Fig Newton Day

Fig Newtons. Evan-Amos / Wikimedia / 2010 / Public Domain

The 16th of January is Fig Newton Day.

Today’s a day to enjoy one — or several — Fig Newton fig roll cookies.

These cookies are so morish it’s easy to get through several without noticing it. And given that they have a fair bit of fruit filling, it’s easy to almost think they might possibly be a health food!

What do you prefer yours with? Coffee, or tea?

See also: Figs, Fig Paste

#NationalFigNewtonDay #FigNewtonDay

History

“Fig Newton” is a trademarked name. However, there are many competitors with the same fig cookie, often generically called a “fig roll”.

Fruit cookies such as these were thought to be healthy for you in the 1800s.

The cookies are named after Newton, Massachusetts, just outside Boston, and near to where the modern version of these cookies were first made. (It has nothing to do with Sir Isaac Newton.)

We have no idea if the town does anything special on this day!

The modern shape that is well known dates from 1891.

Since 2012, the product is no longer called “Fig Newtons”, but rather just “Newtons”, because in addition to the fig filling, there are now also ones with apple, strawberry, raspberry and mixed-berry fillings.

The first print mention that CooksInfo has found for Fig Newton Day dates from 2017.

“Jan. 16 — Martin Luther King Day observed, National Fig Newton Day, National Nothing Day, National Religious Freedom Day and National Without a Scalpel Day.” ^[1]What day is it? Cumberland, Maryland: Cumberland Times. 2 January 2017. Page 4A, col. 1.

Sources

Smith, Emily. National Fig Newton day. CNN Eatocracy. 16 January 2013. Accessed July 2019 at https://web.archive.org/web/20141229214239/http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/01/16/national-fig-newton-day/

Williams, Dave. Fig Newton Day. Norfolk, Nebraska: Norfolk County News. 16 January 2018. Accessed July 2018 at http://norfolkdailynews.com/106_kix/programs/dave_williams/fig-newton-day/article_4fb63cf2-faeb-11e7-ba37-b3f6740fec82.html