National Cheeseball Day is a holiday that celebrates one of the cheesiest party snacks available. This holiday falls on April 17th annually and encourages everyone to make and serve their friends and family a cheese ball. Of course, if a person doesn’t want to make cheese balls, they can always buy one of the airy cheese balls that can be found in the chip aisle of grocery stores just about everywhere. Either way, this holiday is a great excuse to throw a party for your friends and family.

The History Of Cheeseballs

Although the history of National Cheeseball Day isn’t all that evident, we did find some useful information on the history of cheese balls. We’ve found out the history of not only those large nut-covered cheese balls that are available on snack tables during the Christmas season but also the cheesy ball-shaped snacks made out of brightly colored orange cornmeal and cheese powder.

According to popular historical accounts, the cheese ball was first made by Elisha Brown, Jr. in 1801. He then presented it to U.S. President Thomas Jefferson at the White House. This wasn’t your average cheese ball, however, because it weighed about 1,235 pounds. It was so big, it was called the Mammoth Cheese.

After the 19th century, there wasn’t a whole lot of talk about cheese balls, and they seemed to fall out of fashion for a bit. Then, during World War II, a recipe showed up in a cookbook by Virginia Safford called “Food For My Friends.” This sparked somewhat of a cheese ball craze, and this food’s popularity continued through the 1950s and 1960s.

Unfortunately, due to the bad rap given to it by many food critics, the cheese ball fell out of fashion in the 1980s. And it would remain out of fashion until the turn of the century when it was revived by none other than Martha Stewart. Now cheese balls are mainstream, and people are once again serving them during the holidays or other special occasions.

On the other end of the spectrum are cheese balls made out of puffed corn. Those were first made by two different food companies during the 1930s. Other companies have since created their own versions of cheese balls, and these foods have remained a popular snack for the past 80+ years, especially in the U.S.

Observing National Cheeseball Day

Celebrating this holiday is easy enough for most people. They can either make their own cheese ball or buy a cheese ball from one of the cheese companies that make them. People can also pick up a bag of cheese balls from their local grocery store’s chip aisle. While you’re celebrating this cheesy holiday, be sure to use the hashtag #NationalCheeseballDay on your social media accounts to spread the word about it. After all, who doesn’t love a cheese ball