National Mac and Cheese Day
National Mac and Cheese Day 🧀 is featured in the Obscure Holiday Calendar app with custom icons, reminder options, and quick posts.
Overview
National Mac and Cheese Day, celebrated annually on July 14th, is a delicious occasion dedicated to honoring one of America's most beloved comfort foods. This unofficial holiday encourages enthusiasts to indulge in the creamy, cheesy pasta dish in all its forms, whether homemade, from a box, or at a restaurant, celebrating its rich history and universal appeal as a staple in kitchens and menus nationwide.
Origin and story
Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing macaroni and cheese to the United States after encountering it in France and serving it at a White House dinner in 1802.
In Canada, Kraft Dinner (the boxed macaroni and cheese product) is so popular that it's often considered a de facto national dish, with Canadians consuming 55% more of it than Americans.
Quick facts
- DateJuly 14
- TypeFood / Dessert
- Great forFoodies, Chocolate lovers, Home bakers
Also on this date
Ways to celebrate
The name usually attached to America's mac and cheese is only half the story — the person who actually cooked it rarely gets mentioned at all.
Meet the chef behind the dish
James Hemings, a man enslaved by Thomas Jefferson, trained as a chef de cuisine in Paris starting in 1784 and mastered French haute cuisine, including pasta baked with cheese, before returning to Virginia and cooking it for Jefferson's table.
Know what Jefferson actually did
Jefferson didn't invent the dish — macaroni baked with cheese was already popular in France by the time he arrived — but a macaroni and cheese recipe survives in his own handwriting, almost certainly dictated to him by Hemings or another of his enslaved chefs.
Read the fuller story
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Did you know?
Hemings negotiated his own freedom with Jefferson, earning it in 1796 after spending three years training his younger brother Peter to take over as chef in his place.
Fun facts
- Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing macaroni and cheese to the United States after encountering it in France and serving it at a White House dinner in 1802.
- In Canada, Kraft Dinner (the boxed macaroni and cheese product) is so popular that it's often considered a de facto national dish, with Canadians consuming 55% more of it than Americans.
- The earliest known recipe for a dish similar to modern macaroni and cheese dates back to a medieval Italian cookbook, "Liber de Coquina," from the 13th century.
Sources and attribution
Thank James Hemings, the Enslaved Chef of Thomas Jefferson (TODAY)
External links may lead to third-party websites.
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FAQ
- When is National Mac and Cheese Day?
- It is observed on July 14 each year.
- What is National Mac and Cheese Day?
- National Mac and Cheese Day, celebrated annually on July 14th, is a delicious occasion dedicated to honoring one of America's most beloved comfort foods. This unofficial holiday encourages enthusiasts to indulge in the creamy, cheesy pasta dish in all its forms, whether homemade, from a box, or at a restaurant, celebrating its rich history and universal appeal as a staple in kitchens and menus nationwide.
- How do people celebrate National Mac and Cheese Day?
- Enjoy a bowl of mac and cheese and credit James Hemings, the chef enslaved by Thomas Jefferson who trained in Paris and almost certainly cooked the dish that Jefferson is usually credited with introducing to America.
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