American readers will today be looking forward to grilling out over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
This coming weekend will see the start of the great seasonal migration to decks, balconies and backyards to fire up gas or charcoal grills.
May is not only National Barbecue Month, but also National Hamburger Month. While cooking food outside has occurred throughout world history, grilling became a popular recreation in the US in the 1920s. The first charcoal briquets were produced by Henry Ford, using scrap wood left over from making Model Ts.
More than a third of US adults enjoy grilling out, and some 12.5 million do so at least twice a week. That may help account for the 58 pounds of beef and 56 pounds of chicken that Americans eat on average each year.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May. It was originally known as Decoration Day, commemorating the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War.
Memorial Day has now been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. It typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.
Thanks are due to Profile America, a daily feature service produced by the Public Information Office of the US Census Bureau, for the facts of this story.
