National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day

November 9th is National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day in the United States.

The fried chicken sandwich is usually a piece of boneless, skinless chicken breast served as a sandwich. It can be served in bread, in a roll or in a bun. In a fried chicken sandwich, the chicken is, of course, fried; this will normally be in some sort of crumb or batter. The chicken piece is often served with other items; salad, pickles and mayonnaise are common additions. Chicken sandwiches are often associated with fast food restaurants; most places that sell burgers will also sell chicken sandwiches as an alternative, and then there are those restaurants that specialise in chicken. The American chain Chick-fil-A claims to have invented the fried chicken sandwich in the 1940s, though this is unsubstantiated. They are the fast food restaurant who are most likely to have introduced a fried chicken sandwich.

Image: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

National Harvey Wallbanger Day

November 8th is National Harvey Wallbanger Day in the United States.

The Harvey Wallbanger is a cocktail that was apparently invented in 1952, though the earliest known reference to it only dates back to 1971, making it a comparatively recent cocktail. Though it was believed to have been created by world champion mixologist Donato "Duke" Antone, this is by no means certain.

The cocktail is served in a highball glass (an 8-12 fl oz glass tumbler). The standard constituents of it are 3 parts (45ml) vodka to 1 part (15ml) Galliano (a sweet herbal liqueur) to 6 parts (90ml) fresh orange juice. The vodka and orange juice is stirred together with ice in the glass, then the Galliano is floated on the top. The drink is normally garnished with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

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National Pupusa Day

The second Sunday of November is National Pupusa Day in El Salvador.

The pupusa was declared the national dish of El Salvador in 2005. It is a thick flatbread or griddle cake from El Salvador and Honduras; both countries claim to be the birthplace of the dish. They have been linked to the Pipil tribes that lived in the region now known as El Salvador and items associated with their cooking have been found dating back 2,000 years; Honduran etymologists say the Pipil language is close enough to Nahuatl that the Honduran Nahua could have created the dish.

The pupusa is stuffed with one or more ingredients including such as refried beans, squash, cheese and chicharrón, and is usually accompanied by a tomato salsa and curtido, a spicy cabbage slaw. Variations can be found in other countries using different flour and ingredients.

Image: JMRAFFi, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

National Hot Sauce Day

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

Hot sauces are spicy condiments, sauces and seasonings that use chilli peppers as one of their primary ingredients. They are also known as pepper sauces and chilli sauces. In the U.S., commercial hot sauces are graded according to their quality, which criterion includes flavour, absence of defects, consistency, colouration and character.

Hot sauces are strongly associated with the U.S., but they are also common in other countries of the Americas and the Caribbean. Outside the Americas, they are most common in the United Kingdom and Australia. There is a specific scale for measuring the heat of a hot sauce, known as the Scoville scale. Tabasco sauce is rather at only 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units, making it one of the mildest commercially available sauces around. One of the hottest is Blair's 16 Million Reserve, and the Scoville scale only goes up to 16 million units.

Image: Veganbaking.net from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

National Breadstick Day

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October 30th is National Breadstick Day in the United States.

The breadstick is a type of bread that originated it Italy, and it is also knows as grissini, grissino or dipping sticks. They are believed to have originated in the 17th century, which is when the first references to it are known. The breadstick is a thin piece of dried bread, similar in some respects to the pencil. They can come in long versions or sometimes smaller, bite-sized pieces. Breadsticks are often served as an appetiser, and frequently with some sort of dip.

National Chicken Fried Steak Day

National Chicken Fried Steak Day is on October 26th in the United States.

Chicken fried steak, which may also be known as country-fried steak, is a dish that is often associated with Southern cuisine. The dish may sound odd to those unfamiliar with it; it may sound even odder when it's discovered that it doesn't use chicken.

This is a breaded cutlet dish, similar to the Wiener schnitzel, which consists of steak, commonly cube steak, that is coated with seasoned flour and pan-fried. The technique used for cooking it is commonly associated with chicken, which is where the name comes from; it isn't fried with chicken, but like chicken.

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World Pasta Day

October 25th is World Pasta Day.

