National Fudge Day! June 16th!

NATIONAL FUDGE DAY

National Fudge Day is celebrated annually on June 16th.  National Fudge Day is a food holiday that allows you to indulge in your favorite flavor of of this delicious confectionery.  Some of the most popular fudge flavors are chocolate, chocolate nut, peanut butter, maple, and maple nut.

A Western confectionery, fudge is usually sweet and rich.  It consists of combining sugar, butter and milk, heating it to the correct temperature and then mixing it while it cools to get it to a smooth, creamy consistency.  There are many varieties and flavors of fudge, with chocolate being the most popular.

In 1886 a letter was found, written by Emelyn Bettersby Hartridge, a student at Vassar college in Poughkeepsie, New York, referring to fudge that her cousin had made, in Baltimore Maryland, selling it for 40 cents per pound.  Hartridge was able to obtain the recipe and in 1888, she made 30 pounds of fudge for the Vassar College Senior Auction.  

In the late 19th century, some shops on Mackinac Island, Michigan, began to produce similar products as the Vassar College fudge and sold it to summer vacationers.  Fudge is still produced in some of the original shops located on the famous island.

CELEBRATE

Pick up some fudge at your local confectionery store and share it with family and friends.  Here is a great fudge recipe if you feel like making your own.