January 7, 2022 - National Tempura Day | National Bobblehead Day

Welcome to January 7th, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate delicious imports and wobbly heads. You may think of tempura as a Japanese dish, but the art of batter frying first came to Japan from Portugese missionaries. In the mid 16th century Nagasaki, Japan was a closed-port to most of the world, but the Portugese were allowed to bring in Catholicism and with it, a food that they made during lent. The name tempura actually comes from the Latin quattuor anni tempora or Days of Ember when no red meat was eaten. And with fresh veggies, prawns and fish in a delicious light batter, apparently no one was missing it. The dish caught on with street vendors called yatai, and it soon became a foodie favorite. On National Tempura Day we celebrate this culinary technique that covers everything from ice cream to squid. Bobbleheads have been around since the 18th Century. They were brought to Europe from China, where they were known as temple nodders or nodding head figures. But the bobbleheads we treasure today, first became popular in the 1960s, when sports teams began depicting their mascots and famous players. Some of the earliest were Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. Then in 1964, the first modern bobbleheads that didn’t depict an athlete were made of the Beatles, and they are still some of the most sought after by collectors today. The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame Museum houses the world’s largest collection and if you happen to be in Milwaukee you can drop in to see the exhibits. You could even celebrate with a custom made figure of yourself as long as you don’t let it go to your head on National Bobblehead Day. 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