National Something on a Stick Day Date in the current year: March 28, 2024

Skewers are thin wood or metal sticks that are used to hold pieces of food together; skewered foods are sometimes also referred to as skewers such as “meat skewers”. The “fancy” French word for skewer is brochette; for example, venison brochettes or venison en brochette (venison on skewers).

Skewers have been used since prehistoric times; they probably originated as sticks that were used to cook meat over a fire. The earliest recorded mention of the word şiş, a pointed stick used to make shish kebab (skewered and grilled meat popular in the Middle East), is found in the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages compiled in the late 11th century.

In the early times skewers were popular because thanks to them people were able to cook food over an open fire without the need for pots and pans. In the modern world, skewers are mostly used for the convenience of serving and eating. For example, skewered appetizers are often served at buffet meals, and skewered snack foods are a staple at carnivals, fairs and food markets.

Many cuisine around the globe have at least several varieties of skewered foods. They include various meat dishes (American corn dogs and city chicken, Brazilian churrasco, Caucasian shashlik, Greek souvlaki, Italian arrosticini, Korean jeok, Middle Eastern shish kebab, Portuguese espetada, and many more), appetizers on cocktail sticks, ice cream, and many types of snack food ranging from candy apples to fish balls. Skewers can also be used to hold multi-layered sandwiches together, to toast sausages, marshmallows and other foods over a campfire, etc.

The origins of National Something on a Stick Day are unclear, but some websites claim it has been celebrated since at least 2005. But do you really need an explanation or an excuse to celebrate it? This amazing holiday is a perfect occasion to enjoy your favorite foods without getting your hands dirty. Here are just a few holiday ideas for your to consider:

• Serve everything you eat today on sticks.
• Host a dinner where everything is served on skewers, from appetizers to desserts.
• Host an “everything on a stick” party with a skewer bar where your guests can create their own skewers with the ingredients available to them.
• Host a BBQ kebab cookout.
• Host a cocktail party with a competition for the best skewered cocktail garnish.
• Get creative with skewered foods and try out different combinations.
• Enjoy cheese or chocolate fondue.
• Make some ice pops or cake pops.
• Buy an assortment of your favorite lollipops.
• Challenge your family and friends to a “something on a stick” cook-off.
• Invite your friends on a food truck crawl to sample various skewered snack foods.
• Attend a carnival, fair, food market or food festival.

And don’t forget to spread the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #SomethingOnAStickDay and #NationalSomethingOnAStickDay.