Pasta is a food commonly associated with Italian cuisine but has definitely spread to other countries. It is made from an unleavened dough that is mixed with water or eggs, that is then formed into sheets or other shapes. It is in the other shapes that pasta comes into its own, for there are over 310 specific forms called by over 1,300 names. Pasta is often served with a sauce, and this sauce may be an important part of the dish. Many types of pasta are stuffed with a wide range of foods; vegetables, meat and cheese being common. Pasta normally comes in two primary varieties, dry and fresh. Dry pasta is a useful staple food as it keeps a long time.

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Eat Better, Eat Together Month

October is Eat Better, Eat Together Month in the United States.

There are two separate components to this, though the second aids the first. Eating better is eating healthier food; less junk food, fast food, take away food and snacks and more fruit and vegetables is a good start. Eating together is eating with your family or friends on a regular basis. There is some evidence that eating together can help improve lifestyle, not just by eating better, but helping with social skills and behaviour.

World Food Day

October 16th is World Food Day.

Food may be enjoyable but, beyond that, it's also essential to life and many around the world still lack sufficient quantities to survive and thrive. World Food Day is an international day that commemorates the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. The aim of the day is to raise awareness of poverty and hunger and, since 1981, each day has had a theme. Countries around the world have also had different ways of observing the day.

National Cheese Curd Day

October 15th is National Cheese Curd Day in the United States.

This is a commercial day, for it was created by a fast food chain called Culver's in 2015. Cheese curds are moist pieces of curdled milk that can be eaten alone or with other dishes. They are popular in Quebec and parts of the United States. Cheese curds are made from pasteurised milk whilst creating cheese. A mixture of whey and curd is then cooked and pressed to release the whey from the curd; what remains is the cheese curd. Cheese curds have a similar firmness to cheese but a different texture and have a tendency to squeak when eaten, and are sometimes called "squeaky cheese." Cheese curds can be eaten fresh or fried.

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National M&M Day

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October 13th is National M&M Day in the United States.

This is definitely one of the more commercialised days, as M&M's are a type of candy, or sweet, made by Mars. M&M's were, originally, a small piece of button shaped chocolate covered in a hard shell that now comes in a variety of colours. M&M's have the letter "M" printed on them and now includes similar products such as chocolate covered peanuts.

M&M's are not originally an American creation. They are based on the British Smarties; chocolate covered in a hard shell to prevent it from melting. Smarties in one form or another, and one name or another, have been around since at least 1882. Mars took the idea and, in 1941, made the very similar M&M; the branding was added to it later. British soldiers were seen eating Smarties and, indeed, the biggest initial customer for M&M's was the U.S. Army, as they were a way to allow soldiers to carry chocolate into tropical climates without melting.

National Pulled Pork Day

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October 12th is National Pulled Pork Day in the United States.

This dish is an American barbecue dish at its base, associated with the American South. It can be slow-smoked over wood, normally outside, but it is most commonly cooked inside using a slow cooker. It is a very simple dish; the pork is slowly cooked until it starts to fall apart, then manually shredded, often just by pulling it apart with a fork. For the pork to reach the proper stage for "pulling" it must be cooked at the correct temperature range. Though a simple dish, it is also time consuming, as the cooking process requires hours. Once cooked, pulled pork is often used with a sauce. It is sometimes eaten on its own, but it is also used as an ingredient in other dishes; as sandwich filling, for example, or as a topping on burgers or hot dogs.

National Cake Decorating Day

October 10th is National Cake Decorating Day in the United States.

Cake decorating is the process of making a cake more interesting. It is a sugar art that uses icing, frosting or other decorative elements, though it can also be applied to moulding the cake itself into a three-dimensional item, which would normally then be decorated.

Cake decorations can be purchased in shops as food-safe plastic, but true cake decorations will be made from edible material. These can be made from gum paste, fondant and modelling chocolate, which are sculpted into shape. Piped decorations will be made using royal icing, which is pied directly onto a cake or onto something like greaseproof paper for later attachment using an icing bag.

Decorated cakes are most commonly seen for special occasions, with birthdays being one, though the most elaborately decorated cakes are usually seen at weddings. A whole range of decorations from simple to complex can be used to enhance the visual appeal of a cake.

