Chocolate Day

A Sweet Holiday

Chocolate is a classic, delicious treat enjoyed by many people around the world. So beloved, in fact, that there’s a day for chocolate celebrations, zany holiday Chocolate Day!

There’s a long and rich history surrounding chocolate. The earliest known consumption of chocolate is dated around 1400-1100 BCE! About 3,000 years ago. Indigenous people of Central and South America such as the Aztec and Maya would cultivate cacao trees (the vegetable from which chocolate is extracted) and use the seeds to create xocolatl, a chocolate beverage that literally means “bitter drink.” Groups from these civilizations also used cacao beans as a form of currency, for example, a turkey would cost 100 cacao beans! When conquistadors “discovered” the Americas in the 1500s they were introduced to the cacao plant, and brought xocolatl back to Spain where the recipe was slightly altered and gained popularity amongst royalty and nobles. Chocolate was consumed as a drink until the 1800s; it was during the industrial revolution that the chocolate we know and love today come to be!

The industrial revolution saw a major shift in society and the advent of new technology. New machinery of the time was able to press cocoa butter out of the beans, making a harder chocolate substance. 1828 saw the invention of the Dutch Process, by Coenraad Johannes van Houten, the extraction of cocoa powder treated with alkaloid salt, creating a less bitter powder. Van Houten’s process gave way to chocolate’s modern flavor. In 1847, Joseph Storrs Fry created the first candy bar, the following year a Quaker named Cadbury introduced his candy bar (the two companies later merged under Cadbury). The creation of easily produced chocolate bars made chocolate affordable for more than just the upper class. Widespread advertising led to the confections growing popularity, and the rest is history!

It probably won’t take much coaxing to get others to celebrate this outrageous holiday! Not with so many celebratory treat options! Chocolate of all types: Godiva, Ghirardelli, Cadbury, Hershey’s, Lindt to name a few! If you prefer something soft, chewy or gooey (and completely delicious) then brownies are the way to go! If this weird holiday is a source of diet anxiety allow yourself a small treat with peace of mind, heart-healthy dark chocolate. Of course, you could always go old school style to celebrate this whacky holiday and brew a batch of xocolatl.