May 13th is National Crouton Day #NationalCroutonDay. Charlie and my sister love Croutons with and without Salads. I looked up a recipe online this morning and I’m going to have Charlie make Homemade Croutons for both him and his Aunt Debbie for a snack during the day.
If Charlie had been #Homeschooling still preparing #HomemadeCroutons would have been a great addition to Charlie’s #CookingClass. Would you want to make Croutons with us? Remember #Homeschooling is thinking outside the box let your children do a cooking class today and they can make a Salad and Homemade Croutons for dinner.
Remember when the Salad is done to sprinkle Croutons onto your plate and sit down for a fun National Crouton Day celebration, which should happen every year on May 13th. When cooking your Croutons you can fry them, bake them, or infuse them with flavors from around the world. Croutons is simply the topping on your food, but what a delicious one it is! Packed with flavor and crunch, Croutons are faithful, ever-present, and absolutely tasty.
For hundreds of years now, people have been making some form of Croutons to use up their stale Bread. Stale Bread has been used in dishes (mostly Soups) since medieval times. Just don’t forget to save some of the Bread for the Birds.
Did you know the versatile Crouton first showed up in France and it referred to Bread Crusts that were cut into small pieces and were served with drinks. Some people think Croutons were inspired by French Biscotti and other ancient baked goods.
There’s even a famous folk tale about Croutons on the internet! As the tale goes, Knight-turned-diplomat Sir Edgar Crouton was posted to England, although no one knew how he got the job, ill-mannered as he was. While dining with the King of England one night something he was frequently required to do as a Diplomat. Sir Crouton was served Soup and Bread together.
In his haste to eat, he accidentally dropped several pieces of Bread into his Soup and could not fish them out as the King was watching. At a loss, he simply stuffed everything into his mouth, Bread, Soup, and all. Thankfully, this tasted delicious. Sir Crouton decided this dish needed a new name, and, realizing that no such name existed, honored this dish with his own name.
Family-owned American company Rothbury Farms decided to host a special day to celebrate this humble Bread dish. They founded National Crouton Day in 2015 and America has been celebrating this crunchy complement to food ever since.
How To Celebrate National Crouton Day
- Top any dish with a helping of Croutons. If you are not a Salad person, try Croutons with Soup, which I would recommend Tomato Soup. Or you could use Pudding, or anything that strikes your fancy. Check out some creative ways to Crouton up your dish online.
- Get creative by coming up with multiple crunchy Crouton dishes including Nuts, Chopped Cucumber, slices of Carrot, etc. Invite guests to come up with their own variations and see who can be the most creative.
- Wear your love for Croutons on your sleeve and share your Crouton-inspired dishes and party ideas online, and let others get in on the fun too.
Facts About Croutons
- Bread-related foods often have French names because the French love Bread and are the source of much of these names!
- The word Crouton is derived from the French word ‘Croûte’ which means ‘crust’. Crouton is actually the diminutive form of the word, so it translates to ‘little crust’ in French.
- Across North America, a variation of the Crouton dried and cubed instead of Buttered and Oiled is sold in large bags to be used in Thanksgiving dishes.
- A Latin word inspired the name “Croute’ or ‘Croustade’ and the English ‘Crouton’ were all inspired by the Latin word ‘Crusta,’ which means ‘shell’ or ‘Crust.’
- Croutons are considered an unhealthy Salad topping and one half-cup of Croutons can add around 100 calories to your dish unless the Crouton is made from healthy Grains and is baked.
Why People Love National Crouton Day
How the word Crouton came to be is a great way to not only acquire some general knowledge but expand our understanding of how the world is connected. Exploring this etymology makes us see beyond borders and languages to a world connected by a common thread food.
Who doesn’t love that crunch when you bite into freshly made Croutons? Celebrating National Crouton Day gives us carte blanche to devour Croutons to our heart’s content and that makes us very happy!
The history of Croutons is amazing! These humble slices of Bread have traveled the world and are now gracing our plates. Learning about Croutons makes the eating experience much more fun.
Recipe for Croutons:
Ingredients
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 loaf of crusty bread, cut into 1″ cubes (about 6 c.)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, toss cubed bread with oil and butter until evenly coated. Add in salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, and Parmesan, and toss to combine until evenly distributed. Divide seasoned bread between two large baking sheets.
Step 2: Bake until golden and crispy, flipping halfway through, about 15 minutes total.
Step 3: Let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
