- Categories:
- Food & Beverage
- Tags:
- AppreciationCookingFood
- Where:
- United States
- Date change rule:
- Every May 13
- Holiday emoji:
- 🍞
National Crouton Day sprinkles tasty bits of bread onto our plates every May 13. This versatile food, perfect for frying, baking, or infusing with global flavors, is the delicious topping that elevates any dish. Explore new recipes, share your favorite crouton creations, and celebrate the satisfying crunch!
Want to sponsor National Crouton Day? Learn how
Expected National Crouton Day Deals
While we wait for official 2027 promotions to drop, history shows that National Crouton Day inspires a variety of food-related deals. Look for discounts on bagged croutons from brands like Fresh Gourmet and Pepperidge Farm at grocery stores. Restaurants like Panera Bread or Olive Garden might offer specials on salads featuring their signature croutons, or even free crouton upgrades. Specialty food stores could highlight gourmet crouton varieties or offer pairings with artisanal soups and salads. Keep an eye on local delis and cafes for homemade crouton samples or limited-time menu items. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as May 13 approaches.
Platform Guide for National Crouton Day
TikTok
Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #NationalCroutonDay. Film a quick recipe for homemade croutons or a creative salad assembly.
Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #NationalCroutonDay. Share visually appealing photos of your favorite crouton-topped dishes, from soups to salads.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #NationalCroutonDay. Ask your community for their best crouton hacks or favorite brands.
National Crouton Day Hero
Caesar Cardini
History of National Crouton Day
For hundreds of years now, people have been making some form of croutons to use up their stale bread. Stale bread has been used in dishes (mostly soups) since medieval times.
The versatile crouton first showed up in France and it referred to bread crusts that were cut into small pieces and were served with drinks. Some people think croutons were inspired by French biscotti and other ancient baked goods. There’s even a famous folk tale about croutons on the internet! As the tale goes, knight-turned-diplomat Sir Edgar Crouton was posted to England, although no one knew how he got the job, ill-mannered as he was. While dining with the king of England one night — something he was frequently required to do as a diplomat — Sir Crouton was served soup and bread together. In his haste to eat, he accidentally dropped several pieces of bread into his soup and could not fish them out as the king was watching. At a loss, he simply stuffed everything into his mouth, bread, soup, and all. Thankfully, this tasted delicious. Sir Crouton decided this dish needed a new name, and, realizing that no such name existed, honored this dish with his own.
Family-owned American company Rothbury Farms decided to host a special day to celebrate this humble bread dish. They founded this day in 2015 and America has been celebrating this crunchy complement to food ever since.
National Crouton Day timeline
The connection between soup and stale bread starts here, when soup is served in sops, aka pieces of stale bread.
The name for ‘crouton’ appears for the first time in French print.
Described as 'a little piece of bread crust served with drinks', croutons first appear on the scene in France.
The “Oxford English Dictionary” traces the word usage back to this year.
Several American cookbooks show various crouton recipes.
U.S.-based crouton company Rothbury Farms declares there should be a special 'crouton' day.
May 13 is celebrated annually as National Crouton Day across America.
How Businesses Can Celebrate National Crouton Day
Local businesses can celebrate National Crouton Day by offering creative specials and engaging customers. Restaurants could feature a ‘Crouton-of-the-Day’ with unique flavors or offer a free gourmet crouton upgrade with any salad purchase. Bakeries might host a workshop on making homemade croutons from leftover bread, reducing waste and inspiring culinary creativity. Grocery stores can create eye-catching displays of crouton varieties, pairing them with complementary salad ingredients or soup mixes. Consider a social media campaign asking customers to share their favorite crouton pairings for a chance to win a gift basket.
National Crouton Day FAQs
When is National Crouton Day?
In 2027, National Crouton Day will be observed on Thursday, May 13, offering another opportunity to celebrate this versatile topping. Get ready to experiment with new flavors and textures.
How popular are croutons in American cuisine?
The popularity of croutons remains strong, with millions of Americans incorporating them into their daily meals. From classic Caesar salads to creamy tomato soup, croutons provide an essential textural contrast that enhances the dining experience.
What are the most popular uses for croutons?
Beyond salads and soups, croutons are increasingly used in creative culinary applications. They can be incorporated into stuffings, used as a breading for baked chicken or fish, or even served as a savory snack on their own.
What is the origin of croutons?
While the concept of toasted bread cubes is ancient, the modern crouton, particularly as a salad topping, gained significant popularity with the rise of dishes like the Caesar salad in the early 20th century. This transformed them from a humble leftover into a deliberate culinary addition.
How To Celebrate National Crouton Day
Eat some croutons
Top any dish with a helping of croutons. If you are not a salad person, try some croutons with soup, pudding, and anything that strikes your fancy. Check out some creative ways to crouton up your dish online.
Host a crouton-themed potluck party, with variations
Get creative by coming up with multiple crunchy crouton variations like nuts, chopped cucumber, slices of carrot, etc. Invite guests to come up with their own variations and see who can be the most creative.
Share the crouton love
Wear your love for croutons on your sleeve. Share your crouton-inspired dishes and party ideas online, and let others get in on the fun too.
5 Fun Facts About Croutons
Bread-related foods often have french names
This is because the French love bread and are the source of much of these names!
The word crouton has French roots
The word crouton is derived from the French word 'croûte' which means 'crust' — crouton is actually the diminutive form of the word, so it translates to 'little crust' in French.
Croutons are sold by the bag
Across North America, a variation of the crouton — dried and cubed instead of buttered and oiled — is sold in large bags to be used in Thanksgiving dishes.
A Latin word inspired the name
The French 'croute' or 'croustade' and the English 'crouton' were all inspired by the Latin word 'crusta,' which means 'shell' or ‘crust.’
Croutons are not the healthiest topping
Croutons are considered an unhealthy salad topping and one half-cup of croutons can add around 100 calories to your dish unless the crouton is made from healthy grains and is baked.
Why We Love National Crouton Day
We get to eat croutons
Who doesn't love that crunch when you bite into freshly made croutons? Celebrating this day gives us carte blanche to devour croutons to our heart’s content and that makes us very happy!
Learning about croutons is fun
The history of croutons is amazing! These humble slices of bread have traveled the world and are now gracing our plates. Learning about them makes the eating experience much more fun.
We learn about the etymology of ‘crouton’
How the word came to be is a great way to not only acquire some general knowledge but expand our understanding of how the world is connected. Exploring this etymology makes us see beyond borders and languages to a world connected by a common thread — food.
Social Media Tips for National Crouton Day
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