• National Rice Pudding Day

    There’s something inherently comforting about rice pudding. Perhaps it’s because its ingredients are so modest — rice, milk, sugar, sometimes eggs or cream and spices — yet when simmered slowly […]

  • National S’mores Day

    A crackling campfire, the smell of pine and smoke, and a circle of friends and family passing a bag of marshmallows and a bar of chocolate — these are the ingredients for s’mores. Roasting marshmallows over an open flame is a rite of summer. The perfect marshmallow is held over glowing embers until its outside […]

  • National Afternoon Tea Week

    Afternoon tea is a ritual of pause and pleasure. National Afternoon Tea Week, held during the second full week of August, celebrates the tradition of sitting down mid‑afternoon to sip tea and nibble delicate treats. The custom is credited to Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, who in the 1840s began taking tea with bread […]

  • National Melon Day

    Close your eyes and imagine the perfume of a perfectly ripe melon: sweet, heady and slightly floral, it fills a market stall with the scent of summer. Slice through the green-striped rind and the flesh glows apricot‑orange, dripping with juice. In Turkmenistan, melons are not just a fruit but a national treasure. The Central Asian […]

  • National Raspberry Bombe Day

    A bombe glacée is a showstopper dessert: layers of ice cream, sherbet or custard frozen in a domed mold and unmolded to reveal concentric bands of color and flavor. The dessert originated in France in the late nineteenth century, when molded frozen desserts were the height of culinary fashion and elaborate molds filled with ice […]

  • National Raspberry Tart Day

    A tart is the essence of simplicity and precision: a crisp pastry shell baked until golden and filled with something delicious. In the case of a raspberry tart, the filling showcases the berry’s pure flavor. Tarts have deep roots in European pastry tradition. Medieval cooks made open‑faced pies filled with savory meat and later sweet […]

  • National Panini Day

    Panini is the Italian plural for panino, a small bread roll or sandwich. In Italy, a panino can be as simple as prosciutto and cheese between slices of ciabatta. The […]

  • National Gooey Butter Cake Day

    St. Louis has many culinary claims to fame, but few inspire as much local pride as gooey butter cake. The dessert began, so the story goes, with a happy accident […]

  • National Julienne Fries Day

    The julienne cut — slender matchstick strips — is a hallmark of French technique. To julienne potatoes for fries, you slice them into planks, then into sticks about an eighth‑inch […]

  • National Filet Mignon Day

    In French, filet mignon means dainty fillet. The cut comes from the tenderloin of the cow — a muscle that does little work, resulting in an exceptionally tender piece of […]

  • National Prosecco Day

    Prosecco is Italy’s answer to celebration. Made primarily from the Glera grape in the hilly vineyards of the Veneto and Friuli regions, this sparkling wine is light, aromatic and effervescent. […]

  • National Creamsicle Day

    An orange creamsicle embodies summer nostalgia. Beneath a thin shell of icy orange sherbet lies a core of smooth vanilla ice cream. Each lick delivers tangy citrus followed by creamy […]