National Food Holidays: National Pastry Day
National Pastry Day….
National Pastry Day is one of the important food holidays in US, and it is celebrated on December 9th.
The Reason for celebrating National Pastry Day
National Pastry Day is a fun holiday, which is celebrated in the honor of pastry. The day is created to encourage you to try out your favorite dessert. You can also make savory by replacing the sweet ingredients with the ones of your choice.
Origin of the National Pastry Day
There is no information about the origins of the National Pastry Day. The experts believe that National Pastry Day is the brainchild of some smart greeting card industry barons. That means this is a sort of fun holiday, which is celebrated for the sake of the baked wonders. Still many minds will be working overtime to know why the National Pastry Day is celebrated on the 9th day of December. Some websites and blogs suggest that as December is the time for rejoicing, and food, that’s why pastry day is celebrated in this month.
The arts, science and commerce of a pastry
According to Wikipedia: Pastry is “a mixture of flour, fat, possibly egg and sugar, the fat usually dispersed as small solid globules coated with flour and the whole brought together with liquid prior to shaping and baking. " Generally wheat flour and all purpose flour are used in the preparation of the pastry. The wheat flour is kneaded into the dough using the water. And in the process strands of gluten are formed, which are slowed down with the help of fats or oil. Commercially lard or suet is used to slow down the formation of gluten. The clarified butter may not work well at all times due to its water content.
For baking a pastry you will need ingredients such as flour, egg, leavening, sugar, etc. Other than that you will need piping bag, Pastry board, Pastry brake, Pastry cream, Pastry case, Pastry cutters, and Pastry blenders.
Some of the prominent types of the Pastry are: Choux pastry, shortcrust pastry, flaky pastry, phyllo pastry, and puff pastry.
On the occasion of National Pastry Day you can chance upon some best buy offers floated by bakers on the commercial sites such as Amazon.
History of Pastry
Egypt is the motherland of pastry. It is believed that pastry originated in Egypt during 2600 BC. The ancient Egyptians prepared wine dipped doughnut shaped pastries using some flour and honey. Pastry is also mentioned in the plays of Aristophanes (5th century BC) where he talks about the sweetmeats filled with fruits. The pastries in North Europe were stiff as compared to their Greek and Roman counterparts, where they used oil to mould the dough. The North Europeans used lard or butter to knead the pastry. Many of the pastries that are enjoyed throughout the world today have medieval origins, but their detailed method of preparation or other details are absent. The era of new age pastries began in 16th century. The tradition of incorporating chocolates in the pastries began in 16th century when the Spanish and Portuguese traders introduced chocolates in Europe. Many culinary experts believe that French pastry chef Antonin Carème is the first great baker of modern pastry. In Asia, pastries are prepared using rice, sweet bean paste and fruits. British colonists introduced western style pastries in many of the Asian countries. The Asian pastries are sweeter than their European counterparts.
Ways to celebrate National Pastry Day
- Throw a Pastry special party for your near and dear ones. You can surprise your folks by organizing quick and homely party. On a lighter note you can serve them at least two types of pastries.
- Greet your friends by sending some fun internet invitations. You can visit various sites offering free greetings.
- Least but not the last, celebrate the day by baking a new pastry, which you have never eaten before and share it with your friends.
Image courtesy: seattletwist.com
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