Buffet table. Andrea Egger / Pixabay.com / 2010 / CC0 1.0
What’s happening when and where in the world of food: a calendar of special food days.
| January | May | September |
| February | June | October |
| March | July | November |
| April | August | December |
December 1st is Eat a Red Apple Day. This is a good day to make it a point to have a red apple! The stores are still bursting with apples, fresh from the harvest.
December 2nd is Fritters Day. What's not to like about fritters? They are small cakes of dough fried up in butter or oil, and can be savoury or sweet.
The 2nd of December is St Bibiana's Day. St Bibiana, aka Saint Viviana, is the Patron Saint of Drunks and Hangovers — even if accidentally.There is a church named after her in Rome, where she is buried.
December 3rd is "Make A Gift Day". This is a day to set aside to make a homemade gifts for the upcoming holidays.
December 4th is Cookie Day. You can make or buy cookies, and enjoy them yourself, or gift them to a friend or co-workers. But be sure to treat yourself today!
December 5th is the birthday of Constance Spry. Constance Spry was an English food writer and co-principal of the Cordon Bleu School of Cookery in London. She created one of the most famous recipes in English cuisine: Coronation Chicken.
In the Netherlands, St Nicholas goes house to house in the early hours of the 6th of December, leaving gifts in children's shoes. In return, they leave hay and carrots for his horse.
December 6th is Microwave Oven Day. When's the last time you used your microwave for cooking, as opposed to just reheating?
The 6th of December is Gazpacho Day. Perhaps not the best time for a fresh tomato soup for people living in the northern hemisphere, but tomatoes will just be coming into season in the south. And remember, gazpacho doesn't have to be based on tomatoes...
December 7th is Candy Floss Day. Candy floss in the lead up to Christmas? Why not? After all, with sugar, food dye and artificial flavouring, why wouldn't it fit right in!
The 8th of December is Brownie Day. Brownies are relatively easy to make and as such, they are a good way to get yourself inspired for the serious baking that lays ahead in the next few weeks.
The 9th of December is Pastry Day. It's okay if you don't have a sweet tooth, even quiche counts as a pastry! And remember, Italians actually have pastry for breakfast!
The 10th of December is Lager Day. Try a lager that you've never had before, or find a recipe to make that calls for some lager in it! Cheers!
The 11th of December is Have a Bagel Day. Celebrate today by actually having a bagel. How would you like yours, fresh or toasted, and what would you like on it?
The 12th of December is Ambrosia Day. Ambrosia is a very popular salad at this time of year because it looks so festive.
The 12th of December is Gingerbread House Day. It's okay if you make one from a kit, or even buy an already-finished one from your local bakery to support them!
In Sweden, the 13th of December is called "Luciadagen." It marks the start of Christmas celebrations in Sweden, and the start of a festival of lights.
The 14th of December is Bouillabaisse Day, a time to enjoy the classic fish and seafood soup from the south of France.
The 15th of December is Cupcake Day. This is a very easy food day to celebrate, as cupcakes can be bought anywhere, and are very affordable.
The 16th of December is Chocolate Covered Anything Day. This is a day to have something covered in chocolate, and it can be anything you want.
Saturnalia is the 17th of December. Saturnalia was a fun Roman holiday. People wore red hats, lit candles, feasted, played games such as charades, and decorated with holly. It was the time of year gifts were exchanged, and sent to customers and clients as well.
Bake Cookies Day falls on the 18th of December. It is a good time to get the last of your Christmas baking done, if you're so inclined.
The 19th December is Hard Candy Day. Perhaps this could be a day to revive the Christmas tradition of setting out a small dish or two of these beautifully coloured candies around the house for Christmas!
The 19th December is Oatmeal Muffin Day. Celebrate today with an oatmeal muffin. How would you like yours? Warmed, with butter and jam?
The 20th December is Sangria Day. Celebrating Sangria Day is a good way to turn a bottle of wine into a unique, flamboyant, festive cocktail for a crowd.
The 21st of December is Gravy Day. This is the big time of the year, after all, for gravy. You could make your gravy for Christmas today, and freeze it, so that it is one less thing to worry about making on the big day.
The 21st of December is Winter Solstice. In the northern hemisphere, this is the shortest day and longest night, while in the southern hemisphere, it is the longest day, and shortest night.
The 21st of December is Coquito Day. A coquito is a very sweet Puerto Rican Christmas holiday drink. Try one today; it may become your new favourite holiday drink!
The 21st December is French Fried Shrimp Day. A time to treat yourself to battered, deep-fried shrimp.
Forefather’s Day is celebrated on the 22nd of December in the New England area of America to commemorate when the pilgrims landed on 21 December 1620. It is celebrated one day later owing to a date error that was made when changing the date to the Gregorian calendar.
December 23rd is the Night of the Radishes in the Mexican city of Oaxaca. It is a festival where radishes are carved into small sculptures.
Tom Bawcock's Eve is celebrated on the 23rd December in the village of Mousehole in Cornwall, England. Mousehole is associated with Stargazey Pie on account of the "Mousehole Cat" story.
Egg nog day is the 24th of December. Nobody really needs a reminder to have egg nog at this time of year, but perhaps it's a good reminder to get your fill before it disappears for another whole year.
The early Church in Jerusalem celebrated Christ's birth on the Epiphany (6th January.) In the final quarter of the 4th century , the Jerusalem Church switched to the practice of the Church in Rome of celebrating it on the 25th December
The 26th of December has been dubbed Candy Cane Day, though no one seems to know quite by whom. Perhaps it was some mother, starting to panic over how many candy canes from this year would be left over.
Kwanzaa is a week-long festival that starts 26 December and goes until 1 January. The symbol of the holiday is a modified menorah, which holds seven candles.
The 26th of December, the day after Christmas, is an official holiday in the Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.
The 27th of December is the birthday of Jean-Étienne de Boré, the man who first produced granulated sugar. And the world has been sweeter ever since.
The 28th of December is "Dia de los Santos Inocentes" (Day of the Holy Innocents) in Spain. It is a day of practical jokes and simple pranks.
The 29th of December is Pepper Pot Day, a day to enjoy the famous tripe soup made in Philadelphia. The soup is linked with George Washington, though that story is likely apocryphal.
The 30th of December is Bicarbonate of Soda Day. That's "baking soda day" for the likes of us, but admittedly that doesn't have quite the same cachet, does it? To mark the day, you could bake something that uses baking soda.
The 31st December, Hogmanay, is New Year's Eve in Scotland. It is arguably a bigger date in the Scottish calendar than Christmas. After midnight, dark-haired men set out to “first foot” houses with gifts of whisky and an oatmeal bannock.