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National Vodka Day

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

Vodka is a clear distilled alcoholic drink that is made from fermented substances, such as potatoes and grains. Cereal grains are the traditional source, but potatoes became a recent alternative. More modern vodkas may be made with fruit.

Vodka is commonly associated with Russia, but it is prevalent in other Eastern European countries, especially Poland. Scandinavia is also a source of vodka, although, for example, Swedish vodka only started being called that in the mid-twentieth century.

It is not known precisely when or where vodka originated. It appears to have been around in what is now Russia in the 9th century, but may date back to 8th century Poland. Vodka is a fairly strong spirit. In the European Union, vodka has to be over 37.5% proof in order to be called vodka. Vodka is drunk neat and, in countries known as the vodka belt, vodka is served freezer chilled, though this is a custom that has migrated to other countries too.

Vodka is usually clear, and is a common ingredient in cocktails. There has been a recent growth in commercially available flavoured vodkas, although vodka has been flavoured for years to improve its taste.

National Crunchy Taco Day

Renee Comet (photographer) / Public domain

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

Tacos are a traditional Mexican dish in which a small wheat or corn tortilla is topped with a filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and eaten by hand. Tacos can have a wide range of fillings, including meat, vegetables, seafood and cheese, and combinations of several ingredients are common. These are then garnished with such as sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Chillies and hot peppers are common accompaniments.

Crunchy tacos are perhaps the type that many are most familiar with; these have the tortillas folded into a U-shape and are fried, making them hard and crunchy, as opposed to the soft tacos. Soft tacos are wrapped around the fillings; crunchy tacos are stuffed with the filling.

National Cinnamon Roll Day

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National Cinnamon Roll Day is on October 4th in the United States.

The cinnamon roll, known by a number of other names such as cinnamon buns, is a sweet roll common in Northern Europe, especially Scandinavia, and North America. Like most such dishes, it has migrated to other countries. The roll is made from a sheet of leavened dough that is rolled up. A mixture of cinnamon and sugar is sprinkled onto the pastry, over a thin layer of butter, sometimes with raisins. This is then rolled and either baked or deep fried. Depending on the country, a cinnamon roll is eaten during a coffee break, for breakfast or as a dessert.

The amount of cinnamon used in the roll can alter the taste significantly. Cinnamon buns in Canada have so much of the spice that they are hot and spicy, rather than sweet.

National Homemade Cookies Day

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October 1st is National Homemade Cookies Day in the United States.

Cookies, or biscuits as they are known in much of the world, are a baked food that is normally small, round or flat, though there are variations; some cookies are giant. They come in a wide range of varieties, though the basics are typically flour, sugar and some type of oil or fat; the sugar cookie is an example of the most basic type of cookie there is. Cookies are easily purchased from the shops, but there is nothing to say you can't bake them yourself though, and baking at home will spread a lovely smell throughout your house. You can also make a cookie that contains just the ingredients you want.

Cookies can be easy to make, or as complicated as you want them to be. The basic recipe is very simply, but more can be added. If they aren't as perfect as shop-bought, so what?

International Coffee Day

October 1st is International Coffee Day.

Coffee is a drink that is brewed, usually using near-boiling water, from roasted coffee beans. Ripe beans are harvested, processed and dried, which are then ground and brewed. Coffee is a stimulant, due to its caffeine content, and can be served in a number of different ways. Different items can be added to it, from milk and cream to reduce the bitterness of the drink, to flavourings.

Though coffee is normally served hot, it can also be served chilled or iced. Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, yet it is also one of the newer ones. It is more recent than tea, dating back only five hundred years compared to tea's close to 1700 years, and thousands of years newer than alcoholic drinks such as beer.

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National Drink Beer Day

Jordi coll costa / Public domain

September 28th is National Drink Beer Day in the United States.

Yet another day that celebrates the most popular alcoholic drink in the world, far more popular than the second, wine, and the third most popular drink after water and tea, and does water really count? It is also one of the oldest drinks in the world, dating back over 13,000 years.

