March 26 – NATIONAL NOUGAT DAY – EPILEPSY AWARENESS DAY – PURPLE DAY – NATIONAL SPINACH DAY

                                     NATIONAL NOUGAT DAY    

National Nougat Day is observed each year on March 26th.  This food holiday is in celebration of a soft and chewy or sometimes hard and crunchy candy.

Break open the center of certain candy bars and you will find a nougat center.

Made by whipping egg whites together and adding honey or sugar, roasted nuts and sometimes candied fruit, some say nougat has been a sweet treat since ancient Rome. Enjoyed both as a candy all on its own or paired with chocolate or other flavorings, nougat is a delicious treat.

Recipes can range from the more traditional made with almonds and honey to those with hints of citrus.

In Italy, it is called torrone.  In Spain, a nougat is called turrón.  The United States has a version made with corn syrup called divinity.

For more information, visit the National Day Calendar page for National Nougat Day.

EPILEPSY AWARENESS DAY -PURPLE DAY

Epilepsy Awareness Day is observed annually on March 26th.  The day has become known as “Purple Day” as people are encouraged to wear the color to increase awareness of Epilepsy.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 50 million people around the world live with epilepsy.  While it is not contagious, and in many cases there is no known cause for the condition, sometimes the cause is due to disease or injury such as stroke or infection.

It is a treatable condition, but it can be confusing especially for children.  In some parts of the world, treatment may be difficult to get.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Learn more about epilepsy.  Wear purple and use #EplilepsyAwarenessDay or #PurpleDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
Purple Day was started in 2008 by Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada to encourage awareness of epilepsy and to cast away some of the myths that cloud the general public’s view of the condition.  While other awareness days  had been observed in the past, Purple Day and its founder have begun to get a bit of a following and awareness is spreading around the globe.
 

NATIONAL SPINACH DAY    

National Spinach Day is observed annually on March 26th.  Not only are there so many delicious ways that you can enjoy spinach, it is also extremely good for you!
An annual plant,  spinach is native to central and southwestern Asia. Thought to have originated in ancient Persia, Arab traders carried spinach into India, and then it was introduced into ancient China where it was known as “Persian vegetable.  The earliest available record of the spinach plant was recorded in Chinese, saying that the spinach plant was introduced into China via Nepal.
During her reign as queen of France, Catherine de Medici was well known to have enjoyed spinach so much that it was served at every meal.  To this day, dishes made with spinach are known as “Florentine” reflecting Catherine’s birth in Florence. 
Spinach is:

• Eaten raw or cooked and is available fresh, frozen or canned.
• One of the best sources of iron.
• A great source of calcium, folic acid, fiber, protein, calcium and vitamins A, C and K.
• Is loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants.
• Believed to help improve cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health.

For more information, visit the National Day Calendar page for National Spinach Day.