National rice pudding day

By Eatocracy Editors - From rice to richness - August 9 is National Rice Pudding Day!

A few humble ingredients - milk, rice and sugar - is all it takes to make this creamy, comforting dessert. From there, you can spice it up however you please, whether with vanilla and apricots or rum, raisins and nutmeg. When "this porridge is just right," it's neither gummy nor soupy.

If you think this concoction is absolutely divine, you certainly aren't alone: In Dutch and Flemish folklore, heaven is described as a place where you can dig into a never-ending supply of rice pudding - with golden spoons, no less.

And on Christmas Eve in Sweden, children put out rice pudding (Risgrynsgröt) for Jultomte, the Swedish equivalent of Santa Claus.