Beer is made by brewing different types of cereal grains, with malted barley being the most common, though there are many other types used and the most popular type can vary by country. Beer, as an alcoholic drink, has many social uses, from a friendly pint down the pub to entire festivals. Of course, being alcoholic, it can also have negative effects, so is best consumed in moderation.

Beer can come in a wide range of flavours, colours and strengths, even though the pale yellow variety, typically lager, is one of the most common.

Better Breakfast Day

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September 26th is Better Breakfast Day in the United States.

Breakfast is sometimes called the most important meal of the day and all too often, due to a hectic life, it's neglected, eaten on the run and frequently unhealthy food that can be easily picked up and eaten. Rather than having some sort of pre-packaged snack food for breakfast, a quick drink of something or fast food or a pastry picked up from a coffee shop or store, it can be a better idea to eat something more nutritious and, quite often, cheaper. Doing so may require more planning, due to a hectic life, but stop and eat something better for you.

National Dumpling Day

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September 26th is National Dumpling Day in the United States.

Dumplings come in many different types and forms from many different countries around the world. It is a term that broadly classifies a dish made from piece of dough (which is made from different starch sources) that either do or don't have a filling. Bread, flour and potatoes are the common doughs used and fillings can include fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and cheese as well as sweet items. Dumplings can be boiled, baked, friend, steamed or simmered.

There are too many different types of dumpling to list individually, but they can range from unfilled ones added to soups and stews to sweet ones served with dessert sauces. Dumplings can be heavy and filling, to comparatively light. As well as dumplings specific to countries, and those who originally hailed from them, other dumplings cover regions and can be found in countries across those regions.

National Lobster Day

September 25th is National Lobster Day in the United States.

Lobsters are large crustaceans that are a common, and often expensive, form of seafood. Even though lobster is now an expensive food, prior to the mid-19th century in America it was considered to be a poverty food and was often served to servants - to the degree that some servants had contracts stating they wouldn't eat lobster more than twice per week. It is also a taboo food for some religions.

Outside of that, lobsters are now considered to be a luxury food and are often served boiled or steamed in their shell. Diners are provided special tools used to crack open the lobsters, which can be eaten with melted butter and lemon juice. There are other ways of eating lobster too; lobster Thermidor and lobster Newburg are two such.

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German Sandwich Day

The last Friday of September is German Sandwich Day.

This is a German holiday and its proper name is Tag des Deutschen Butterbrotes (The Day of German Sandwiches, though "Butterbrot" literally means "Buttered Bread).

Butterbrot, or bread with butter, refers to a single slice of bread that has commonly has a single ingredient on top of the butter or margarine. This can be sweet or savoury; sweet items would be topped with such a hazelnut spread, honey, jam or marmalade for example. Savoury sandwiches would normally be topped with something like cold meat, sliced Wurst or cream cheese. The bread used tends to be firmer German breads such as sourdough.

German sandwiches do differ from the British sandwich; in other countries, this type of sandwich would be called an open sandwich, though would often have more ingredients.

Image: flickr user cervus aus Schwedt, Germany / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

National Cooking Day

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National Cooking Day is on September 25th in the United States.

This day is, naturally, about cooking. Cooking is defined as the science, craft and art of using heat to prepare food for consumption, and therefore covers a wide range of different foods.

The day is a good time to learn something new to cook, because cooking is something that is done regularly anyway.

National Ice Cream Cone Day

September 22nd is National Ice Cream Cone Day in the United States.

The ice cream cone, or cornet, covers a range of what are technically pastries made into the shape of a cone. They are normally made of a wafer that is similar to a waffle, and come in a number of different types, including chocolate covered, double cones and those with flat bottoms that enable the cone to be stood upright (and are therefore not cones).

Cones are used as a way to eat ice cream, without using a bowl and a spoon, in a way that can be held. The idea of cones dates back to the beginning of the 19th century, when ice cream itself tended to be rare, but edible cones were patented at the very beginning of the 20th century. Today, ice cream cones are a staple of the ice cream industry, and some ice creams, such as the Cornetto, come as a pre-filled cone.

Ice cream cones can be filled with any type of ice cream and are often topped with other items, such as sweet sauces, hundreds and thousands and flakes.

