Pecan Day - March 25

Pecan Day is a special day founded in the United States, commemorating March 25, 1775, the day then-US President George Washington planted a pecan seedling he received from Thomas Jefferson at Mount Vernon.

Pecans are a nut that grows on a deciduous fruit tree, originating in Northeastern North America - from the states of Iowa, Indiana, Texas and Mississippi.

The pecan tree can also be found in Israel, in the fields and courtyards of houses.

Pecans are sometimes called "the nut of America" ​​and in the US pecans are a traditional dish.

Like its other nut companions, pecans are very healthy and rich in nutritional values. It is slightly richer in fat than other nuts, but it has protein, thiamine, vitamin B6, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc.

How to celebrate Pecan Day?

You can pick pecans and eat straight from the tree - crush, peel and eat. You can add peeled pecans to a salad, pasta sauce, ice cream. You can eat pecan cake.

There are lots of things you can add the delicious pecans to. Happy Pecan Day!

March 25 is also Waffle Day

Almond Day - February 16

February 16 is Almond Day, the fruit that grows on the almond tree that belongs to the rose family.

Did you know?

Eating 20 unroasted natural almonds a day as a snack between meals has been found to contribute to weight loss more than other snacks.

Almonds have a total of 7-9 calories and are rich in vitamin E, magnesium, calcium and good fats for the heart.

Almonds also help balance appetite and reduce the urge to eat sweets.

It is recommended to eat the almonds as a snack, during a "crisis" when the body really wants sweet. You should eat 10 almonds at each snack, a total of two meals.

The part of the almond that is eaten is the seed. It contains a substance called amygdalin, which breaks down and forms cyanide, a very dangerous poison. But do not worry, the cyanide is found in the bitter almonds. The sweet cultural varieties we eat do not contain amygdalin.

 February 16 is also Innovation Day and Tim Tam Day

World Nutella Day- February 5

Anyone who's addicted to chocolate knows that there is chocolate and then there is a nutella. The chocolate and hazelnut spread has been around since 1940, and although it has many imitations on the market, there is nothing like the original and real Nutella.

Nutella continues to be the favorite forbidden pleasure of the market and the world-wide. So it is not surprising that the Nutella fans decided to start the tradition of the Nutella Day celebration in 2007. The sweet celebration was launched by social networks by Nutella bloggers and fans, and soon joined by tens of thousands of Nutella devotees who were happy to show their appreciation for the amazing spread online.

You will not believe it, but chocolate Nutella was invented because of the infamous World War II. During the war, the price of cocoa beans in Italy rose greatly, so the manufacturer of the chocolate spread, Pietro Ferrero, added to his spread cream made from nuts instead of chocolate. Pietro Ferrero died in 1949 and left his girlfriend, Ferrero, to his son Michele Ferrero. Michele Ferrero is considered the richest man in Italy and among the 30 richest people in the world. On February 14, 2016, Michele Ferrero died.  

On February 5 each year, Nutella fans from all over the world unite and celebrate the existence of this wonderful chocolate spread by eating a spoon straight out of the box, uploading pictures of chocolate in Nutella, publishing creative Nutella recipes and integrating Nutella into all day meals.

There's no limit to what you can do with Nutella. You can start the day with pancakes with Nutella, continue with espresso mixed with a spoon of Nutella (unbelievable as it tastes good!), Add Nutella to cake, ice cream and melted and even salty foods. There is no limit to imagination!

February 6 is also Chocolate Fondue Day & Weatherman's Day

Roast Chestnut Day - December 14

What's more fun at the height of winter, in mid-December, than to eat roasted chestnuts on the fire warm and pampering? December 14th is a special day in honor of the roasted chestnuts.

The taste of the chestnuts is somewhat reminiscent of the taste of a sweet potato. Chestnuts can be bought in the country before roasting in markets and shops for fruits, vegetables and spices. But the most fun is buying them roasted at a market stall that sells them hot and fresh and then they crack easily.

Some interesting facts about chestnuts:

The chestnut grows on a large tree that can reach a height of 20-25 meters. The tree trunk is very thick and can reach a diameter of two meters. The chestnut tree prolongs life and in Europe there are chestnut trees that are a thousand years old.

In the Bible the name "chestnut" is mentioned, but apparently the reference is to the plane tree.

The chestnut is a nut that grows inside a hard, thorny brown bark. The peel gradually opens before the fruit ripens and the completion of ripening occurs in mid-October.

Chestnut is a healthy candy from nature: it contains protein, calcium, iron, potassium and B vitamins and has no cholesterol at all.

To prepare the chestnuts for eating, the most popular way is to light them on fire.

Before roasting, make a chestnut between one and four grooves. In Morocco it is customary to make two grooves, in Tunisia one long, in Europe four grooves and in Russia only one groove.

From the chestnuts you can make a spread, cream or puree (puree).

During the First World War, the chestnut fruit was used in Britain to produce acetone from which they made gunpowder (according to advice they received from Chaim Weizmann). Children across the UK would enlist in the war effort and go out into the woods to pick chestnut fruit.

