Today is National Crab Meat Day. This day is observed annually on March 9th.
Crabmeat refers to the meat found within a crab. It is soft, delicate with a sweet taste. It is low in fat and contains around 82 calories per 3 ounces serving. The best grade of crab meat is “handpicked”. Due to its short fresh shelf life of around 4 days, much of the crab meat available through retailers is sold from the defrosted crab. White crab meat has a natural water content that crystalizes when frozen.
Nowadays, crab meat is in demand because they are served in most restaurants serve as crab cake in one of their menus. White crab meat is mostly the consumes part used for sandwiches, and sometimes can be used in pasta, risottos, and salads. In the U.S. market crab meat comes in different grades depending on which part of the crab it comes from. The famous Mega Jumbo Lump crab meat comes from a blue crab having colossal meat taken from the two largest muscles connected to the back swimming legs of the crab.
You can also find crab meat in some supermarkets sold pack in cans. Some supermarket sells imitation crab meat too, which is widely used in America as a replacement for 100% crab meat in many dishes like the sushi rolls. The use of imitation crab decreases the overall nutritional value and salt content. A 3-ounce serving of imitation crab meat contains about 715 milligrams of salt.
So, today, grab yourself some crab meat at the store or make some crab cakes for dinner. Share on social media some recipe ideas using #CrabMeatDay.
1959 The Barbie doll makes its debut
On March 9, 1959, the first Barbie doll goes on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City.
Eleven inches tall, with a waterfall of blond hair, Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features. The woman behind Barbie was Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel, Inc. with her husband in 1945. After seeing her young daughter ignore her baby dolls to play make-believe with paper dolls of adult women, Handler realized there was an important niche in the market for a toy that allowed little girls to imagine the future.
Barbie’s appearance was modeled on a doll named Lilli, based on a German comic strip character. Originally marketed as a racy gag gift to adult men in tobacco shops, the Lilli doll later became extremely popular with children. Mattel bought the rights to Lilli and made its own version, which Handler named after her daughter, Barbara. With its sponsorship of the “Mickey Mouse Club” TV program in 1955, Mattel became the first toy company to broadcast commercials to children. They used this medium to promote their new toy, and by 1961, the enormous consumer demand for the doll led Mattel to release a boyfriend for Barbie. Handler named him Ken, after her son. Barbie’s best friend, Midge, came out in 1963; her little sister, the Skipper, debuted the following year.
(excerpted from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/barbie-makes-her-debut)
