Welcome to our series sharing Food Holidays: July 31st, 2022. Would you take a look at the holidays being celebrated today and let me know which holiday you want to celebrate and why. Charlie and I would like to celebrate National Cotton Candy Day and make Cotton Candy in Charlie’s Homeschool Cooking Class.
Before you ask do you and Charlie know how to make Cotton Candy. No, we don’t but I purchased Charlie a Cotton Candy Maker a couple years ago which we’ve never used. Can you believe it’s sitting in my kitchen floor? Looks like its time to use it. Would you like to join us in making Cotton Candy?
National Raspberry Cake Day
Most people are always up for a celebration of Cake and Fruit. Especially when you mix the Cake and Fruit together. Today is the day to use Cake and Raspberries to give you Raspberry Cake to eat on National Raspberry Cake Day July 31st! This holiday recognizes the refreshing dessert that is a Summer favorite for many. Raspberries infuse this Cake with a unique taste bringing the Cake to another level.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL RASPBERRY CAKE DAY
The Raspberry grows in all temperate zones of the World and was once only a Midsummer crop. However, as with everything, advances in technology have allowed the Raspberry to be produced all year long. The freshest, juiciest Raspberries are harvested from July to September, however, making July the perfect month to celebrate National Raspberry Cake Day.
The Raspberry itself has been eaten since the early ages. Ancestors from the Paleolithic age would pluck Raspberries off bushes to eat. It wasn’t until the 4th Century B.C. that people began to cultivate Raspberries. Raspberries sweetness was a valued taste. Raspberries were also used in everything from Herbal Teas to Medicinal Sachets. Records of this cultivation have been found in Rome and Seeds were discovered at some Roman forts in Britain. This is why it is thought that Romans spread the cultivation of Raspberries throughout Europe.
Medieval Europe used these Wild Raspberries in many ways; including adding to medicines and used Raspberries as pigments in paintings and in manuscripts. At that time, the only people who could afford Raspberries were the upper class. By the 17th Century, however, Raspberries were grown all over British Gardens, and the cultivation of Raspberries gradually spread around Europe.
When European settlers traveled to America, they discovered that the Native Americans had already been eating Raspberries for a long time. The cultivated version was introduced to America, and soon, commercial plants were being sold all over the Country. By the time the World entered the 19th Century, Raspberries were being produced in many major States across America, and by 1880, approximately 2,000 acres of land was used to cultivate the Raspberry.
Raspberries have also been linked to multiple myths. According to one of them, Raspberries used to be white until a nymph named Ida pricked her finger while she was picking Raspberries for a crying infant. Her blood dripped on them, turning them red. Another myth, this time from Germany, claims a Raspberry Twig was tied onto a ‘bewitched’ horse’s body to calm it down. Yet another myth attributes the fox’s red coat to eating too many Raspberries.
At this point, there is no information on this particular holiday, its founder, or even how the Raspberry Cake came into existence. All we know is, we are very thankful to whoever came up with the idea, and we are raising a slice of Raspberry Cake, of course in their honor.
HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL RASPBERRY CAKE DAY
- If you enjoy Raspberry Cakes, create an easy Raspberry Cake recipe before giving it your own unique touch. Add Lemon Curd, mix in a few Raspberries, use Raspberries with bitters for an extra zing, or create a Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake. Play the kitchen Scientist and create a recipe that is completely you.
- Get the family together for a Berry-licious meal. Raspberry-flavored drinks can be paired with Raspberry-Glazed Salmon, and for dessert serve the Raspberry Cake. You can get one from your favorite baker or wow the family with your original recipe!
- There are plenty of organizations and even local farms that host Berry-themed events each year. Look out for the ones that celebrate the Raspberry, and visit them. Make sure to try out all the Raspberry creations they offer. If you are unable to attend this event, try creating your own with the help of local farmers or Community leaders.
