Vanilla custard is made with simple ingredients yet is capable of stirring some pretty strong emotions in people. It’s made with milk and/or cream, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, butter, and of course, vanilla. This results in a sweet and thickened cream that is delicious all by itself or incorporated into other dishes.

This custard has been used on pancakes, as a doughnut filling, and is even eaten as a dish in itself. Although it might not be the most popular dessert item on the menu, it is one that’s the most familiar. So it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that it has earned its own holiday, a day that is known as National Vanilla Custard Day and is observed on August 17th.

The History of National Vanilla Custard Day

Custards first came to fame during the Middle Ages. During this time, cooks would take pastries and use them as a casing for the custard. In fact, the word “custard” comes from the French word “croustade,” which originally referred to the crust of a tart.

Over the years, custard transformed from the basic dish it was during the Medieval Period into the fine custard that we know today. Of course, vanilla wouldn’t be brought to Europe until the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors brought it back from the Americas.

Unfortunately, no one really knows who created National Vanilla Custard Day. It appears to be an Internet holiday that spontaneously appeared one day, so we’re unsure of its pedigree. We do know that it was probably created by someone who loved vanilla custard or worked with it regularly.

With that being said, we’ll continue to try to research the origins of this holiday and see if we can eventually come up with a history that’s more satisfying.

Observing National Vanilla Custard Day

National Vanilla Custard Day is a holiday that’s pretty easy to observe. All a person has to do is find out how they want to use vanilla custard on this day. Do they want to eat it alone or maybe with some granola?

Or perhaps they would like to use it to make a dessert. It can be used to make Crème Brûlée, Vanilla Custard Cake, Vanilla Custard with Nilla Wafers, and can even be used to make Vanilla Custard Pie.

No matter what a person decides to make on this sweet holiday, however, they should take the time to spread the word about it online using the hashtag #NationalVanillaCustardDay on social media. We all would like to hear about the creative ways that vanilla custard was used on this day.