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National Queso Day

Wackyrussell at English Wikipedia / Public domain

September 20th is National Queso Day in the United States.

Queso is Spanish for cheese but in this case it's an abbreviation for chile con queso, rather than celebrating cheese itself. Chile con queso means chili with cheese and is a cheese dip that is part of Tex-Mex cuisine. It is derived from Queso chihuahua and Queso flameado from the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

Chili con queso is a creamy sauce that is used for dipping. It's made from a blend of melted cheeses, chili peppers and cream and its most basic, but it can have other ingredients added too. The dish is served warm and, most commonly with tortilla chips, pita chips or tortillas. It is also used to top many other Tex-Mex dishes, including tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas and migas.

National Pepperoni Pizza Day

September 20th is National Pepperoni Pizza Day in the United States.

Pizza itself is an Italian dish that consists of a base, usually round, flattened and made from wheat-based dough, that can be topped with a range of toppings. Most pizzas use cheese and tomato as the basic toppings, called the cheese pizza or margherita, but others can be added.

The pepperoni pizza is more of a U.S. creation than an Italian one, and in the U.S., it is often called a sausage pizza. Outside the U.S., this is less typical, for "sausage" is not a term used to describe pepperoni. Pepperoni is an American salami that is made from cured pork and beef and seasoned with paprika or other chilli pepper. For a pepperoni pizza, the salami is sliced thinly.

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National Rum Punch Day

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September 20th is National Rum Punch Day in the US.

Punch is a term for a wide range of drinks. These can be alcoholic, or non-, depending on what ingredients are used. Rum punch is, naturally, one of the alcoholic variants.

The name "punch" comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "five" as the original drink was made with five ingredients: sugar, lemon, water, alcohol and either tea or spices. Modern punches tend to use fruit and/or fruit juice when made. The drink came from India to England, and then spread to other countries from there. It is quite a popular party drink, where it is served in large bowls known as punch bowls, where guests have the drink ladled into individual glasses.

There are a number of different popular varieties of rum punch available. All use rum, naturally, but the type of rum and the other ingredients vary. Two of the oldest known rum punch recipes are Planter's and Bajan. Planter's tends to contain rum, pineapple juice, lemon juice, grenadine, orange juice, soda water, Angostura bitters, cayenne pepper and curaçao. Bajan, or Barbadian, uses one part of lime juice to two parts sweetener to three parts rum and four parts water, with a dash of nutmeg and Angostura bitters.

National Creme de Menthe Day

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September 15th is National Creme de Menthe Day in the United States.

Crème de menthe is an alcoholic beverage whose name translates from the French as "mint cream." It therefore, not surprisingly, tastes of mint. The drink is available in both colourless (which is called "white") and green varieties, with the green drink coloured either using mint leaves or food colouring. Each has a very similar flavour and, when used in recipes, they are considered interchangeable, unless colour is important.

The drink is used in a number of different cocktails, but can also be consumed by itself, as it is popular as an after-dinner drink (as other minty things are). It can also be used in food as a flavouring, such as mint chocolate. It is comparatively easy to make at home.

National Beer Lovers Day

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September 7th is National Beer Lovers Day in the United States.

Yet another day celebrating the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world, beer. Indeed, beer is one of the most popular drinks. Or, rather, more those who drink beer than the drink itself.

Beer is one of the oldest drinks in the world as well and it comes in an enormous range of types, colours and strengths. One of the oldest writings in the world, the Code of Hammurabi, have laws regulating beer and serving it.

Beer is made from cereal grains, with many different types of grain used, which are fermented to create alcohol and carbonation. Other ingredients may also be added to give beer different flavours. Today, beer has three measurements to classify it; bitterness, colour and strength.

Blueberry Popsicle Day

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September 2nd is National Blueberry Popsicle Day in the United States.

Yes, another popsicle day. Blueberries, despite their name, are not so much blue as indigo (between blue and violet). Blueberries that are bought commercially come from species that are native to eastern and north-central North America. Blueberries were for years, and sometimes still are, handpicked, especially the more delicate varieties. Another method of "picking" them is by simply shaking the plant. Blueberries are a sweet fruit and are, unlike so many fruits called berries, actually a berry in the botanical sense.

