Today we celebrate one of favorite and America’s favorite snack or appetizer, the cheese curd. Who doesn’t love cheese curd? This is observed annually on October 15th.
Cheese Curds are cheese snacks that are breaded and deep-fried. Cheese curds are the moist pieces of curdled milk either eaten alone as a snack or used in dishes. They are popularly and chiefly found in Quebec, Canada in a dish called poutine, a French fries topped with gravy and cheese curds, also in the northeastern and midwestern United States.
They are made from fresh pasteurized milk in the processed of making cheese when the bacterial culture and rennet, a complex set of enzymes, that makes the milk clot or curd, forming it into solid.
Cheese curds flavor is mild, but the taste can differ depending on the process of how they are made. The texture is about the same firmness and density as cheese, but with a springy or rubbery texture. Curds are sometimes referred to as the “squeaky cheese” because it squeaks against the teeth when bitten into.
Fresh cheese curds are often eaten as a snack or finger food like an appetizer. They can be served alone or served with another food as a side dish commonly served in most local fast-food restaurants nowadays, or as an appetizer at bars. You can also find them deep-fried at carnivals and fairs as a snack.
So, today, celebrate this day by heading to your local fast-food restaurants and get some Cheese curds for your snack or paired and served with your dinner. Share on social media some images of cheese curds using #CheeseCurdDay.
1989 Wayne Gretzky breaks NHL points record
On October 15, 1989, 28-year-old Los Angeles King Wayne Gretzky breaks Gordie Howe’s points record (1,850) in the final period of a game against the Edmonton Oilers. Gretzky’s record-setting goal tied the game; in overtime, he scored another, and the Kings won 5-4.
Gretzky had entered the game with 1,849 points. About five minutes into the first period, he tied Howe’s record by earning an assist on the game’s first goal. After that, he didn’t do much, and “almost didn’t play the third period,” Gretzky told reporters after the game, because “I got my bell rung a few times.” But when he came off the bench with three minutes to go in the game, his team down 3-4, he meant business. With 61 seconds left on the clock, defender Steve Duchesne shot the puck toward the corner of the goal. It bounced off winger Dave Taylor’s knee and slid across the front of the goal. Gretzky, who had set up behind the net (a part of the ice that many fans called “Gretzky’s office”), skated around and backhanded the puck past Oilers goaltender Bill Ranford and under the crossbar. The game was tied; the record was broken.
(excerpted from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wayne-gretzky-breaks-nhl-points-record)
