November is a month full of unusual celebrations. Some of them are about food, and they give us a good reason to enjoy our favourite treats! Here are three special days that maybe you don’t know about.
National Sandwich Day – November 3
Sandwiches are popular all over the world. People eat them for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. You can make a sandwich with almost anything: cheese, ham, eggs, vegetables or meat.
But where does the word sandwich come from? It is connected to an English man called John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich. He lived in the 18th century. The popular story is that he loved playing cards and didn’t want to stop for a meal. He asked for meat between two pieces of bread so he could eat and play at the same time! His friends started asking for the same kind of food. ‘The same as Sandwich, please!’ – they said and later they just said, ‘A sandwich, please!’ National Sandwich Day is celebrated on November 3, on the Earl’s birthday.
National Candy Day – November 4
Who doesn’t love sweets? On November 4, people in the United States celebrate National Candy Day. There are so many different kinds of candy: chocolate bars, lollipops, jelly sweets and hard candies.
But candy wasn’t always cheap and easy to buy. Hundreds of years ago, sugar was expensive, so only rich people could enjoy sweet treats. People also made sweets with honey and covered nuts and fruit with it.
Today, candy is popular with both children and adults. Some people prefer sweet flavours, while others love sour sweets that make their faces twist!
National Gingerbread Cookie Day – November 21
Gingerbread cookies are especially popular in the winter. They often have the shape of people, stars or little houses. People decorate them with colourful icing and sweets.
Gingerbread has a long history. One story says that a monk called Gregory brought gingerbread to Europe around 1,000 years ago. At first, people often made gingerbread in special shapes for religious celebrations.
Today, baking gingerbread cookies is a popular activity before Christmas. Families make the dough, cut out different shapes and decorate the cookies together. And, of course, they eat them afterwards!
So, which of these November celebrations would you like to enjoy? Perhaps you could make a sandwich, buy some sweets or bake some gingerbread cookies!