Historians estimate that chestnut fruit began to be popular in the 16th century, when street vendors began selling them as a quick and warm snack in the winter.

Portugal has a tradition of eating roasted chestnuts on St. Martin's Day. In Tuscany, Italy the tradition exists on St. Simon's Day.

How to raost chestnuts?

There are several ways to make roasted chestnuts:

1. In the oven

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. The chestnuts are X-shaped grooved on their flat side. Place the chestnuts on a baking sheet or on the grill, with the cut side up. Spray some water. Bake for 15-20 minutes. During baking, move them occasionally so that they do not burn. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 2-3 minutes. Wrap them in a towel and give a blow to crumble the shell. If they are still difficult to peel, you can put them in the hot oven for another minute.

2. On the fire

Rinse the chestnuts in cold water. Make an X-shape on the flat side. Place in a heavy iron skillet or plancha on the flat side. Turn on the heat and simmer for five minutes. Occasionally shake the pan to dissipate the heat. Turn the chestnuts and sauté for another five minutes. Remove from the heat, wait for a few minutes to cool and peel.

3. Cooking in a pot

Make an X on the flat side of the chestnuts. Put the chestnuts in a pot and boil for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the pot, let them cool and peel.

4. The easiest method: in the microwave

Take five or six chestnuts. Slice them and heat in the microwave at the highest intensity for about 4 minutes, until the shell explodes and separates from them.

 

December 14 is also Monkey Day

Cashew Day - November 23

Cashew is a fun nut to snack on all year round, and November 23rd is his holiday.

The cashew nut we love so much is the fruit of the cashew tree, which develops from the fruit pimple, where the cashew flower comes out. The fruit cannot be eaten without processing because its peel contains resin that can cause the body to react to poisoning. That is why cashews are sold after they have undergone a process of heating and peeling. Cashews have great nutritional value. It contains lots of antioxidants, vitamin B and minerals like iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. It is recommended to buy it as natural as possible and without added salt.

The cashew tree also has an edible fruit, called a "cashew apple" and is pear-shaped, edible and has a soft and sweet texture. The cashew apple is coated with a delicate peel and contains no seeds.

The cashew apple

Cashews on the tree

The cashew tree originates in northeastern Brazil. Today it is grown in extensive areas of South America. Cashews also reached Africa and Southeast Asia by the Portuguese between the 15th and 17th centuries, when they were a colonial empire and their merchants would roam and discover the world. Today, cashews are grown commercially in 32 countries around the world that have tropical and subtropical climates, mainly in Vietnam, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, India, Brazil and Indonesia.

The cashew tree has a convoluted trunk like a spiral and a texture reminiscent of leather, and it reaches a height of 12 meters. Its flowers are small, at first they have a light green color and then they turn red, with each of them having five thin and sharp petals.

The largest cashew tree in the world is the Cashew of Pirangi which covers about 7,525 square meters and is located in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Its size is like 70 cashews together, and when you walk where it is, you feel Who walk in a whole forest of cashew trees, when in fact it is only one tree

From the cashews it is possible to make a drink that resembles milk and also vegetable cheese. Cashew cheese is rich in unsaturated fat that is good for heart health. From the cashew cheese you can make a vegan cheesecake, vegan pizza, vegan macaroni and cheese and actually use it as a cheese substitute in any dish that contains cow's milk cheese.

A simple and easy recipe for cashew cheese:

Soak 1 cup of fresh cashews overnight in cold water.

In a food processor or blender, grind the nuts with a little water until you get the desired texture, juice of half a lemon, 1 tablespoon of quality raw tahini (optional) and 1 clove of garlic (optional) and a little salt.

The cheese is ready when a uniform and smooth paste is obtained. The cheese can be kept for a week in the refrigerator in a closed container.

If you want, you can also add herbs you like, brewer's yeast or pine nuts.

In Latin America, cashew apple fruit is also made into a drink.

Cashews cause fewer allergic reactions than nuts or other peanuts.

The cashew nut first came to Goa, India, by the Portuguese, between 1560 and 1565. From Goa it spread throughout Southeast Asia, and eventually, reached Africa as well.

There is also cashew oil which is a delicious addition to a salad or sauce.

Many parts of the plant are used for medicinal purposes.

The cashews we eat also have a dark side: the cashews industry in backward countries uses people who peel the nuts with bare hands and are harmed by the toxins in its shell. Besides, their working conditions are poor and wages are meager. In recent years, the struggle of European activists for fair trade in cashews and the provision of working conditions and job security for people working in the cashew industry has intensified. When buying cashews, you should find out where it came from and buy from countries where there is fair trade.

How to celebrate Cashew Day?

There are so many snacks that contain cashews. You can savor them today, just you should check that they are as little processed and salted as possible to enjoy the health benefits of cashews. You can enrich your salads with cashews. It is today to make cashew cheese which is a great and healthy substitute for regular cheese. Instead of cow's milk, you can try a cashew drink today, which, as we mentioned earlier, is very rich in minerals and vitamins from plants.

November 23 is also Fibonacci Day