Food Holidays: May 4th, 2022

Welcome to our series sharing Food Holidays: May 4th, 2022. I would like to ask you to take a look at the Holidays being celebrated today and let me know which Holiday you most want to celebrate and why. As for David he said he would like to try his hand at Homebrewing Craft Beers. Would you like to help him?

National Candied Orange Peel Day

We celebrate National Candied Orange Peel Day on May 4 every year. A Holiday to celebrate Candied Orange Peel, a sweet that’s been around for Centuries. The Candied Orange Peel can be eaten on its own, or used as edible decoration, or used as an ingredient in other sweets. There are many different recipes for Candied Orange Peel but the primary ingredients are Sugar, Water, and Orange Peels. The process involves soaking the Orange Peel in Sugar Syrup and then letting it dry off. Candying Fruits is a great way to convert them into desserts and preserve the candy.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL CANDIED ORANGE PEEL DAY

On National Candied Orange Peel Day, Chefs and sweet aficionados all across the Country celebrate the goodness and of the Candied Orange Peel. 

Candied Fruits have been around for a long time and they are time-consuming to make but fairly simple. Candying Fruits and Fruit Peels requires very few ingredients and can be prepared easily. 

To prepare Candy Orange Peels, the first step is to remove the pith which is the white part of the Peel, on the inside. The Pith is extremely bitter and will affect the flavor of the Orange Peels, regardless of the amount of Sugar used. Then the Peel is further cut up into strips, usually about a quarter-inch wide. 

Chefs prefer to remove the peel in a single long strip which is especially useful when the Candied Orange Peel is going to be used as a decorative element in the plating of a dessert or dish. The cut-up Orange Peel is added to a pot of boiling Water for about 15 minutes then the water is drained off and the peels are rinsed. 

The next step is preparing the Sugar Syrup, which is done by dissolving one part Sugar in one part Water. Once the Sugar is completely dissolved, the cut and boiled strips of Orange Peel are added to the pot of Sugar Syrup and allowed to soak in the Syrup for about 45 minutes or so, until the peel is very soft. The excess Water is drained off and the peels are set aside to dry, which could take a couple of days depending on the Weather. These peels can be made before they are needed and can last up to a few months depending on the recipe. Your Candied Orange Peels can also be frozen and used later. 

NATIONAL CANDIED ORANGE PEEL DAY ACTIVITIES

1. =What better way to get a head start on our holiday baking than to prepare our Candied Orange Peel a few months early? This way you will get the freshest Fruits to Candy and use in our baking months later.
2. If you’re not comfortable cooking, then you should head over to your closest Farmer’s Market and purchase Candied Orange Peel prepared by local experts!
3. Did you know Fruit Cakes typically call for Candied Orange Peel? Take a day to appreciate this sweet treat.

5 FACTS ABOUT CANDIED FRUITS

1. The use of Sugar to preserve fruits and fruit peels dates as far back as ancient China and Mesopotamia. Even if the candying process began with the Arabs in the Middle East.
2. Traditional Sicilian cuisine was heavily influenced by the Arabs and Candied Fruits were an instant hit in Italy.
3. The tradition of Candying Fruits has been around for a long time, and before Sugar was popularized, Honey was the main ingredient.
4. Factory-made Candied Fruits are soaked in Sugar Syrup of increasing concentrations to complete the preservation process and make the peels last a long time.
5. During the Great Depression, people had to use what they had, and when Sugar was scarce, they made use of Kool-Aid and Fruit Juice to candy fruits and fruit peels.

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CANDIED ORANGE PEEL DAY

1. Candied Orange Peel has loads of flavor and people love eating Candied Orange Peel! Snack on a piece while you’re decorating a cake or candying.
2. The freshest fruits are available in Summer, and we know Candied Orange Peel keeps well. Take advantage and get candying so that when it’s time to do your holiday baking, there’s much less to do.
3. We want an excuse to soak Fruits and Fruit Peels in Sugar Syrup then there is no, better day to do so than National Candied Orange Peel Day?

National Homebrew Day

National Homebrew Day is on May 7th which is an annual event initiated by the American Homebrewers Association to celebrate the art of Craft Beer creation. This serves as an opportunity for its members to share and learn brewing techniques from the annual brewing event it hosts to observe the Holiday. Fun fact: Brewing, like baking, is one of the longest-standing hobbies! This holiday was officially launched to serve as a day to gather the community of homebrewers and Craft Beverage enthusiasts together to expose attendees to the latest in the world of homebrewing.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL HOMEBREW DAY

National Homebrew Day was first observed on May 7th, 1988, after the U.S. Congress declared the date as National Homebrew Day. To celebrate the holiday the American Homebrewers Association created what is now known as the official event that marks the celebration of the day, the Big Brew event which takes place on the first Saturday in May, when homebrewers across the U.S. and the world participating in homebrew demos and trials of new recipes.