5 FUN FACTS ABOUT RASPBERRIES
- Raspberries are made of little droplets or units, and each Raspberry can be considered a separate Fruit.
- Raspberries come in red, purple, gold, or black. Did you know the golden Raspberries are the sweetest.
- The flapping noise you make with your lips is also called ‘blowing a Raspberry’. This term might have originated from the Cockney dialect of England.
- An old French word ‘raspise,’ meaning ‘sweet rose-colored Wine,’ seems to have inspired the Raspberry’s name.
- Raspberries and Blackberries are crossed to create the Loganberry. Across between Red Raspberries, Blackberries, and Loganberries creates Boysenberries.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL RASPBERRY CAKE DAY
- =As is the case with many Berries, Raspberries, are chock-full of nutritional benefits. Raspberries contain loads of Vitamin C, Minerals like Manganese, and Fiber.
- While the Boysenberry and the Nessberry a cross between a Dewberry, Raspberry, and Blackberry) might not technically be the same Fruit, they are taken from the Raspberry. Plus, whoever says no to tasting new Berries?
- Who doesn’t love Cake and Raspberries? On this holiday, we happily combine two of our favorite treats: Cake and Raspberries. This celebration gives us free rein to enjoy this dessert guilt-free.
Five Food Finds about Cotton Candy:
- Did you know Cotton Candy was originally called Fairy Floss?
- Cotton Candy contains only one ingredient: Sugar.
- The process by which Cotton Candy is made has been around for over 100 years. Chances are you could ask your grandparents about their first encounter with Cotton Candy. They’ll tell you at great length how much it cost and how neat Cotton Candy was back in the day.
- Cotton Candy was forgotten for a while several decades ago, but Cotton Candy became an instant hit when suddenly Cotton Candy was mass produced and became readily accessible to everyone. Not just the ones attending a Fair or Circus.
- Cotton Candy doesn’t contain all that much Sugar. Just as much Sugar as one would get drinking a can of an average soft drink.
National Cotton Candy Day is celebrated on December 7th to our sweet tooth’s joy and dentists’ dismay. Did you know dentists actually invented Cotton Candy in the first place? Cotton Candy was even called Fairy Floss back in the day. Now, Cotton Candy is the go-to at County Fairs and a must-have when riding a Ferris Wheel. Most of our childhood memories wouldn’t have been complete without Cotton Candy.
NATIONAL COTTON CANDY DAY ACTIVITIES
- Purchas Cotton Candy and celebrate the holiday by eating all you can hold! Try a new flavor of Cotton Candy for the first time. Banana? Green Apple or Strawberry?
- If you enjoyed Cotton Candy with someone at a young age, celebrate with them. We’re sure sweet memories will accompany this treat.
- If you think you could do better than the dentists who created Cotton Candy then give it a shot and try various flavors while you’re making Cotton Candy.
3 REASONS PEOPLE CAN’T SEEM TO GET ENOUGH
- Sugar’s the only true ingredient in Cotton Candy which when spun, Cotton Candy’s all white because it’s made from Sugar. Adding dye can transform the color.
- Though thin, Cotton Candy can be very long. In fact, the longest Cotton Candy was created in July 2009 and stretched over 1,400 meters.
- In England, Cotton Candy is called Candy Floss. In Australia and Finland, Cotton Candy is called Fairy Floss. In the Netherlands, Cotton Candy is known as Suikerspin, which means “Sugar Spider.” Traveling to France? Call Cotton Candy barbe à papa, which means papa’s beard.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL COTTON CANDY DAY
- If you’re needing a sweet fix, Cotton Candy is your ticket to that Sugar high you’re craving.
- Not only is Cotton Candy easy to store, Cotton Candy makes no mess. Cotton Candy is just soft clouds of Sugar that can easily be folded up and eaten in less than a minute.
- Carnivals, Fairs, and more bring Cotton Candy memories from our childhood. Who doesn’t love feeling like kids again?
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
