NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY DAY

On April 2nd each year, National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day celebrates a classic food favorite. The average American will have eaten over 2000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the time they graduate from high school.

Peanut butter was considered a delicacy in the early 1900s and was only served in New York City’s finest tea rooms. In a May 1896 article published in the Good Housekeeping magazine, a recipe “urged homemakers to use a meat grinder to make peanut butter and spread the result on bread.” That same year, in June, the culinary magazine Table Talk, published a “peanut butter sandwich recipe.”

It is thought that Julia Davis Chandler issued the first reference to peanut butter (or paste) paired with jelly on bread in the United States in 1901. Her article is found in the Boston Cooking School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics. In the late 1920s, the price of peanut butter declined, and the sandwich became very popular with children.

According to the Peanut Board, during World War II, both peanut butter and jelly were part of the United States soldiers’ military ration list.

In 1968, The J.M. Smucker Co. introduced Goober, a jarred product that combined alternating vertical stripes of peanut butter and jelly.

HOW TO OBSERVE #PeanutButterAndJellyDay

It may be a good day to try something different. The following are a few peanut butter and jelly ideas to help you out!

Cupcakes

French Toast

Pie

Sushi

Cookies

Donuts

Pancakes

Fudge

We’ve also created a hidden picture puzzle. Find the hidden peanuts in the picture. We’ve included the key if you think you’ve found them all. Also, we turned the image into a coloring page. Download and print it off. Have fun! Use #PeanutButterAndJellyDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY DAY HISTORY

National Day Calendar continues to research the origins of this nutty and sweet holiday.

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