January 14, 2023 - National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day | Ratification Day

Welcome to January 14th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a globe trotting sub and great moments in “Near Miss History.” Pastrami was created by the Ottoman Turks. Their version was a salt-cured, spiced beef or lamb called pastirma. Because of its jerky-like texture it traveled easily and traders brought it to Eastern Europe. It became popular in Romania, where goose became the preferred meat rather than beef and it was called pastramă. When immigrants came to New York City, the recipe was switched back to beef brisket because that meat was cheaper and more readily available. The recipe was also changed to use a weaker salt brine, making for a softer cut of meat. The name was also changed to pastrami, but no one is exactly sure why. On National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day, order up one of these well traveled subs. We nearly missed the official founding of our nation because people couldn’t show up on time. The United States colonies signed the Treaty of Paris to end the war with England on September 3, 1783. They were then given 6 months to ratify the agreement and send it back to England to make it official. However, the ocean voyage took about 2 months, so the Continental Congress needed to vote on the treaty by January at the latest. Although delegates were called to meet in November, not enough of them showed up. If Richard Beresford of South Carolina hadn’t left his sickbed to vote, the whole war could have been for nothing. On Ratification Day we celebrate one of America’s lesser-known holidays and one man who made all the difference. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices