Got an idea for a holiday? Send it to us

Submit Now

124 Shares
124 Shares
WedMar 20

World Flour Day – March 20, 2024

World Flour Day is acclaimed and celebrated on March 20 every year. On this day, bakers, cooks, farmers, millers, flour professionals, and all of us will celebrate flour, also known as “white gold.” For some, flour is about sustenance, survival, and satisfying satiation and hunger; for others, it is about cultivating culinary creativity and creating the best food and goods for human consumption. Flour is made from various types of grains, such as amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat, barley, corn, millet, and rye. Bread, pasta, cakes, cookies, crackers, cereals, pastries, pies, pizza, and many other foods are made from flour.

History of World Flour Day

For centuries, humans have consumed grains that were ground into flour. Flour was part of the human diet 32,000 years ago. Scientists found a tool much like a pestle that grinds stones in a cave called Grotta Paglicci in Puglia, Southern Italy. They discovered that it was used to crush kernels to make coarse flour.

World Flour Day was created by the Flour World Museum on March 20, 2019, to celebrate the international importance of flour in people’s lives. It was authorized and proclaimed in 2019 that World Flour Day would be observed annually on March 20. The date was chosen because it is in the midst of the equinox, which occurs between March 19 and 21, the time for seeding, planting, and spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn and harvest in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Flour World Museum in Wittenberg, Germany, opened its doors in 2008, and it houses the world’s largest collection of flour sacks, intending to remind and show people the magnificence of this simple yet vital basic ingredient. Many rooms are featured in the museum, and one central feature is the Sackotheque, which contains over 3,600 exhibits. The museum also aims to give tribute and show gratitude to the millers through its close ties with the International Milling Family. Their website invites anyone and everyone to tell their personal stories about “white gold,” also known as flour.

World Flour Day timeline

3000 B.C.
Flour Consumption

The Ancient Egyptians have the earliest record of people consuming flour as part of their diet.

1870s
Modernizing Milling Practices

Using a steel roller to mill flour, instead of the sifting method, becomes extremely popular until the 1890s.

2008
The Flour Museum Opens

The Flour Museum in Wittenburg, Germany, opens to showcase flour.

2019
Flour Appreciation

On March 20, World Flour Day is celebrated.

World Flour Day FAQs

What is World Flour Day?

World Flour Day is on March 20 and it recognizes the vital role of flour is daily diets and our health.

What are the three main types of flour?

In the domestic field, you have three main choices when it comes to flours: all-purpose, bread, and pastry.

Why is flour called ‘flour?’

The English word ‘flour’ is derived from a variant of the word ‘flower,’ which means ‘blossom,’ and figuratively means ‘the finest.’

World Flour Day Activities

  1. Make your favorite flour-based food

    Whether you love pizza, pies, or whatever savory and sweet food item you like, you can choose to make it with flour. All you have to do is prepare the ingredients, including the flour, of course, and whip up that deliciosity.

  2. Bake a cake using different flour

    When you bake a cake, you can choose to use all-purpose, cake, pastry, or even bread flour. You can have some fun and experiment with the different tastes and textures.

  3. Shine your appliances

    People may not know it, but flour works for shining stainless steel appliances. Just sprinkle a bit of flour onto a clean, dry cloth, then start furbishing the appliance until it's shiny.

5 Facts About Flour That Are Super Interesting

  1. It can ripen fruit

    Avocado can be ripened with regular good old flour.

  2. Bleached flour is not harmful

    Bleached flour is whiter than unblocked flour, but they have the same nutritional value.

  3. Flour can repel ants

    Ants don’t like the taste and powdery texture of the flour.

  4. Flour can improve skin

    Flour helps remove acne on one’s face.

  5. Flour can be used as a dry shampoo

    Flour has absorbing properties, so it’s able to take in excess oils of the hair.

Why We Love World Flour Day

  1. This day celebrates “white gold”

    Flour should be given more appreciation and importance as flour has been consumed and used by people for more than 30,000 years. It literally helped continue human survival.

  2. We love the flour-based products

    Pizza, pasta, bread, and any food with flour are always the best. Flour, whatever kind you use, brings so much flavor and texture to the food that we crave the most.

  3. Flour is a practical and versatile ingredient

    Flour has so many more uses than just consumption. For example, flour can be used to make glue and even get rid of a bad tan.

World Flour Day dates

YearDateDay
2024March 20Wednesday
2025March 20Thursday
2026March 20Friday
2027March 20Saturday
2028March 20Monday

Holidays Straight to Your Inbox

Every day is a holiday!
Receive fresh holidays directly to your inbox.