What is National Devil Dog Day?
On April 27th, enjoy a treat in the name of National Devil Dog Day! The day honors the service members who were dubbed with the name and the devilish snack cake.
Devil Dogs became a popular single-serving snack in the mid-1920s with a layer of cream filling sandwiched between two layers of devil's food cake. In 1926, Drake's first attempt at making the cakes appeared.
The legend goes that German soldiers began to refer to US Marines "devil dogs" for their tenacity during World War I. The story was in full circulation around the country in 1918, when a recruiting poster in the United States headlined the word Teufel Hunden. Although the German word was rare and oddly worded, and its source was uncertain at best, the word stuck, the term retained a firm hold.
The underlying truth holds up. The US Marines fought with ferocious courage in Europe, as did all the troops. The name was adopted by sports teams, poets wrote about the military prowess of the devil dogs, films were made starring the devil dogs, and the tale of the name was either updated or not to be part of history.
They even created a devilish snack cake that we still enjoy today!
