Charlie thought I should share our series featuring Food Holidays: November 19th, 2022 with you this afternoon. Did you know today National Peanut Butter Fudge Day? If I am having Fudge I would prefer Milk Chocolate with Walnuts. How about you?
National Peanut Butter Fudge Day
HISTORY OF NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DAY
Fudge itself has been around since the 1880s. The widely held belief is Fudge was ‘invented’ when a European Pastry Chef’s preparation of a batch of Caramel went haywire, and the Chef said “Oh, fudge!” The Fudge name stuck.
Some versions of the story even have the sticky batch being spilled on the floor and picked back up to minimize waste. What the Fudge? In any case, Peanut Butter Fudge is a favorite flavor of Fudge for many. The week before Thanksgiving is the perfect time to whip up a batch of Peanut Butter Fudge.
Some of the first late-19th-Century print references to Fudge are advertisements for Fudge Shops in popular tourist destinations like Michigan’s Mackinac Island. Recipes also began to appear in periodicals and cookbooks around that time. Strangely enough, Fudge-making was especially popular at that time on the Campuses of Women’s Colleges like Smith and Vassar. One source details how the New York newspaper “The Sun” published a recipe called ‘Fudges at Vassar’ in 1895.
With Fudge’s popularity and availability on the rise from then on, it was only a matter of time before the American Peanut got involved as a Fudge flavor. There’s no denying our love affair with Peanuts and Peanut Butter considering that over 75% of modern American households contain a jar of Peanut Butter, and that an American child on average eats over 1,000 Peanut-Butter-and-Jelly sandwiches by the time they graduate high school. The exact first instance of Peanut Butter being used in a Fudge batch is unknown, but it was only a natural progression, and we won’t complain about having enjoyed Peanut Butter Fudge.
It was the National Peanut Board that first established November 20th as National Peanut Butter Fudge Day. The organization’s chairman, Bob White, said in 2015, “I’m not certain anyone knows for sure why Americans have named so many days or months for U.S.A.-grown Peanuts and Peanut Butter. Which doesn’t surprise me that America’s favorite Nut is top of mind all year long.”
HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DAY
- There’s no denying that baking can be a lot of fun, especially using a recipe that’s as simple as Peanut Butter Fudge recipes are. Set aside a couple of hours, invite the family and make a pan of Peanut Butter.
- There’s a reason that Peanut Butter Fudge is featured in Gift Shops all over the Country: Peanut Butter Fudge makes a thoughtful and tasty present or souvenir that may even win over someone who’s on the fence about you. Have the gift box wrapped up nicely, and look for those smiles upon your family’s face what’s inside.
- Take plenty of pictures of your baking or gift-giving experience and share them on all of your Social Media sites online to share the fun of NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DAY. Use the hashtags #PeanutButterFudgeDay and #NationalPeanutButterFudgeDay.
5 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT PEANUTS
- Peanuts have the most protein of any nut. Which is seven grams per serving providing long-lasting healthy energy.
- Did you know it takes 540 Peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of Peanut Butter?
- Americans spend about 800 million dollars a year on Peanut Butter.
- Peanut Butter contains over 30 essential vitamins and nutrients. Peanuts are a superfood.
- The saying, “working for Peanuts” was coined by Harry Mozley Stevens in 1895. The year the company Cavanaros paid for ad space in the New York Giants game programs with Peanuts, which Stevens and other stadium staff then resold to fans during games.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DAY
- All history and interesting facts aside, people simply love the sweet flavor and creamy texture of Peanut Butter Fudge. It’s fun to find someone among your peer group who’s never tasted Peanut Butter Fudge, and see their eyes light up. Be careful of your friends’ possible Peanut Allergies.
- Though the Peanut Plant has its origins in South America, the United States created a program around the turn of the 20th Century to encourage the production and consumption of Peanuts, helping the Legume graduate from backyard gardens to major farms like Jimmy Carter’s.
- If you live in a sizable town, chances are that on November 20th, you can find a Peanut-Butter Fudge baking contest or other promotion where you’ll be able to try multiple batches of Peanut Butter Fudge from different Chefs.
Five facts about Peanut Butter Fudge:
Fudge was invented in the United States more than 100 years ago.
The exact origin of Fudge is disputed, but most stories claim that the first batch of Fudge resulted from messed up batch of Caramels made on February 14th, 1886. Hence the name “Fudge.”
Did you know Georgia is the #1 Peanut producing State.
The most popular American Fudge flavor is Chocolate.
The average Peanut Farm is 100 acres.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
