National Fritters Day – December 2, 2024

National Fritters Day is celebrated every year on December 2. Fritters are sweet, fried cakes that can be filled with fruit or meat. They are versatile and can be enjoyed as a snack, side dish, dessert, or even a main course. Fritter batter is essentially the same as pancake batter, as both use the same ingredients. The key difference is that fritters are made by dunking fruits or meat into raw batter and then frying them.

“So don’t fritter away your days. Sooner than you fear, you will stand before a mirror in a care home, look at your body, and realise, E.T., locked in a ruddy cupboard for a fortnight.” – David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas.

National Fritters Day Observance

History of National Fritters Day

The origin and creator of National Fritters Day remain unknown. The earliest known record of fritters dates back to 1665. Samuel Pepys, an Englishman who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Restoration period, noted in his diary that he enjoyed eating fritters before Lent.

Some popular examples of fritters include clam cakes, corn fritters, Burmese bayagyaw (small fritters made with black beans and curry leaves), crab cakes, and banana fritters. In Great Britain, if you order fish and chips, you might find fritters served as a side dish. These could include a slice of potato, a pineapple ring, an apple ring, or mushy peas.

How to Make Fritter

1. Gather your supplies. For the recipe, you’ll need a big bowl, a fork or wooden spoon, a saucepan or a stew pot, and something to put your fritters on.
2. Get your ingredients together. You’ll need vegetable or canola oil, Krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix, milk, egg, and any chopped fruit or spices you want.
3. In the bowl, combine pancake mix, milk, and egg. There isn’t really a specific ratio or measurement for the mix and milk. It depends on how many fritters you’re making. You want the dough to be much thicker than pancake batter (think biscuit dough), so keep that in mind, and don’t worry too much, go with your instincts.
4. Mix in chopped fruit and spices. Now it’s the time to stir in any apples, berries, cinnamon, or nutmeg in your fritters. The possibilities are endless, so feel free to get creative.
5. Boil the oil, and you want your pot or pan about 3/4 full of oil. Get it on the burner and then bring it to a slow, rolling boil.
6. Ball the dough. Get some dough into a ball about 2 to 2 1⁄2 inches (5.1 to 6.4 cm) around. It doesn’t have to be smooth and perfect, in fact, it shouldn’t be. It should look like a sticky, spiky ball of excellent dough.
7. Deep fry and GENTLY put the dough ball in the oil (you can fit about three at a time in a saucepan, more in a pot). When it floats to the top, turn it over. The fritters are finished when they turn golden brown.
8. Remove your fritters carefully. Boiling oil is dangerous, so use tongs and be very, very careful because it hurts, really sorry to be burnt by that stuff.
9. Now you can enjoy your Fritter with your friend.

Other Celebrations on December 2

December 2 is also Celebrated as

• International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
• World Computer Literacy Day
• UAE National Day

How to celebrate National Fritters Day

The best way to celebrate National Fritters Day is by eating the fritter, even though it is an Apple Fritter from the local bakery or a Fritter recipe that you made at home. Or you can prepare your taste buds for a short, well-deserved hiatus from your doughnut-free diet. You can enjoy National Fritters Day by trying any one of the following fritter recipes:

1. Potato Fritters
2. Corn Fritters
3. Deep-Fried Banana Fritters

Share your thoughts on social media about National Fritters Day by using the hashtag #FrittersDay.