of apples," cored and filled with jam or marmalade and sometimes raisins or nuts, wrapped in pastry, boiled, and topped with a sweetened sauce containing raisins, sugar, cinnamon, and wine, a dish known since at least 1801. United Kingdom In the UK a suet pastry is often used, although shortcrust is also common. In one traditional recipe described by George Orwell as "one of the best forms of suet pudding," the cavity left by removal of the core is filled with brown sugar, a suet pastry crust is applied, and the dumpling is tied tightly in cloth and then boiled. United States Apple dumplings are a common food in the northeastern United States, especially around Pennsylvania, where they are considered a "cultural staple". Food historians trace this type of apple dumpling back to Glasse's book. A common recipe among the Pennsylvania Dutch, it is often eaten as a breakfast item or dessert. It is sometimes served with cream, whipped cream, or ice cream. In the US, September 17 is National Apple Dumpling Day. Annual apple dumpling festivals are held in the towns of Atwood, Illinois, Stuart, Virginia, and Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. Jane Cunningham Croly published a 19th-century recipe for apple dumplings contributed to Jennie June's American Cookery Book by the American poet sisters Alice Cary and Phoebe Cary: Peel and core large greening apples, of a uniform size, and fill the cavity with clear lemon marmalade. Enclose each one in a nice paste, rolled rather thin, and draw small knitted clothes over them, which give them a very pretty effect. Tie them close and boil three quarters of an hour, or an hour, if the crust is made with suet. Serve with hard sauce, flavored with nutmeg. Similar dishes Other fruits, in particular plums, can also be used to make similar dumplings. In Austria dumplings stuffed with plums are called Zwetschkenknödel, and in Hungary dumplings these are called Szilvás gombóc. Slovenian cuisine includes a similar plum dumpling dish. Czech cuisine includes a dumpling filled with plums, apricots, strawberries or blueberries. Croatian cuisine includes Knedle sa šljivama, a plum dumpling with a potato dough, usually eaten as a dessert. Marillenknödel are an Austrian apricot dumpling popular in Graz. Baked apples Baked apples are a dish similar to baked apple dumplings but without the pastry shell. Unpeeled apples are cored and stuffed with fillings such as raisins, nuts, oatmeal, or other ingredients