Beer and other beverages have been brewed domestically for Centuries, beginning in the Neolithic period in modern-day Iraq, Egypt, and China. Although, not until 1857, when French Microbiologist Louis Pasteur explained the role of Yeast in Beer Fermentation, did it become widely produced and sold around the world.

So much so that the volume of people’s desire for Beer in the United States caused a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933 led by a government aimed to heal what they believed was an ill society plagued by alcohol-related problems including alcoholism, family violence, and saloon-based political corruption.

Not until President Jimmy Carter signed the H.R. 1337 bill into law on October 14, 1978, did homebrewed beer without federal taxation become legal for the first time since the prohibition of 1920.

The law also kickstarted a period of interest in the art of homebrewing that led to different breeds of homebrewers, some of whom hold on to time-honored traditions and some who push the edge of flavor and experimentation.

NATIONAL HOMEBREW DAY ACTIVITIES

1. To celebrate National Homebrew Day, enjoy your brand of Craft Beer or brew a custom Beer with your favorite Beer-making ingredients. You may learn how to do that on American Homebrewers website. Once you do and have made magic, consider hosting a small party to share the outcome of your craft with friends.
2. Take AHA’s pledgeTake the Big Brew Pledge that comes with the annual American Homebrewer Association’s brewing event and commit to attending. Big Brew is the American Homebrewers Association’s event to celebrate National Homebrew Day. To celebrate the Holiday, take the pledge and attend the event.
3. The annual #BigBrew event the American Homebrewers Association holds provides a very rare opportunity for the brewers to get together to share and learn from each other. You should attend if you are a brewer or are interested in creating Craft Beers. The association encourages participants to post #BigBrew pictures on Social Media, tagging @HomebrewAssoc, and use #NationalHomebrewDay.

5 IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT NATIONAL HOMEBREW DAY

1. The official Big Brew recipes for its yearly brewing event can be found online and features techniques for beginners and experienced brewers.
2. The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) recently celebrated a membership milestone of more than 40,000 homebrewers.
3. The AHA’s annual brewing event for 2020 that was moved online due to COVID was reported to have been attended by a record-breaking 7,000+ homebrewers across the globe.
4. According to reports, over a million people are brewing Beer every year in the U.S.
5. Homebrewing was made fully legal by H.R. 1337, which became law on October 14, 1978.

WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL HOMEBREW DAY

1. National Homebrew Day is allowing us to celebrate the long culture of brewing Beers and beverages at home. People choose to brew their own Beer for a variety of reasons. For some, it is to avoid a higher cost of buying equivalent beverages. For others, it is for the freedom to adjust recipes according to one’s preference.
2. One of the goals of the annual #BigBrew event the American Homebrewers Association holds is to provide the opportunity for the community of new Craft Beer enthusiasts and the more experienced ones to share and learn new brewing techniques. The event aims to expose attendees to the latest in the world of homebrewing.
3. One of the upsides of an event like the annual #BigBrew event is that it exposes Craftspeople to the newer technologies to get the work done along with techniques. According to the American Homebrewers Association who organizes it as a way to celebrate National Homebrew Day, that is the goal of the event.

National Hoagie Day

National Hoagie Day on May 5 offers us a welcome alternative to the seemingly endless baskets of Chips and Salsa and mugs of cheap Mexican Beer. Americans consume to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Today you can confidently say “no” to Tacos and take your buns to the Deli for a Hoagie, Sub, Grinder or Hero. Because a Hoagie is a Hoagie by any other name. Especially on National Hoagie Day.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL HOAGIE DAY

Philadelphia is famously known for mouthwatering Steak and Cheese Subs, but did you know the City of Brotherly Love is also famous for another epicurean delight served on a Bun: the Hoagie? It is the humble Hoagie of Italian immigrant heritage that holds the title “Official Sandwich of Philadelphia,’ not the Steak and Cheese Sub. 

The traditional Italian Hoagie is a generous sandwich of Italian deli Meats and Cheeses stuffed into a split long Roll, brimming with Pepperoncini Peppers and Veggies, topped with a drizzle of Olive Oil, Vinegar, and Seasonings. There are no fewer than a dozen credible stories laying claim to who was responsible for inventing the first long Bread Italian sandwich in America. Most stories point to the New England States where many Italian immigrants settled in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although whose mama or papa is truly responsible for assembling the first Hoagie in Philadelphia will always be up for debate, we do know that Hoagie naming rights belong to the City of Philadelphia. 

