National Kale Day celebrates a leafy green that has endured through centuries of culinary trends. Kale belongs to the Brassica family, along with cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Varieties of kale were cultivated by the ancient Greeks and Romans as early as the 4th century BC. For centuries kale was valued as a cold‑tolerant crop […]
October 1 signals the start of Vegetarian Awareness Month and World Vegetarian Day, an occasion established in 1977 by the North American Vegetarian Society and embraced a year later by the International Vegetarian Union. More than a calendar marker, it is an invitation to reconsider our relationship with food and the impact our choices have […]
As autumn settles in and pumpkins begin to appear on porches and in soups, their humble seeds take center stage on National Pumpkin Seed Day, celebrated on the first Wednesday […]
As the leaves begin their slow transformation from green to gold, kitchens around the world take on a new purpose. October 1 has been affectionately dubbed the day when Pudding […]
October’s arrival ushers in Filipino American History Month, a period of storytelling, culinary delights and remembrance. The timing honors a remarkable event: on October 18, 1587, a group of ‘Luzones Indios’ from the Philippines—then a Spanish colony—landed at Morro Bay, California, as part of the Spanish Manila galleon trade. They became the first recorded Filipinos […]
German American Heritage Month, often observed in October, celebrates a lineage that predates the founding of the United States. On October 6, 1683, thirteen German families from Krefeld arrived at […]
Italian-American Heritage Month takes place in October, coinciding with Columbus Day and the harvest season. Italians began immigrating to the United States in significant numbers in the late 19th and […]
The Briny Perfume of October The briny perfume of the seaside lingers in the air when you drop a scallop into a sizzling pan. Early October carries a particular crispness—sweaters […]
A Handheld Taste of October Before tortillas were ever wrapped around seasoned beef and lettuce on American dinner tables, they were the handheld staples of indigenous peoples across Mesoamerica. National […]
The Sweet Aroma of October On October 3, kitchens take on a particularly enticing aroma as people across the United States celebrate National Caramel Custard Day. The dish at the […]
A Spirit as Clear as Water Clear and almost flavorless, vodka might seem simple at first glance. Yet its story is anything but plain. The very name comes from the […]
The Sun in a Glass Lift a glass of mead to the light and you can see the sun of a thousand summers captured within. The world’s oldest known fermented […]