A blueberry popsicle is an ice lolly or ice pop, which are flavoured ice on a stick, flavoured with blueberries. Although they may not have much actual blueberry in them. Popsicles themselves are actually a brand of ice pop owned by Good Humor-Breyers. However, the name popsicle has become more of a generic name for ice pops than one associated with a particular company.

World Coconut Day

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September 2nd is World Coconut Day.

Coconuts are the fruit of the coconut palm and, like many things with "nut" in the name are not nuts, being drupes. The coconut is one of the larger drupes around and is covered in a fibrous husk whose outermost layer, coir, has a wide range of uses, such as ropes, mats, brushes, sacking and caulking.

Coconuts contain coconut meat, which is a white, fleshy part of the fruit that is used in candies and desserts and is also used dried. Coconut milk is obtained by pressing the coconut meat that can be used to create a number of beverages. Coconut water is the liquid found inside the coconuts and is drunk and turned into a vinegar. Coconut oil is used in cooking. There are various derivatives from the various parts of the coconut.

Almost every part of the coconut can be used in some way and it has significant economic value.

National Red Wine Day

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August 28th is National Red Wine Day in the United States.

Red wine is wine that has been made from dark coloured grapes. The colour of the wine can vary a lot, with that of young wines being violet through brick red and to brown for older wines. The colour comes from the skins of the grape in most cases, as the juice of purple grapes is greenish white; the exception being teinturier varieties which produce a red juice. There are dozens of different grape varieties used to make red wine.

Traditionally, red wines are drunk at room temperature, though the coolest room of the house, not the room where they are drunk, not chilled, though it is becoming more common to chill red wines, especially those that are highly aromatic.

National Whiskey Sour Day

National Whiskey Sour Day falls on the 25th of August in the United States.

Whisky, or whiskey (the first is the British spelling, the second the American, but in the trade the former normally refers to Scotch and the latter to Irish) is a distilled drink made from fermented grain mash. There is no-one type of grain that is used to make whisky; several different varieties are used. The drink is normally aged after distillation. There are many regional verities of whisky, which can be called by different names, such as bourbon.

A whiskey sour is a drink that uses whisky as its base. Different types of whiskeys can be used - bourbon is apparently popular - but a pure whiskey drinker (the type who objects to adulterating the taste with ice, for example, never mind anything else) would probably be horrified by the idea of using a really good whisky to make this drink.

To the whiskey is added lemon juice and sugar. In a Boston Sour, egg white is also added. The drink is shaken, and then either served straight or poured over ice, and then garnished with a maraschino cherry and a slice of orange. The standard mix is 4.5 cl of bourbon to 3 cl of fresh lemon juice to 1.5 cl of Gomme syrup (where the sugar comes from) and the optional dash of egg white.

National Cuban Sandwich Day

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August 23rd is National Cuban Sandwich Day in the US.

The Cuban sandwich is a type of ham and cheese sandwich whose precise origins are uncertain, but which is thought to have most likely originated in cafes in Key West or Tampa in Florida that catered to Cuban workers. Both locations were centred around the cigar industry. It's thought that, later, Cubans then brought the sandwich to Miami.

The ingredients may vary, but all Cuban sandwiches start with Cuban bread, a white bread similar to French and Italian bread. This is sliced lengthways, lightly buttered or brushed with olive oil and then yellow mustard. Swiss cheese, roast pork, glazed ham and sliced dill pickles are then added. There is a disagreement as to whether or not to add salami. The sandwich can then be toasted in a sandwich press called a plancha, which is similar in form to a panini press.

World Plant Milk Day

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August 22nd is World Plant Milk Day.

Plant milk is pretty much what it sounds like; it's a milk substitute made using plants, rather than coming from animals. It is a non-dairy alternative to normal milk and is suitable for vegans and those who have a problem with dairy products.

Plant milk is not a new invention. There was as North African drink that came to Spain before 1000 AD and in English the word "milk" has been used to refer to plant juices that are similar to milk since 1200 AD.

