Food Holidays: January 14th, 2022

Good evening, welcome to our series sharing Food Holidays: January 14th, 2022. Did you know tomorrow is National Bagel Day? If I had knew this earlier when we went grocery shopping, I would have picked Bagels up for David to celebrate this Holiday with. As for David and me neither of use eat Bagels. Do you?

National Bagel Day* 

The Bagel originated in Poland and was designed for Lent.

Bagel derives from the Yiddish word ‘bengal’, meaning ‘ring’ or ‘bracelet’.

Immigrant Polish-Jews brought the Bagel to the United States.

Automated production and distribution of frozen Bagels started in the 1960s with Bagel baker Harry Lender, Murray Lender, and Florence Sender.

The hole in the center of the Bagel is for multiple Bagels to be threaded onto a dowel, which allows bakers to transport the Bagel more easily.

National Strawberry Ice Cream Day

National Strawberry Ice Cream Day is celebrated on January 15th. As the name suggests, it is time to try Strawberries in your Ice Cream! It was more traditional to eat your Ice Cream with Strawberries as a topping. Strawberries are also a popular complement to Chocolate and Cream and many other desserts. This Holiday, however, celebrates Strawberries in Ice Cream form.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM DAY

The history of Strawberry Ice Cream Day is unknown but the origins of Ice Cream, however, are better recorded. Some say it was the Romans that invented the practice of mixing Ice with Fruits and other flavors. Emperor Nero was said to have sent runners up the Mountains to fetch Snow and Ice for this purpose. Others say it was the Persians who first indulged in the practice. There are also varied reports about who is credited with spreading the concoction across Europe.

Whomever the credit goes to, it was the discovery of the endothermic effect that allowed for the invention of Ice Cream as we know it. The first record of this comes from Panchatantra, where Salt was added to Cream to lower its melting point, allowing it to freeze at a higher temperature.

One of the earliest references to Ice Cream in North America is recorded in the “Pennsylvania Magazine of History & Biography:” “Among the rarities was Ice Cream, with the Strawberries and Milk, eat most deliciously.” Strawberry Ice Cream itself may have been invented between the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Ice Cream, however, remained a treat for the upper classes until a Swiss entrepreneur by the name of Carlo Gatti set up an Ice Cream stand in London in 1851. It was very difficult to store Ice at that time, but Gatti built an “ice well” in which he stored the Ice that he procured from the Regent’s Canal. He sold Ice Cream scoops in “shells” for a penny each, and he eventually became successful enough to start importing Ice from Norway for his business.

HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM DAY

1. The obvious thing to do on this Holiday is to purchase Strawberry Ice Cream from your favorite brand and eat it. Strawberry Sorbet or any form of Frozen Strawberry treats also qualifies if you’re Lactose-Intolerant or Vegan. For a little adventure, try a mixed flavor combination that you haven’t tried before.
2. If you have an Ice Cream maker at home, now is the time to look up your favorite Strawberry Ice Cream recipe online and whip up a delicious treat. There are also homemade Ice Cream recipes that don’t require an Ice Cream Maker, you can always try out.
3. If you have a friend or family member who only sticks to one or two flavors, and that doesn’t involve Strawberry, use this Holiday to buy them your favorite and see if they like it better. If you’re making your own Ice Cream, you have an upper hand already.

5 FACTS ABOUT ICE CREAM AND STRAWBERRIES

1. The average Strawberry is covered in 200 seeds.
2. Nancy Johnson from Philadelphia was the first American to patent a hand-cranked Ice Cream maker, while Agnes Marshall also patented a similar machine in England.
3. The average American leads the world with an annual consumption of around 23 pounds or 46 pints of Ice Cream per year.
4. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans consume around 3.4 pounds of fresh Strawberries every year.
5. The State accounts for 75% of the Strawberry crop in the Country, which is around 1 billion pounds.

WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM DAY

1. If you’ve been craving Ice Cream and feel guilty about it, this day validates your cravings. Buy or make Strawberry Ice Cream.
2. National Strawberry Ice Cream Day is a “cool” hashtag and makes for great posts. You can even look up one-liners online that have been created for this Holiday. Take a photo of you making Strawberry Ice Cream or enjoying Strawberry Ice Cream at your favorite Ice Cream Store.
3. Long gone are the days when only the rich elite could afford Ice Cream. Ice cream is one of the most popular things to eat now.

