Every Day Is Special: July 30 - Food, Food, Food!

July 30 - Food, Food, Food!

Posted on July 30, 2020

This year has been really weird for celebrating birthdays, holidays, festivals, and so forth - because of the global pandemic.

But food holidays are another matter. We can probably get take out, or order some groceries and cook up a storm, and then we can celebrate all the food holidays we want.

After all, aren't we all gaining at least a little pandemic weight? LOL

Today is the last Thursday in July, so it is National Chili Dog Day (see below). July 30 is Cheesecake Day and National Chicken and Waffles Day. Umm three holidays on one day?...Sounds perfect for putting on pandemic weight, doesn't it?

Did you know...?

Cheesecake may date back to Ancient Greece, and there is evidence that cheesecake - made from wheat flour, honey, and cheese - was served to athletes during the first Olympic Games way back in 776 B.C.E.!

The oldest known cheesecake recipe was Ancient Roman. Apparently cheesecake in that empire was made with crushed cheese and eggs, served warm - and often served in a pastry.

Henry VIII's chef cut cheese into tiny pieces and soaked those pieces in milk for hours. After draining off the milk that still remained, the chef would add eggs, butter, and sugar.

When an American dairy farmer accidentally invented cream cheese, cheesecake took a big-time turn. German American chef Arnold Reuben (known for his sandwich) is often credited with New York style cheesecake. Yum!

Cheesecakes around the world use different cheeses - for example ricotta (Italy), mizithra (Greece), and cottage cheese (Germany) - and many use different special ingredients - from tofu to seafood to chilis.

Above, Basque cheesecake.
Below, chocolate and chili powder cheesecake!

Here is a relatively simple cheesecake recipe.

Did you know...?

Some folks say that the chicken-and-waffles combo was started by Joseph Wells of the Wells Supper Club in Harlem, back in the 1930s, but apparently chicken and waffles go back a lot farther! Enslaved African Americans are credited with the combo. The waffles were probably thinner and crisper than those we make today, made with cumbersome wafer irons on the open hearth. Those of us who have electric waffle irons have it easy!