National Apple Turnover Day
July 5
According to legend, chaussons aux pommes, or apple turnovers, were invented in 1630 in Saint Calais in the Sarthe region of France. The town of Saint-Calais was suffering from an epidemic and the Chatelaine, the lady of the town, distributed flour, and apples to the poor – and they made apple turnovers! A turnover is a portable pie, made by placing a filling on a piece of dough, folding the dough over, and sealing it.
National Graham Crackers Day
July 5
You may have noticed the name Graham is always capitalized when referring to the cracker. That is because, unlike other snack foods, this one is actually named after a real person: the evangelical minister who created the recipe in 1829. His name was Sylvester Graham. Before Honey Maid dominated the Graham cracker market, this snack was made by bakeries all over the United States. In 1898, many of these independent operations joined to form the National Biscuit Company, aka Nabisco. It was through this merger that, by 1925, the Graham cracker we know and love today was created and sold under the name Sugar Honey Grahams. Ever since smores were supposedly created by the Girl Scouts in 1927, the tasty treat has involved the famous Graham cracker, as well as a toasted marshmallow and hunk of chocolate. The first recorded recipe for this dish appeared in the publication Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts, though it didn’t gain mainstream popularity until the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Today’s Birthdays of Note….
P.T. Barnum – Barnum & Bailey Circus – 80 – born in Bethel, Connecticut
Megan Rapinoe – World Cup & Olympic Soccer – 34 – born in Redding, California