National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day

National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day is celebrated on January 15th. It is an ode to the restorative properties of fresh and natural Fruit and Vegetable Juices, and a reminder for us to include it more often in our diet. Fresh-squeezed juice can be more delicious, and for some of us, an easier way of consuming Vitamins and Minerals.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL FRESH SQUEEZED JUICE DAY

The first occurrence of this holiday and its advocates are unknown. The word ‘juice’ itself comes from Old French. The words ‘jus,’ ‘juis,’ or ‘jouis’ refer to the liquid obtained from boiling Herbs. In many other cultures and civilizations, it referred to other liquids such as Broths, Soups, or Sauces. In the 14th Century, juice was recorded as “the watery part of Fruits or Vegetables,” bringing it into alignment with the current meaning of the word. However, the meaning further changed through the ages, coming to mean Liquor in the 19th Century. It was even recorded as being used as a term for Electricity in the same period.

The term reverted to meaning the liquid extracted from Fruits and Vegetables when the juicer was invented in the 1930s by Norman Walker. Walker was born in Italy and moved to New York in 1910. Upon becoming seriously ill, he consulted William Baum, a Chiropractor and Physical Therapist, who recommended he switch to a Raw Vegetarian diet. This is when he invented an innovatively engineered Juicer that is still in demand today. He even founded the Norwalk Laboratory of Nutritional Chemistry and Scientific Research and conducted research on the nutritional qualities of Juices.

Today, Juices are part of diets across the world, with Orange being a staple in American breakfasts. There are many kinds of Juicers that are able to extract vital nutrients from Fruits and Vegetables without losing them to heat. The hydraulic ‘triturator’ juicer developed by Walker does a great job of this. Others include twin-gear juicers and slow juicers.

HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL FRESH SQUEEZED JUICE DAY

1. If you have a juicer at home, and unused Fruits and Veggies, it’s great to start the day with a healthy mix of your choice and get those neglected Vitamins and Minerals into your system. Just remember to go easy on the Sugar.
2. \We have been pampered by too many packaged juices that contain preservatives and Sweeteners that are bad for our health. Drinking a freshly squeezed Fruit or Vegetable in a good juicer is the smartest way to obtain nutrients without all the chemicals and Sugars we want to avoid anyway. Carbonated drinks are even worse as they can be addictive and add very little nutritional value.
3. There are interesting recipes out there that you may never have tried because of your preference for certain Vegetables and Fruit. There are recipes that mix Green Apples, with Ginger, and Parsnip, and Oranges, with Cucumber, and Oregano.

5 FACTS ABOUT JUICING

1. Carotenoids found in Carrots and Lycopene found in Tomatoes can reduce the risk of Cancers, according to studies.
2. The pulpy part of Fruits and Vegetables that contain fiber are left out by Juicers, but they are also an important part of wholesome eating.
3. Juicers that work on centrifugal technology to spin objects and separate particles have this in common with washing machines.
4. Research has shown that artificial sweeteners in diet sodas can actually upset metabolism and lead to weight gain.
5. Did you know New Zealand and Colombia are the world’s biggest juice drinkers but, on average, juice is said to be consumed more in higher-income countries.

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL FRESH SQUEEZED JUICE DAY

1. Contemporary diets are increasingly composed of processed foods as well as drinks. This day reminds us to be more conscious of eating natural, unprocessed food that is good for us. Vitamins and Minerals are important for a host of brain and bodily functions, and Fruits and Vegetables are the natural way to meet our daily recommended intake.
2. Fresh-squeezed juice is convenient and tasty enough for all of us to try as an alternative to eating cooked or raw Fruits and Vegetables. We can moderate our Sugar intake when we prepare juices and avoid packaged juices that carry excessive Sweeteners and chemicals.
3. The rise of packaged drinks and other Fruit- or Vegetable-based beverages has made us believe that we can get our nutritional intake from these sources. However, these sources contain ingredients that are harmful to our health and increase our consumption of unhealthy Sugars or sweeteners. It is, therefore, important that we make and drink juice fresh.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates