National Chocolate Day - October 28, 2024

Why is National Chocolate Day Celebrated?

People in the USA celebrate National Chocolate Day to honor one of their favorite foods, chocolate. Although other occasions are linked explicitly to chocolate throughout the year, National Chocolate Day honors all things chocolate. This day is nothing less than a unique homage to humankind's most outstanding culinary achievement. Because why not?

We express our love by sharing chocolate; a simple candy bar can fix your bad day. Also, you can upgrade the taste of any luxurious dessert items using chocolate. So every celebration for chocolate is always valid.

National Chocolate Day - All Quick Review  

• Time/Date: October 28 annually.
• Category: Food and Beverage Holiday
• Where It's Marked: USA
• Why It's Marked: To celebrate the world's greatest culinary invention, chocolate.

History of National Chocolate Day

The origins of chocolate, which date back more than 2000 years, appear in the Amazon, where cacao beans are used to create a rather bitter beverage. The chocolate beverage was so beloved by the ancient Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs of southern Mexico that some believed the gods must have created it! Because of this, it was consumed ceremonially at that time.

Taxonomist Carolus Linneaus named the tree that produces the beans for making chocolate "Theobroma Cacao," which means "food of the gods." He named it so because Aztecs believed that chocolate was a gift from the gods.

By the time Europeans first saw chocolate in the New World in the 1500s, it had already become a luxury item for the affluent and upper classes. They did not just love it for its flavor; by then, people had already learned that cocoa beans had certain health advantages!

When sugar was eventually added to the mixture, the mixture stopped being merely something that could be put into a beverage and began to develop into the eating chocolate that people today love.

With the rise of the industrial revolution in the 19th century, new procedures emerged that made it possible to create chocolate more frequently. Chocolate businesses started appearing in England, Europe, and the US. In 1847, Fry & Sons produced the first chocolate bar ever made.

Globally, dark chocolate is becoming more popular due to its significantly lower sugar content. Some of the world's best chocolate is produced in Ghana, Ecuador, and the Ivory Coast, which are close to the equator and have ideal temperatures for cacao trees. The best option is to look for dark chocolate made in those areas.

However, there is a dark side. Child labor is now a significant problem related to cocoa farming. So, if chocolate makes you happy, consider those people who work hard so that you can enjoy chocolate and take the necessary steps so that they don't get exploited. So please buy "fair trade" chocolates because you will contribute to more sustainable cocoa farming.

How to Celebrate National Chocolate Day?

There are many ways to participate in celebrating and appreciating National Chocolate Day! Try out some of the following fun and delicious ideas:

1. Share Chocolates with Family and Friends

Why miss any opportunity to exchange chocolate as gifts? Pick up some of their favorite chocolate bars and give them. Use National Chocolate Day to share chocolate with your family, friends, co-workers, and lover and spread joy and love.

2. Take a Tour of the Local Chocolate Factory

Visit a local chocolate manufacturer and have a blast learning about chocolate production and take some samples home! 

The Institute of Culinary Education in New York City is another excellent site to learn much about the chocolate industry. The institute offers seminars covering every aspect of the chocolate-making process and houses the nation's first instructional bean-to-bar chocolate lab.

3. Make New Dishes Using Chocolate

Though many people only consider chocolate to be something that should be consumed as a sweet treat, many great dishes use chocolate as one of the flavors in a savory dish.

It would be fun and exciting to include a little chocolate in each meal of the day in observance of National Chocolate Day

Interesting Facts about Chocolate

• Cacao beans were valued higher than gold dust during the Mayan era and were used as money.
• Chocolate contains tryptophan, a substance the brain uses to make serotonin, which generally elevates mood. Therefore, consuming chocolate makes you happier!
• Chocolate is a fermented food.
• A single-serving chocolate bar requires two to four days to produce.
• Four hundred cocoa beans are required to produce one pound of chocolate.
• Around 2,500 beans are produced per cocoa tree.
• According to studies, one of the main saturated fats in chocolate does not increase cholesterol levels like other hard fats, so it is safe to consume chocolate in moderation.
• Champagne and sparkling wines don't go well with milk or dark chocolate since they're too acidic.
• Due to the absence of cacao solids or liquid, white chocolate isn't regarded as chocolate.
• The first beans from a cacao tree only appear for four to five years after planting.
• The weight of cocoa bean products in a bar of chocolate is based on the cacao percentage.

Sweet Chocolate Qutoes

Finding someone who doesn't love chocolate will take work. People love chocolates so much that many have said and written beautiful lines about them. Let's see some of them.

"Chocolate says "I'm sorry" so much better than words." - Rachel Vincent 

"Your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that, as far as chocolate is concerned, there is no need to involve your brain." - Dave Barry

"Anything is good if it's made of chocolate." - Jo Brand

"Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or tortuous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive." - Joanne Harris

And if you want to wish anyone on National Chocolate Day, you can say-

"Any moment can be turned into a happier one with a box of chocolates and your partner by your side. A very happy Chocolate Day to you!"

"Just like the sweetness of chocolates, the smile on your face gives me happiness. Happy Chocolate Day, my love!"

"Chocolate becomes much sweeter when I share it with you. Happy Chocolate Day."

"On this sweet, sweet day, I am sending you a wish dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with love. Happy Chocolate Day!"

FAQ

1. Is chocolate poisonous to pets?

Yes, because chocolate contains theobromine, which can be toxic to pets like cats and dogs.

2. Who invented modern chocolate?

Joseph Fry invented the first modern chocolate in 1847 after learning to make a moldable chocolate paste.

3. Can chocolate go bad?

Many chocolates don't come with an expiration date. However, chocolate might look chalky or cracked and lose some flavor over time.