A number of different plants are used to make plant milk, with soy, coconut (which actually contains a plant milk inside the shell) and almond being the most common. Just like normal milk, plant milk can be used to make cream, cheese, ice cream and yoghurt, or substances similar to these.

National Fajita Day

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National Fajita Day is on August 18th in the United States.

The fajita is a dish found in Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisine that refers to any type of grilled meat that is served as a taco in either a flour or corn tortilla, though there are many alternatives. Though the dish originally used skirt steak, since then other cuts of beef have been used, as well as other meats, such as chicken, vegetables and seafood, especially prawns.

The filling will often be cooked with onions and bell peppers and the result is then served on a warm tortilla with other ingredients. Popular additional ingredients are grated cheese, shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, diced tomatoes and refried beans. The ingredients will be arranged down the centre of the tortilla, which will then be roiled up into a wrap.

National Rum Day

The 16th August is National Rum Day in the United States.

The "modern" drink called rum dates back to the 17th century, but its precursors date back much further; thousands of years is an estimate.

Rum is a distilled (the first product of alcoholic fermentation is then distilled to create a much stronger drink by removing much of the water) alcoholic drink with its origins in sugarcane. It is either produced from the juice of the sugarcane, or from sugarcane by-products. Sugarcane is a species of grass that is actually native to South Asia, despite its' association with the Caribbean. The stalks of sugarcane are rich in sugar.

Rum was first made in the Caribbean sugarcane plantations - the sugarcane having being transplanted there to grow - and today much of the rum is still produced in that region and in Latin America, but it is also produced in many other countries and regions around the world, especially those with a similar climate.

Rum comes id different varieties, but it is difficult to precisely determine what rum is, as this depends on the country in question. The more common varieties are probably those called light, or white (a clear liquid) and dark, which are red, black or brown. There are also gold rums, which are lighter than dark rums, and rums with other things added to them.

Rum has some strong associations, such as Bacardi, who produce white rum, and with the British Royal Navy, for whom a tot of navy rum was given as a daily ration in place of French brandy in the 17th century, as Britain had seized control of Jamaica, a rum-producing island.

International Beer Day

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The first Friday in August is International Beer Day.

International Beer Day was created in 2007 by Jesse Avshalomov in Santa Cruz, California. The day has three stated aims: gathering with friends to enjoy the taste of beer, celebrate those who brew and serve beer and united the world under the banner of beer by celebrating beers from all nations. From being celebrated at the founders' local bar it has since spread around the world.

Beer itself is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the world, with earliest evidence of its existence dating back 13,000 years, and is the most widely consumed, being the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. Beer is brewed from cereal grains and most modern beers are brewed with hops that add bitterness and act as a natural preservative and stabilising agent. Other flavourings may also be added. Beer is available in a wide range of types.

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

Procsilas Moscas / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

August 4th is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day in the United States.

Chocolate chip cookies are drop cookies that have chocolate chips in them. They were created in 1938 when Ruth Graves Whitfield added chopped pieces from a chocolate bar into a cookie. Semi-sweet - a type of dark - chocolate is most commonly used.

At the time, Wakefield owned the Toll House Inn - the chocolate chip cookies were named after the restaurant. It is often said that Wakefield added the chocolate chips to the cookie dough, expecting them to melt, but was surprised when they didn't. However, it is said that this claim that they were accidentally invented is inaccurate; that she intended to try them this way as an experiment.

Today, bags of chocolate chips sold in the U.S. and Canada will normally have a variation of the original recipe printed on them.

National Mustard Day

National Mustard Day is celebrated on the first Saturday in August, making it a literal moveable feast.

Mustard can refer to the condiment or the spice, and this day celebrates the condiment, rather than the spice (mustard seeds), even though the condiment is made from the spice. It uses the seeds of the mustard plant, which can be whole, ground, cracked or bruised, which are then mixed with such as vinegar, water, lemon juice, wine, salt and frequently other flavourings or spices. There are a lot of different variations in mustard from many different countries. Some are quite mild; others are definitely not. The consistency of mustard can also vary, from thin enough to squirt from a bottle to thick enough to need a spoon.

