Today, January 16th, is National Fig Newton Day.

Fig Newtons are a type of biscuit (cookie) manufactured and trademarked by Nabisco.

They are a type of fig roll, a pastry that dates back to ancient Egypt, which is a roll filled with fig paste - figs being a type of widely consumed fruit.

The modern fig newton was made in 1891 after a machine for inserting fig paste into pastry dough. This was purchased by a company that eventually became part of Nabisco.

The fig newton is named after the town of Newton, Massachusetts.

Image: Morguefile