10/22/2024
National Nut Day is celebrated annually on October 22. It was created by by Liberation Foods Company to encourage the public to choose healthier snack options. This is your day for nutty fun!
When is National Nut Day 2024?
National Nut Day is celebrated annually on October 22. The Liberation Foods Company chose the day as when we should be celebrating nuts as a healthier snack option.
History of National Nut Day
National Nut Day was created by Liberation Foods Company as a way to do the right thing by the collectives of small nut farmers around the world. It was important to the company to stress to the public that their nuts were not only sustainably-grown, but that the company was committed to giving their nut farmers a fair minimum wage for their labor and their crops. Farmers growing Brazil nuts, peanuts and cashews from Malawi, Brazil, India, El Salvador and other Third World countries came together to form a Fair Trade collective under Liberation Foods’ umbrella.
National Nut Day appeared in 2015 on Liberation Foods website. Although the company is based in the United Kingdom, this holiday has spread far and wide, especially in the United States. The day is devoted to all things nuts-related including recipes and cooking tips. Many African countries infuse their daily meals with peanuts on a regular basis in stews and soups.
According to the Nutcracker Museum, nuts were a regular part of the human diet from as far back as almost 800,000 years ago! Early man used “nutting tools” to crack stones. Pecan remains from 6100 B.C. were discovered in a Texas cave. Early Europeans ate pistachios while Greeks and Romans believed that walnuts were a gift from the gods.
Eventually, the English sailed the Mediterranean with walnuts onboard ships. The nuts were used for trading. By the 18th century, walnuts arrived in the New World, specifically, California, when the Franciscan monks set foot on these new shores.
So, no matter what you eat today; include a healthy helping of nuts. They have lots of health benefits and they make you happy. That’s important to remember on National Nut Day!
National Nut Day timeline
1890
Peanuts and Orthodontia
A St. Louis doctor discovered that he could help his orthodontia patients by using peanut butter.
Late 1800s
Macadamia nuts leave Australia for Hawaii
Although we associate macadamia nuts with Hawaii, they were originally grown in Queensland, Australia and are eventually brought to Hawaii.
1900
There’s a big demand for peanut products in the U.S.
When there’s an explosion of demand for peanut oil, peanut butter and roasted, salted peanuts, they are no longer seen as a nut only good enough to be eaten by the poor.
1916
Planter’s Peanuts launches a logo contest
The basic drawing for Mr. Peanut is created by a 13-year-old boy, who wins $5.00.
