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In 1802 The First Mac & Cheese Box Appeared. The Recipe On Paper Inside.

mac & cheese

One of the classic comfort foods earns a place of honor on July 14th.  It is National Mac and Cheese Day!

  • Kraft Macaroni & Cheese was created as a response to the trying times of the great depression, there was a salesman who had an innovative idea. That idea being the sale of both cheese and macaroni together, so he began attaching packages of grated cheese to boxes of pasta. In part due to the conditions of its release, it became an absolute success.
  • World War II saw the rationing of milk and dairy products, and due to shortages, many families were relying on dishes that had little meat in it. Macaroni and Cheese seemed the obvious solution and so its popularity spread like wildfire.
  • James Lewis Kraft patented an important method of processing cheese that gave Kraft Macaroni & Cheese its unique orange color and has served as a signature trait of the product ever since.
  • Macaroni and cheese is the number one cheese recipe in the United States.
  • In any given twelve-week period, approximately one-third of the population of the United States will eat macaroni and cheese at least once. About half of all children in the United States will eat macaroni and cheese during this time period.
  • Macaroni and cheese has remained on the list America’s top ten comfort foods for decades.
  • The most popular cheese used in macaroni and cheese recipes is Cheddar cheese.
  • Kraft introduced its famous boxed version of macaroni and cheese in 1937. During the first year, nine million boxes were sold.
  • Today, Kraft sells more than one million boxes of its macaroni and cheese every day.
  • Although the definitive origin of macaroni and cheese is not known, the first known written recipe for this dish is from thirteenth century southern Italy. This recipe calls for lasagna sheets and fermented cheese.
  • The first box recipe appeared in 1802 and was for macaroni and cheese. The recipe was actually printed on the sheet of paper found in the box surrounding the pasta.
  • There Are Over 50 Varieties Of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
  • “Kraft Dinner,” as they call it in Canada, is a favorite meal in the Great White North and considered by some to be the unofficial national meal – even over poutine and Tim Hortons. Canadians purchase 12% of all Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and eat it 55% more than Americans do.
  • The Popular Way To Eat Mac And Cheese In Canada Is With Ketchup
  • Around 12% of mac and cheese meals are for breakfast and another 12% are BEFORE breakfast.
  • The American president Thomas Jefferson encountered macaroni both in Paris and in northern Italy. Jefferson then imported both macaroni and Parmesan cheese for his use at his estate in Virginia. In 1802, Jefferson served “a pie called macaroni” at a state dinner.
  • The recommended wine to serve with macaroni and cheese is Burgundy

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Days of the Year

My Macaroni and Cheese

Tastemade

Live Love Annies

The Daily Meal