National Caramel Day is celebrated every year on April 5th. Caramel lovers celebrate this day in honor of their favorite treat that adds a sweet, creamy flavor to desserts, pastries and candies.
The caramel is made by adding milk and fat to the sugar that has been heated and turned into a syrup and stirring continuously until it reaches a light brown color.
Many bakers and confectioners use caramel to make a variety of desserts as a prominent ingredient, or as a supplement.
The caramel can also be used as a syrup or as a paste that holds nuts and popcorn and also as a coating for candied apples.
The more the caramel is cooked, the deeper the color and the stronger the taste until the sugar becomes bitter and no longer tasty.
There is also a salted caramel sauce that was invented in 1977 by the French pastry chef Henri Le Roux in Quiberon, Brittany, in the form of a salted butter caramel with crushed nuts (caramel au beurre salé), using Breton demi-sel butter. The salted caramel is suitable for ice cream, brownies, baked cakes and muffins.
Interesting facts about caramel
The word "caramel" comes from a Medieval Latin word "cannamella" which means canna 'cane' + mella 'honey', and late Latin word "calamellus" which means 'sugar cane'.
Although the source is unknown, it is speculated that American settlers in 1650 made hard toffee candies from kettles from caramel. Because it was an economical candy to make, it found its way into many recipes.
Around 1850, someone discovered that adding milk and fat product to the cooked sugar mixture created a soft and chewy candy. It is not surprising how quickly soft caramel has become popular.
In 1960, Vito Raimondi, with the help of his uncle William Raimondi, invented and registered a patent for the first caramel apple machine.
Toffee, or in the US "caramel candy", is a soft, dense, chewy candy, produced by boiling a mixture of milk or cream, sugar, glucose, butter and vanilla (or vanilla flavor).
Caramel is also used as a natural food coloring marked as E-150, especially in soft drinks like Coca-Cola.
How to celebrate Caramel Day?
What is your favorite type of caramel? National Caramel Day is today to taste and decide. No matter what your favorite caramel shape, this day is the day when you can celebrate it by sharing with friends, family and co-workers alike. Caramel really blends wonderfully with just about anything. An example of making something easy and delicious in honor of Caramel Day: Prepare a caramel dish and add it to a brownie or chocolate cake like a layer of marble icing, or drizzle it over and sprinkle nuts for a special treat.
Use the hashtag #NationalCaramelDay to post your caramel creations on social media.
