🔥 The Weekly Sizzle: Food, Fun, & Festivities

📅 September 20 – September 26, 2025

This week’s food holidays are more than just tasty—they’re steeped in history, invention, and a dash of marketing genius. Let’s explore how each day came to be.

How It Started:
Pepperoni is a 20th-century American invention, inspired by Italian salamis but adapted by Italian-American butchers using New World ingredients. The day itself celebrates America’s favorite pizza topping and was likely popularized by pizza industry groups and food lovers.

Cast Iron Tip:
Bake your pizza in a skillet for a crispy crust and bubbling cheese. Let the pepperoni curl and char for that iconic “cup and crisp” look.

How It Started:
First observed in 2004, this day celebrates the pecan—a nut native to North America and beloved in Southern baking. Pecan cookies evolved from pecan pies and other regional desserts.

Cast Iron Tip:
Toast pecans in a dry skillet before folding into cookie dough. Bake in a cast iron sheet pan for chewy centers and golden edges.

How It Started:
The cone was popularized at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair when Ernest Hamwi rolled his waffle-like pastry into a cone to help a neighboring ice cream vendor. Though Italo Marchiony patented a cone mold in 1903, Hamwi’s improvisation made it iconic.

Cast Iron Tip:
Make homemade waffle cones using a skillet press. Fill with scoops of skillet-churned vanilla or berry swirl.

How It Started:
Founded by Klement’s Sausage Company in 2016 to spotlight the popularity of meat snack sticks. These portable protein snacks have roots in European dried sausages and American road-trip culture.

Cast Iron Tip:
Sear homemade beef or turkey sticks in a skillet for a smoky finish. Great for camping or game day munching.

How It Started:
Created by French chef Auguste Escoffier in 1887 to honor Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. The flambéed dessert became a fine dining staple and is now celebrated for its dramatic flair.

Cast Iron Tip:
Sauté cherries in a skillet with sugar and brandy, then flambé for drama. Serve over vanilla ice cream.

How It Started:
Founded in 2015 by TMI Food Group, a company specializing in Asian cuisine. Dumplings themselves date back thousands of years, with Chinese, Italian, and Eastern European variations.

Cast Iron Tip:
Pan-fry dumplings in a cast iron skillet for crispy bottoms and tender tops. Steam-fry with a splash of water and lid-on magic.

🧠 Closing Thoughts

From royal desserts to road-trip snacks, this week’s holidays prove that food is history you can taste. Your cast iron skillet isn’t just cookware—it’s a time machine for flavor.

📸 Got skillet shots? Tag @castironskilletguy and show off your creations.

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