National Mozzarella Stick Day

Warm up the deep fryer; it's National Mozzarella Stick Day! Mozzarella sticks are made with elongated pieces of mozzarella cheese, such as string cheese or cut block mozzarella. The cheese is breaded or battered before being deep-fried or baked. Mozzarella sticks are often served as an appetizer and paired with a dipping sauce such as marinara, or with tomato sauce, ranch dressing, honey barbecue sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup, or plum sauce.

The first record of cheese being breaded and fried dates to 1393, appearing in the Medieval French cookbook Le Ménagier de Paris, but this was really nothing like the mozzarella sticks of today. A number of factors in America in the mid-twentieth century led to mozzarella sticks. Mozzarella cheese began being mass-produced in the 1960s, and string cheese was invented in Wisconsin in 1976. New frying technology in the late 1960s and early 1970s made frying cheaper and more efficient, and led to more fried food in places like bowling alleys and sports bars. That's where mozzarella sticks are believed to have gotten their start, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Mozzarella sticks moved from these smaller establishments to casual restaurant chains in the 1980s, such as TGI Fridays, Bennigan's, and Applebee's, which were proliferating during the decade. Appetizers were an integral part of their menus, and mozzarella sticks became an essential part of them. Nowadays, mozzarella sticks are served at casual and fast food chain restaurants, local restaurants, pizzerias, bowling alleys, bars, county fairs, and festivals. They are also sold at grocery stores to be cooked at home. They are usually pre-made and frozen when they are cooked at the place that serves them, but some restaurants make them from scratch. They are prepared the same way today as they were when they were first made, and have remained popular, outlasting food trends throughout the decades. Mozzarella Stick Day is celebrated by individuals and small establishments, but has also been celebrated by national restaurant chains like Arby's and by large entities like Capital One Arena.

How to Observe National Mozzarella Stick Day

• Make some homemade mozzarella sticks.
• Pick up some store-bought mozzarella sticks to enjoy at home.
• Enjoy mozzarella sticks at a bowling alley, sports bar, or local restaurant known for serving them.
• Have mozzarella sticks at a national chain restaurant. Some known for them include: Arby's, Sonic Drive-In, TGI Fridays, Chili's, and Outback Steakhouse. Check to see if these and other restaurants are celebrating and offering special deals today.
• Share how you are celebrating on social media, along with pictures of your mozzarella sticks.

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