingly, a type of betty, but what actually are bettys themselves?

Apple bettys are also referred to as brown bettys, and apple brown bettys. They are a type of American dessert which is most commonly made using apples, but sometimes with other fruits such as pears and berries.

The betty is similar to a cobbler, in that it is made with sweetened crumbs. The apples in the betty are baked, and there are layers of the sweetened crumbs between layers of the apples. Once cooked, the dessert is commonly served with whipped cream or lemon sauce.

There are many different types of apples, but for baked desserts such as this it is common to use those varieties referred to as cooking apples, such as the Bramley.

National Taco Day

October 4th is National Taco Day in the United States.

Tacos are a type of versatile Mexican dish. A tortilla, which is a thin flatbread and can be made from either corn or wheat flour, is folded or wrapped around a variety of different fillings. The tortilla itself can also come in different varieties. The taco can be made with a hard shell, which is usually a pre-fabricated shell made from a taco that has been folded over into a U-shape and crisp fried, a soft shell, which is, naturally, softer and crispy tacos where the tortillas are fried. The taco concept is an old one, pre-dating European interaction with the New World.

Inside the taco are added the various ingredients. Popular ones include vegetables, meat (beef, pork and chicken are popular), seafood and cheese. The taco can then be garnished with a variety of dishes such as salsa, lettuce and guacamole, and other items such as jalapeño peppers.

Tacos are a common convenience food, as they are intended to be eaten without cutlery. Stands selling them as well as fast food chain restaurants are consequently common in some places.

National Caramel Custard Day

National Caramel Custard Day falls on October 3rd in the United States.

Those outside of the US may not be familiar by this dish under this name, but may have come across it under two other common names for the dessert - flan (in Spanish and derived usage) and crème caramel.

This is a custard based dessert that is made in a mould. Sugar syrup (a mixture of sugar and water) is heated to the caramel stage and is poured into the mould first. Then, the custard itself, which is made from a mixture of egg yolk and either cream or milk, is poured on top of the caramel. The dish is then cooked by steaming, such as in a bain-marie or in a water bath in an oven. Once cooked, the finished dessert is turned over and removed from the mould so that the caramel is on the top.

The caramel itself is soft, rather than hard. The dish is comparatively easy to prepare in large quantities in advance, which resulted in it being very common in European restaurants for a time. The dish is quite delicate once cooked, so needs to be treated with care to avoid damaging it.

National Fried Scallops Day

October 2nd is National Fried Scallops Day in the United States.

Scallops are a type of bivalve (a laterally compressed body which is in a shell made from two parts that are connected by a hinge) mollusc. They are a saltwater mollusc that is found in oceans in the wild, but they are often farmed. The scallop shell is very distinctive, and prized since ancient times, with some religious significance attached, and have often been used as a motif in various things.

The scallop flesh is divided into two main parts. The adductor is the white, meaty portion, and the roe, or coral, is soft and either red or white. In the US in particular, scallops are commonly sold without the roe. There are a range of species that are all referred to as scallops, and these can range widely in size.

This day celebrates a rather specific way of cooking scallops - frying them. Of course, there are many different types of frying. The scallops could be battered or bread crumbed before frying, or alternatively they could be shallow fried in oil without any coating. Shallow frying, rather than deep frying in bread crumbs, does tend to be a healthier way of preparing them.

World Vegetarian Day

October 1st is World Vegetarian Day.

This isn't merely a national day, it's a world day. So, what is vegetarianism?

Firstly, there are many different types of vegetarianism. In general, it is the practice of avoiding the consumption of meat, but there are different types. The name is believed to, logically, come from the world vegetable, although there are claims that it actually comes from the Latin vegetus meaning lively, vigorous.

There are many reasons for not eating meat. Some are religious, some object to the consumption of sentient life and some are health based. The meat avoided is red meat, poultry, seafood and any other animal flesh. This can include any animal by-products.

Some different types of vegetarianism are as follows:

Ovo-vegetarians also eat eggs.

Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products.

Ovo-lacto vegetarians eat dairy and eggs.

Vegans avoid any animal by-products whatsoever, which includes things that are definitely not meat such as honey.

Some people have a forced vegetarian diet, simply because there isn't any meat available. In such cases, this is not true vegetarianism, as they will eat meat if it is available - anyone in such a position cannot afford to turn down valuable protein.

Protein is a problem with the vegetarian diet. Soya is a common substitute, in things like tofu, but this has a problem as the farming of soya has caused massive devastation to the Amazon rainforest. Quorn, which uses fungus, is a better product.