National Macaroni Day / National Strawberry Sundae Day

National Macaroni Day

July 7

Macaroni is an offshoot of the Italian maccheroni, which comes from the Latin macerare. The word means to bruise or crush; crushing wheat is how pasta is made. Why did Yankee Doodle stick a feather in his cap and call it macaroni? In the 1700s, fashionable men who wore expensive Italian clothes were called macaroni, another word for “dandies.” The patriotic song is a jab at Americans who were so boorish that they thought a feather would make them fashionable. The macaroni penguin, with black and yellow plumes on its head, is named after those very same dandies from “Yankee Doodle.” The average American eats 19.8 pounds of pasta each year. The average Italian eats 62 pounds.

National Strawberry Sundae Day

July 7

According to the Weird Holiday website, strawberries are the third most popular flavor of ice cream. The world record for the largest strawberry sundae was set on June 8, 1980. The strawberry sundae consisted of 10,780 pounds of ice cream, 180 pounds of topping, 90 pounds of nuts, and 16 gallons of whipped cream. It stood 15 feet high. Strawberries are a smart choice for an ice cream sundae topping as they have low fat and low calories, and they are high in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, and potassium!

Today’s Birthdays of Note….

Ringo Starr – Drummer with the Beatles – born in Liverpool, England

Satchel Paige – Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher – born in Mobile, Alabama

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