NATIONAL FORTUNE COOKIE DAY

We see a time when you will enjoy a crunchy, sweet treat on National Fortune Cookie Day! Each year on July 20th, Americans celebrate the cookie that is a traditional part of Chinese take-out.

These crisp, folded cookies have a hint of buttery sweetness. Break them open, and you will find a slip of paper tucked inside with a message on it. The phrase will range from profound words of wisdom or tricky riddles to simple bits of common sense. Some fortunes include quotes from famous philosophers.

While these nuggets of enjoyment are most often found at the end of a Chinese meal, they didn’t originate in China. The distinctively folded cookie began in Japan, where elegant desserts and folding techniques are quintessentially Japanese. However, in Japan, the fortune was tucked in the fold on the outside of the cookie. Sometime in the late 1800s, the fortune cookie migrated to the United States and made its transition. During World War II, it exploded in popularity, and Americans have never stopped enjoying them.

HOW TO OBSERVE #FortuneCookieDay

Order some Chinese takeout and indulge in some fortune cookie therapy. But that’s not the only way to celebrate. Of course not!

  • Try making your own fortune cookies. Here’s a tasty homemade fortune cookie recipe for you to try.
  • We know you save your favorite fortunes. Please share them with us.
  • While you’re sharing, take a turn at writing a fortune. If you’re making fortune cookies, you’re going to need to practice this.
  • Try this neat fortune generator for your fortune cookies.

Want more cookies???

Share your celebration with us. Use #FortuneCookieDay to post on social media.

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WORLD FLOUR DAY

On March 20th, World Flour Day recognizes the importance of flour in our daily diets and our health. In every part of the world, products made from flour provide daily sustenance for billions of people.

Flour is the main ingredient in delicious foods like pasta, cakes, pastries, bread, and biscuits. For thousands of years, humans have consumed grains ground into flour. Ancient humans gathered the oat kernels growing wild around them. Using a stone tool much like a pestle, they crushed the kernels into a coarse flour.

Today, we continue to enjoy many varieties of domesticated grains. In the Northern Hemisphere, many farms prepare to plant these grain crops around March 20th. The earth is warming and ready to grow. In the Southern Hemisphere, autumn has arrived. The grains have ripened, and harvest is beginning.

The day honors the farmers and millers, shippers and truckers, processors and bakers who bring the white gold to our tables. It’s a day for gratitude, and one of hope as the seeds are sown, and harvests are reaped.

WORLD FLOUR DAY HISTORY

The Flour World Museum founded World Flour Day on March 20th in 2019 to celebrate the global significance of flour in our daily lives.

About the Flour World Museum

The Flour World Museum in Wittenburg near Hamburg, Germany, has set itself the goal of creating a monument to flour in all its globe-spanning significance. After all, some 750 million tonnes of wheat flour are harvested each year and turned into a wide variety of foods.

Explore More…

HOW TO OBSERVE #WorldFlourDay

  • Invite a friend for a meal made with flour. A whole-grain sandwich or a sweet pastry sounds delicious.
  • Don an apron and bake up some cookies; deliver them to your favorite farmer or co-worker.
  • Try a new recipe while you’re at it.
  • Learn about varieties of flour and try baking with one you’ve never used.
  • Practice making a rue. One of the key ingredients is flour, and it makes some of the most amazing sauces and soups.
  • What’s your favorite flour product? Tell us using #WorldFlourDay and share on social media.

National Flour Month

National Flour Month in March is a time to recognize the versatility of this ground staple kitchen item. Grab your apron and start celebrating!

It’s been thousands of years since humans learned they could mill wheat seed between stones into flour. While wheat is the most common variety of flour, corn, peas, potatoes, nuts, and other grains are also used to produce flour, too.

We use flour to make baked goods, pasta, crackers, pastries, and sauces. As a key ingredient in many recipes, flour fills canisters in a well-stocked kitchen.

A loaf of homemade bread would fill the home with an aroma of yeasty goodness in the middle of March. However, flour doesn’t limit us to bread baking. Perhaps we thicken a stew with freshly made noodles and wrap up the day with piping hot pie. Whatever we decide, we know with the right ingredients and the right amount of flour everything will be delicious.

Explore More…

HOW TO OBSERVE

Select your favorite recipe and start baking. Use #NationalFlourMonth to share on social media.

