Sprinkle Day Date in the current year: July 23, 2024

Sprinkles, also known as jimmies or hundreds and thousands, are small, usually rod-shaped pieces of confection that are used as a topping. They have developed from a similar decorative confection called nonpareils.

Nonpareils are tiny balls of sugar, starch and food coloring that are used to decorate cakes and other desserts. They are believed to have evolved from sugar-based pharmaceutical preparations, although the exact origin of nonpareils remains unclear.

The word “nonpareils” can be loosely translated from French as “without equal”, implying that nonpareils are unrivaled when it comes to dessert decoration. Some other countries have their own names for their versions of the confection, for example, Liebesperlen (love pearls) in German and musketzaad (musket seed) in Dutch.

One of the earliest mentions of nonpareils in the United States can be found in an 18th century recipe for a frosted wedding cake. Judging from old cookbooks, nonpareils of various colors seem to have been widely available in the United States by the 19th century.

A cylindrical version of nonpareils was first developed in the Netherlands in 1913. Dutch hagelslag are oblong pieces of cocoa-based confection that are often served on bread and butter. The confection made its way to the New World, and American companies began to produce similarly shaped multicolored confections that are now known as sprinkles. They have been widely available since the mid-20th century.

The main difference between traditional nonpareils and sprinkles is that sprinkles are usually rod-shaped and soft rather than round and brittle. However, sometimes the word “sprinkles” is used as an umbrella term for different varieties of confectionery toppings: round nonpareils, oblong sprinkles (also referred to as jimmies), chocolate nonpareils and sprinkles, confetti sprinkles (flat or disc-shaped sprinkles), sequins (also known as sugar shapes), dragées, sugar pearls, sparkling sugar, sanding sugar, edible glitter, etc.

Most sprinkles are unflavored because they are used primarily as a decoration that is not supposed to alter the taste of the dessert. However, chocolate sprinkles are obviously flavored with cocoa, and sugar shapes are often flavored, too. Sprinkles generally require frosting or another sticky surface such as ice cream, whipped cream, or butter in order to stay in place.

It is unknown who came up with the idea of celebrating Sprinkle Day and when it happened, but don’t let it stop your from celebrating. Observe Sprinkle Day by adding some sprinkles to your favorite dessert, trying delicious fairy bread (a slice of buttered white bread covered with sprinkles), or inviting your friends over for a bake-off: whoever makes the brightest and tastiest dessert with sprinkles wins!