Mustard is most often used with meats of various types such as hot dogs, hamburgers, roast beef and steak. It's also used as a constituent in some salad dressings. Mustard is a very versatile condiment, with types that should appeal to anyone.

Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Senf-Variationen_edit2.jpg

National Avocado Day

July 31st is National Avocado Day in the United States.

The avocado, sometimes called the avocado pear or alligator pear, is the fruit of the avocado tree. The fruit is classed as being a large berry and contains a single large seed. The tree itself likely originated in south-central Mexico and has been spread in tropical and Mediterranean climates around the world.

The avocado fruit has an unusually high fat content than the majority of fruit, which makes it an important dietary element for those that have limited access to other high-fat foods. Avocados have a wide range of uses, many of them savoury rather than sweet, as the fruit itself is not sweet, though in some places it is added to desserts and ice cream. It is an important element in guacamole, and gives that dip its distinctive green colour.

Image: Muhammad Mahdi Karim / GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)

National Chili Dog Day

The last Thursday in July is National Chili Dog Day in the United States.

A chili dog is a form of hot dog. It is used as a generic name for a hot dog that is served in a bun and then topped with a meat sauce; chili con carne is a common choice. The hot dog will then often be topped with other things; cheese, mustard and onions are common.

The standard hot dog, the wiener or frankfurter, is the most common type of sausage used in a chili dog but, as with other hot dogs, other types of sausage can also be used. In the U.S., there are a number of regional variations on the chili dog that use different ingredients and, in some cases, different sausages too.

Image: bryan... from Taipei, Taiwan / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

National Chicken Wing Day

July 29th is National Chicken Wing Day in the United States.

Chicken wings used to be one of the pieces of chicken used for making stock, rather than eating. Today, they are a common snack food and the most common type is Buffalo wings, named after Buffalo, New York State, rather than the animal.

Buffalo wings were reputedly invented at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, but there have been a number of different claims, both about how they were created at the Anchor Bar and other claimants to the creation. Buffalo wings are made from an unbreaded chicken wing section that is deep fried then coated or dipped in a hot sauce and melted butter. They are served with blue cheese or ranch dressing traditionally, though other sauces, and other ways of preparing the wings, exist.

Image: Flickr user: Andrew Nash Vienna https://www.flickr.com/people/andynash/ / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

National Scotch Day

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July 27th is National Scotch Day in the United States.

Scotch in this usage is Scotch whisky. Whilst whiskeys are available in many different places, Scotch whisky can only be used to describe whisky manufactured in Scotland. Not only that, the manner in which it is made is specified by law. Scotch must be aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels and must have a minimum bottling strength of 40%.

Scotch whisky is a distilled beverage made from, originally, malt barley but can also be made from wheat and rye. There are different types of Scotch available. Single malt, single grain, blended malt, blended grain and blended.

Malt whiskeys are made from malt barley; grain whiskeys from wheat and rye. Single whiskeys are made from one malt or grain from one distillery whilst blended whiskeys can be made from different ones from different distilleries. The final category, blended, blends both malt and grain. Whisky will normally have its age displayed on the bottle, which shows how old it is. Blended whiskeys will show the age of the youngest whisky in the blend, not an average or the oldest.

The traditional ways of serving Scotch is neat - for purists, the best way - on the rocks or with a dash of water. A unit of Scotch is often referred to as a dram and the whisky itself has been called aqua vitae, or water of life.

National Coffee Milkshake Day

July 26th is National Coffee Milkshake Day in the United States.

Milkshakes are drinks made from iced milk, milk or ice cream with added flavourings or sweeteners, such as fruit syrups, other syrups and fruit. They are sometimes called frappes.

Milkshakes can be made from scoops of ice cream with flavourings added. Fast food places tend to make their milkshakes from a premade mixture which are then mixed and frozen in a special machine.

Premixed powders can also be purchased from stores. These are usually made into milkshakes by adding milk or water. Bottled pre-made shakes are also available.

A coffee milkshake is flavoured with coffee. One of the easiest ways of making this using ice cream is by using coffee flavoured ice cream. Other ways would include using actual coffee, which would naturally be chilled, and mixing that with ice cream.