National Cereal Day

National Cereal Day is on March 7th in the United States.

In this case "cereal" does not mean the type of grass known as a cereal crop, whose grains are commonly eaten. Instead, it refers to what are, more fully, called "breakfast cereals."

These cereals are processed foods made from processed grains from the true type of cereal. They are breakfast cereals because they are commonly eaten as the first meal of the day, often mixed with milk, but yoghurt and fruit are also used. Many breakfast cereals are eaten cold, but some, commonly known as porridges (various oatmeal porridges are popular in the UK), are eaten hot.

Porridges are, in fact, probably the oldest types of breakfast cereals, and were eaten in Northern Europe and Russia. In the US, corn was ground to make grits and hominy. Readymade cereals, which didn't need cooking, starting being produced in the mid 19th century, and at the end of that century Dr John Harvey Kellogg and his brother accidentally made what are now known as cornflakes.

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.