National Flour Month

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March is National Flour Month in the United States.

Flour is a cooking powder that is made by grinding a variety of different substances; beans, roots, grains, nuts and seeds. Flour is often associated with bread, and wheat flour is one of the most important ingredients in many cuisines, but there are far more versions of flour than that. Flour, as well as being used to make a variety of different breads it is used to make cakes and pastries, wit different types of flour having different ingredients and sometimes leavening agents included.

Wheat is, as mentioned, one of the most important types of flour and it has been made for at least 8,000 years, making it one of the oldest processed foods around. Flour is typically made by crushing it beneath millstones, and flour mills have been one of the major recipients in improvements in industrial technology, from hand or animal powered to water- and windmills to steam powered mills.

National Poultry Day

March 19th is National Poultry Day in the United States.

Poultry is a name used to refer to many different types of birds, including those of different birds, that are usually domesticated and kept for their meat, eggs and feathers. The term is also used to include some birds that are killed for their meat (such as pigeons) but does not include those undomesticated birds that are hunted for food and sport, such as pheasants, which are referred to as game. The word "poultry" itself descends from a Latin word, through French and English influences, whilst "fowl" is Germanic in origin. The exact definition of what makes a bird poultry has tended to vary depending on the source.

Chicken is by far the most common poultry animal, and tends to be the bird though of when the term poultry is used, but quails and turkeys from the same order are also eaten. An estimated 50 billion chickens are raised each year, both for their meat and for their eggs, with the majority being raised in factory conditions. Waterfowl includes domesticated geese and ducks. Poultry meat itself is commonly eaten all around the world, and they have been domesticated for thousands of years. Chickens were domesticated in China over 10,000 years ago, making them one of the earliest domesticated animals, and spread slowly across the world. Eggs are also widely consumed, and used as an ingredient in many recipes. Of the different poultry birds, chicken is usually the cheapest to buy. Turkey is a common bird for special occasions, such as Thanksgiving in North America and at Christmas.

National Corn Dog Day

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March 16th is National Corn Dog Day in the United States.

The corn dog can be considered to be a variant of the hot dog, although other sausages can be used. The hot dog is coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter which is then deep fried. The original corn dogs were not served on sticks as current ones are. They are commonly served as fast food, typically from street vendors, and are often associated with such as fairs and sports games.

It isn't known who first developed the corn dog, as several people have laid claim to the title, but it is a comparatively recent dish. The earliest known corn dogs were served in 1937, when ballpark vendors ran out of hot dog buns.

Variants include ones with cheese between the hot dog and the corn, ones made from bratwursts, smaller types served to children and vegetarian varieties.

National Meatball Day

Fruggo at Dutch Wikipedia / CC BY 1.0 NL (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/1.0/nl/deed.en)

March 9th is National Meatball Day in the United States.

Meatballs are just what they sound like; ground meat rolled into a ball. Other ingredients are often added, such as onions, butter, eggs, breadcrumbs and seasoning. There are many different ways of cooking meatballs, such as baking, frying, steaming and braising, and they can be made from different meats. There are also varieties that are technically not meatballs, because they contain no meat, instead either having a meat substitute or fish.

Meatballs or their equivalent can be found in cooking all over the world and date back over 2,000 years. They can be served in a number of different ways, including in soups, covered in sauces and in sandwiches. Most meatballs are small balls of meat, but larger ones that need carving can be found. Meatballs can be a comparatively simple dish to prepare; all that's really needed is some way of mincing the meat.

National Crown Roast of Pork Day

March 7th is National Crown Roast of Pork Day in the United States.

The crown roast is a dish made from the ribs of the animal in question, so in this case it's pork. The ribs are cut into several pieces, and then tied in a circle, with the ribs vertical. With the ends of the ribs all pointing upwards, and the circular appearance of the dish, it resembles a crown, hence the name. The ends of the ribs may be decorated; sometimes with little paper crowns, but apples are also used, as pork is often accompanied with applesauce. The space inside the ribs is also often filled, with stuffing being a traditional choice here. Whilst the actual cut of ribs may be called a rack, a rack itself is not a crown roast, although it can be served as-is. To make a crown roast will often require more than one rack of ribs; the actual size really depends on how large a crown roast is being made.

The dish uses up quite a substantial amount of pork in its preparation - although the exact amount does depend on how large a crown roast is being made - so it's definitely not suitable for just one person. It would also be unlikely to be cooked as an everyday meal, both due to the amount of pork, the preparation and the cooking time, so it would be most commonly seen on special occasions. It is possible to prepare the ribs into a crown roast yourself, but it's certainly easier to buy one that's already assembled.

National Oreo Cookie Day

Evan-Amos / Public domain

March 6th is National Oreo Cookie Day in the United States.

Needless to say, this is definitely one of the more commercial days around, given that the Oreo is a trademark of Nabisco. The Oreo Biscuit was first introduced by the National Biscuit Company - which later became Nabisco - back in 1912. It was originally launched as an imitation of another cookie produced by a competitor, the Hydrox of Sunshine. Today, it is the best-selling cookie brand in the United States.

The Oreo is classed as a sandwich cookie, as it consists of two wafers with a sweet crème filling. The wafers and filling can vary, but the most commonly recognised design is the two chocolate wafers. The cookie is distinctively decorated on the wafers, although the design has changed over the years. Some varieties of Oreo have even covered in dark or white chocolate. Other varieties have included ones with more filling, ones with thinner wafers, smaller varieties and other flavourings for the cookies and filling. The Oreo is popular with people who have dietary restrictions, such as vegans, as the filling does not use any animal products.

National Absinthe Day

Eric Litton / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)

National Absinthe Day is on March 5th in the United States.

Absinthe is a drink that is an anise-flavoured and highly alcoholic spirit that is derived from the flowers and leaves of the grand wormwood. Sweet fennel, green anise and other herbs are added as well.

Absinthe has a natural green colouration, which led to its nickname of "the green fairy," but it can also be colourless. Absinthe originated in Switzerland in the 18th century and became very popular in late 19th to early 20th century France, especially amongst Paris's artistic community.

Absinthe was banned in many countries for its supposed addictive and psychoactive properties, and was believed to cause hallucinations. However, studies do not seem to show it as being any more dangerous than other spirits, and it has recently become legal again.

Absinthe is served by perching an absinthe spoon on top of a glass containing a measure of absinthe on which a sugar cube is placed. Iced water is then dripped or poured over the sugar to mix with the absinthe, which then turns a cloudy white colour.