A little reason to celebrate
National Fruit Cocktail Day
Food ยท May 13
A day for fruit cocktail, the mix of diced peaches, pears, grapes, pineapple and cherries packed in light syrup or juice and spooned from a can.
National Fruit Cocktail Day falls on Thursday, May 13, 2027. That is 198 days away.
Fruit cocktail is a mix of small diced fruits, usually peaches, pears, pineapple and grapes, with a few bright red cherries scattered through. It is most often sold in cans, packed in syrup or juice, and it keeps on a pantry shelf for a long time.
The cherries are the part people remember. There are only a few in each can, so they get noticed, traded at lunch tables and sometimes saved for last. The rest of the fruit is soft and sweet, cut into pieces small enough that a spoonful holds a little of everything.
Most people eat it straight from a bowl, chilled. It also shows up in older home recipes: folded into gelatin, stirred into whipped cream for a creamy salad, baked into a simple cake, or spooned over cottage cheese or vanilla ice cream. In those dishes the syrup is often drained first, though some bakers use it in the batter.
A fresh version is easy to make at home. Dice whatever is in season into similar small cubes, add a splash of juice, and let it sit in the refrigerator for a while so the flavors mix. It will not look exactly like the canned kind, mostly because grocery store cherries are a darker red.
Ways to celebrate
- Eat a chilled bowl of fruit cocktail and count the cherries.
- Try a fresh version with diced seasonal fruit and a splash of juice.
- Bake a simple fruit cocktail cake from an old family recipe.
- Spoon fruit cocktail over vanilla ice cream or cottage cheese.
- Share the cherries from your bowl with someone at the table.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Wednesday, May 13 |
| 2027 | Thursday, May 13 |
| 2028 | Saturday, May 13 |
| 2029 | Sunday, May 13 |
| 2030 | Monday, May 13 |
Also on May 13
Categories: Food days