National Fig Newton Day celebrates another sweet treat that has it origins as a product formulated to promote good health. In the late 1800’s, doctors addressed digestive problems by encouraging patients to increase their intake of fruit and biscuits. Bakers provided various solutions, but in 1891 cheese maker and baker Charles Roser invented a machine to insert fruit paste into dough. Eventually design of the cookie we enjoy today as a Fig Newton was developed and the product was sold to the newly formed National Biscuit Company, known today as NABISCO. The iconic name Fig Newton came from pairing the fig ingredient and the town of Newton, Massachusetts, a town near where the first high volume production took place.
Fig Newtons can be enjoyed many ways, but the most popular is to dip them in cold milk or hot tea. M*A*S*H television character Colonel Potter stated they are best when dunked in Scotch (I concur).
National Fig Newton Day is celebrated annually on January 16th.
#NationalFigNewtonDay
Leave a Reply