NATIONAL CHEDDAR DAY

National Cheddar Day adds some cheesy goodness on February 13th!

Grilled cheese would be buttered bread without melt-able slices piled high; burgers would be lackluster without a perfect ooze; mac & cheese would just be…mac, to be frank. So many of our iconic American dishes simply wouldn’t be the same without a slice of cheddar’s deliciousness.

CHEDDAR HISTORY

There’s some history to this love of cheddar as well. How exactly did cheddar become a staple in so many of our favorite foods? Let us tell you!

Cheddar first rolled into being in the village of Cheddar in Somerset, England in the 12th century. While cheddar accounts for more than a third of all the cheese sold in the United States, it is a royal hit in the United Kingdom where it was created. In fact, more than half of the cheese sales in the UK go to cheddar.

In 1894, renowned cheesemaker Peter McIntosh brought his cheese-making skills to Tillamook County, Oregon where it rains a lot and the grass was always green. He taught the locals all he knew, and in due time he earned himself the nickname “Cheese King of the Coast.” Today, there are more cows than people in Tillamook, and those local farmers have since formed the farmer-owned cooperative we know today as the Tillamook County Creamery Association.

No wonder cheddar finds its way into so many recipes or a simple snack. That rich, creamy and sometimes crumbly flavor is what keeps us coming back for more, bite after delicious bite.

NATIONAL CHEDDAR DAY HISTORY

After over a century spent perfecting its award-winning cheddar recipe, Tillamook founded National Cheddar Day on February 13, 2019, to celebrate its 110th birthday and share a passion for cheddar with cheese-lovers nationwide, giving cheddar a day to shine on its own. ( You have to try thier ice cream!)

Founded on the coast of Oregon this farmer-owned cooperative continues to produce the most consistent, best tasting, high-quality dairy products made the most natural way possible. Guided by its values and the belief that everyone deserves real food that makes them feel good every day, Tillamook has earned top awards for their cheese, ice cream, sour cream, butter, and yogurt products made the Tillamook Way. Committed to unwavering values that never sacrifice quality for profit, Tillamook is excited to share National Cheddar Day with cheddar lovers everywhere for years to come.

Want more cheese…

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalCheddarDay

If you’re local to Tillamook or traveling to the Pacific Northwest, add the Tillamook Creamery as a destination to see just how cheddar is made; sampling a thing or two as well. Today, nearly one million visitors make the trip to the Creamery each year! That’s a whole lotta chedda.

Hashtag it! Show the world just how much you love cheddar by sharing your favorite creation with #NationalCheddarDay on social media.

NATIONAL CHEESE LOVER’S DAY

On National Cheese Lover’s Day, don’t feel bleu, throw a feta or act capricious. January 20th is a gouda day to kummin over and have some sharp cheddar, munster, or fontina! 

There is no firm evidence of how cheese making was discovered. but legend tells us it was likely by chance that someone created the first cheese. Thousands of years ago, people transported milk and stored it in sheep’s stomachs. Left to sit a few days, the proteins would separate into curds and whey. From there, preserving the solids with salt may have seemed a logical next step. Salt was a highly valued preservative in ancient times.

The earliest record of cheese making dates back to 5,500 BCE in what is now Poland. Today there are over 1,400 varieties of cheese.

Basic Cheese Making

The basic principles behind making cheese are quite simple. Let the milk sour (or scientifically, coagulating the casein protein). Then separate the curds (solids) from the whey (liquid). The curds are then salted and left to age.

Bacteria, enzymes or fungi may be added at various stages. These along with the type of milk, temperature, time, and moisture are all controlled to produced the desired taste, color, and texture. Herbs and spices may also be added.

The nutritional value of cheese varies depending on the variety. Cottage and mozzarella cheese are at the lower end of fat and calories per serving while mascarpone and cream cheese pack it on. Marscapone makes desserts like tiramisu rich and creamy. 

For the Love of Cheese

For cheese lovers who think one day is just not enough to celebrate cheese, the calendar is full of cheesy celebrations. Check out this shortlist of tasty cheese-based celebrations:

HOW TO OBSERVE #CheeseLoversDay

Enjoy some cheese with your lunch or as a snack. Share your favorite cheesy recipes or puns. Try a new cheese pairing. Visit your favorite cheesemonger and be sure to give a shout out, too. Use #CheeseLoversDay to post on social media.