Welcome to our series sharing Food Holidays: September 2nd, 2021.Take a look at the Holidays being celebrated today and let me know which one you most want to celebrate.
David says he would like to celebrate both Grits and Bacon and have them for Breakfast. Charlie and I say we will pass on the Grits but we wouldn’t mind having Back for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. How about you?
National “Grits for Breakfast” Day
Five facts about Grits:
- Grits (also sometimes called Sofkee or Sofkey from the Muskogee word) are a food of Native American origin common in the Southern United States and mainly eaten at breakfast.
- Grits consist of coarsely ground Corn, or sometimes Alkali-Treated Corn (Hominy).
- Grits are similar to other thick Maize-based Porridges from around the world, such as Polenta, or the thinner Farina.
- Grits are usually prepared by adding one part Grits to two-to-three parts boiling Water, sometimes seasoned with Salt or Sugar.
- Grits are usually cooked for 5–10 minutes for “quick” Grits or 20 or more minutes for Whole Kernel Grits, or until the water is absorbed and the Grits become a Porridge-like consistency.
There are lots of different special ways to prepare grits for today:
- add Cheese and some Red Pepper Flakes or Chiles;
- formed into Cakes and fried;
- with Garlic;
- with Bacon;
- Or a Cajun classic combination with Shrimp for lunch;
- If you go out to breakfast order Grits.
If you think you will be rushed at breakfast, you could make Fried Grit Cakes the day before so thee Grits are ready for a quick reheat for breakfast.
If you miss breakfast today, you can make up for it by having Grits for lunch or dinner.
#GritsForBreakfastDay #Grits
History
The earliest print mention that CooksInfo is aware of for “Grits for Breakfast Day” in September dates from 2016, in Nebraska:
International Bacon Day
Gather-round the frying pan everybody because today National Bacon Day and it’s enough to make any Bacon-lover squeal. Just saying the wordBacon makes us hungry.
Bacon is an incredibly versatile food. You can eat Bacon on a Burger if you’re ready for a major calorie-fest. Or, you can crumble Bacon over a Salad if you’re trying to be kind of healthy (but let’s be honest, nothing is healthy with Bacon on it).
You can even make Bacon the star of the show by simply pairing it with Eggs. No matter what you do, Bacon is greasy, delicious, and the most beautiful thing we’ve ever seen strip.
History of National Bacon Day
Though the Holiday was created in 1997 as a way to take a break from celebrating the traditional Winter Holidays, the consumption of Pork dates back thousands of years to 4900 B.C. where the Chinese domesticated Pigs and preserved Pork Bellies with Salt.
This practice is believed to have made its way to the Romans and Greeks through conquests in the Middle East and by 1500 B.C. had largely impacted both production and preservation of Pork in the Roman Empire. Ancient Roman’s early form of Bacon, or “Petaso,” was Pig Shoulder broiled with dried Figs, browned and served with Wine.
The word “Bacon” can be traced back to various languages from before the 12th century. Most notably from the French word “bako,” the Germanic “bakkon” and the Old Teutonic word “backe,” all of which specifically refer to the rear of the Pig.
During the 16th Century, the word “Bacoun” was used to refer to any kind of Pork. And it wasn’t until the 17th Century that “Bacon” was used solely to refer to the salted and smoked Pork Belly that we know today.
Considering how easy and cheap it was to own Pigs, its no wonder during Medieval Times Bacon was very common among Anglo-Saxon Peasants. Each family and butcher had their own recipe for curing and smoking Bacon. The sheer variety of Bacon, Sausage, and Black Pudding that you could buy in Victorian England created an almost golden age of Pork.
The popular phrase “bring home the Bacon” can be traced to the 12 century, in the English town of Dunmow. The church promised to reward a side of Bacon to any married man who swore before God and the congregation that he would not quarrel with his wife for a year and a day.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