The most popular story of how the Italian sandwich got the name Hoagie in Philadelphia is one cited by the now-defunct “Philadelphia Bulletin,” Philly’s daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982. The paper’s story revolves around the lunch box staple of 1950s Italian immigrant workers in a Philadelphia shipyard known as Hog Island, a long Bread roll stuffed with Italian Meats and Cheeses. The sandwiches were commonly referred to as “Hog Island Sandwiches.” The name was eventually shortened to “Hoggies,” which, when said with a South Philadelphia accent, sounded more like “Hoagies,” and the name stuck.

Two other local Philadelphia publications disagreed with the Bulletin’s published story, both insisting that Philadelphia’s Hoagie roots could be traced all the way back 1879. According to the Philadelphia Almanac and the Citizen’s Manual, street vendors known as hokey pokey men sold Bakery Rolls called Pinafores stuffed with Antipasto Salad and Meats to theatre patrons before and after attending the Operetta, (light opera,) “H.M.S. Pinafore” by the famed writer-composer duo of Gilbert and Sullivan. The Pinafores were commonly referred to as Hokies, which again sounded a lot like Hoagies in South Philly.

Regardless of who first stuffed all those Meats and Cheeses into a split Italian long Roll, topped it with Peppers and drizzled Oil and Seasonings on top, the name Hoagie stuck like the newspaper it was first wrapped with in the City of Philadelphia. By the end of World War II, the term Hoagie was quite common on the streets of Philadelphia, and Philly’s favorite sandwich the Hoagie was turning up on restaurant menus all around the City, and spelled Hoagie, Hoggie, Hoogie, and Hoagy.

As the Hoagie’s popularity breached City boundaries and spread to other parts of the Country away from the East coast, the term Hoagie took on new definitions. Hoagie eventually became a catch-all name for any Sandwich served on a long Bread roll. In Philadelphia, however, Hoagie remains true to its Italian roots as an Italian Meat and Cheese Sandwich covered with Roasted and pickled Veggies and Peppers, with Oil, Vinegar, and Seasonings topping it all.

HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL HOAGIE DAY

1. If you feel conflicted because today is Cinco de Mayo and the whole world seems to be eating Tacos and dancing to songs about La Cucarachas, we sub pose a 6-pack of imported Beer and Limes could pair nicely with your favorite Hoagie. Play lively Italian dance tunes like the “Chicken Dance” and Hoagie on down.
2. You will need to rely on a sub-contractor for this one because six feet of Hoagie is one big Hoagie. Share with family.
3. Nothing transforms the ambiance of a room like candles. The glow of candlelight is all that’s necessary to make this National Hoagie Day dinner memorable. Don’t forget the straw-wrapped bottle of authentic Chianti Wine.

FIVE ESSENTIAL AUTHENTIC ITALIAN HOAGIE INGREDIENTS

1. Genoa Salami is probably the best-known imported Salami, and this is a must have ingredient on any authentic Italian Hoagie, despite being high in saturated fats and sodium.
2. The Spam-like smoked Beef and Pork Sausage Loaf that looks like a mosaic of fat chunks, Peppercorns, and Pistachio Nuts, was once banned from import into the U.S. market, until the year 2000. If you don’t have a stomach for fatty Mortadella, Boiled Ham is a good substitute.
3. Mozzarella, Provolone…or both? Authentic Italian Mozzarella was prepared exclusively with Water Buffalo Milk, while Provolone from the South of Italy is favored for its tangy bite. This can be mild, sharp, or extra sharp. Both Cheeses are considered essential to an Italian Hoagie.
4. Pepperoncini are Mild Peppers whose Pickling Juices add a delightful burst of tangy, sweet-hot flavor and a colorful red or green when you lift the top half of the long Roll to take a gander at the fixings.
5. Roasted Red Peppers add more than a distinct smokey flavor to a sandwich that is off the charts in unhealthy fats. Red Peppers are the Hoagie’s nutritional saving grace, with significant amounts of Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene.

WHY PEOPLE LOVE HOAGIES

1. Doesn’t matter if you are a Hoagie snob who insists that a Hoagie is only a Hoagie if it is a classic long Roll stuffed full of Italian Cold Cut Meats, Cheeses, Pickled Pepperoncini, Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing seasoned with a blend of Italian Spices. Or are a Meatball-and-Cheese Hoagie aficionado. Everyone agrees a Hoagie makes a filling and entrée anytime day or night.
2. Hoagies are the ultimate take-along lunch or dinner, wrapped up in deli paper to keep the Oils, Sauces, and Juices from dripping down your chin. Don’t forget to grab extra napkins because you will need them.
3. You don’t need special cooking skills or a semester in home economics to become a Hoagie hero. Buy the highest quality authentic ingredients which if you don’t know what they are ask your local Italian Grocer for suggestions and your Hoagie will be perfect.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates