National Fried Rice Day Date in the current year: September 20, 2024

Fried rice is made by stir-frying cooked rice in a frying pan or a wok. The dish usually includes other ingredients such as various vegetables, eggs, meat (beef, chicken, mutton, lamb, pork), seafood (crab, fish, shrimp), mushrooms, etc. Fried rice can be seasoned with chili, coriander, garlic, leeks, onions, parsley, scallions, sesame seeds, shallots, seaweed flakes, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and other herbs, sauces and spices.

Fried rice is popular in many Asian cuisines because rice is a staple food in Asia. It probably originated as a dish made from leftovers. The earliest record of fried rice dates back to the Sui dynasty of China (581–618), but the dish didn’t become widely popular until the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

Fried rice is not a single dish but rather an umbrella term for an entire family of dishes that can be found in various Asian cuisines. For example, popular variations of Chinese fried rice include Hokken fried rice, Sichuan fried rice, yin yang fried rice, and Yangzhou fried rice. Some Asian cuisines borrowed fried rice from China, while in others the dish developed on its own.

Fried rice dishes from outside of China include Japanese chahan, Korean bokkeum-bap, Cambodian bai cha, Indonesian and Malaysian nasi goreng, Burmese fried rice with boiled peas, Thai khao phat, Nepalese bhuteko bhat, and Filipino aligue fried rice, bagoong fried rice and garlic fried rice. Fried rice is also a common dish in Vietnam, India, and Sri Lanka. Outside of Asia, it is popular in Hawaii, Nigeria, and some Latin American countries (Cuba, Ecuador, Peru, Puerto Rico).

Some fried rice dishes have a specific list of ingredients, while others leave room for improvisation. Fried rice is a common street food in Asian countries, where it is sold by street vendors and hawkers with their food carts, and a popular dish in many American restaurants. Depending on additional ingredients, it can be served as a side dish or as a main dish.

National Fried Rice Day was created in 2018 by Benihana, an American restaurant company that owns or franchises over a hundred Japanese-style restaurants in the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. Benihana declared September 20 as National Fried Rice Day to celebrate its signature side dish and, of course, to promote its restaurants.

How to observe National Fried Rice Day? Celebrate this holiday by enjoying a delicious meal with your family or friends. You can go out to your favorite restaurant that serves fried rice, order takeout, or cook fried rice at home. Don’t forget to share your favorite recipes and photos of your meal on social media with the hashtag #NationalFriedRiceDay to spread the word about the holiday!