I was sitting her when I realized I needed to share Food Holidays: October 28th, 2021, with everyone. I was thinking about warming my lunch up for dinner. But there is no, need to do that when its National Chocolate Day. I think I will just have Chocolate for lunch. I am not sure what kind of Chocolate yet, but Chocolate and if it’s at all possible I think a piece of Chocolate Cake and a glass of Milk for dinner sounds so yummy. Would you like to join me?
National Chocolate Day
National Chocolate Day, is celebrated each October 28th, and there is nothing short of a tribute to mankind’s greatest culinary invention. (Sorry, pizza.) Chocolate enhances even the most luxurious dessert,. On the other hand, you can get your fix from a Candy Bar. Try for Chocolate with a “high cacao” percentage and low added Sugar.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY
History of Chocolate goes back 2,500 years. Aztecs loved their newly discovered liquidChocolate to the extent that they believed Quetzalcoatl, the God of wisdom, literally bestowed it upon them. Cacao Seeds acted as a form of currency. And this was back in the “bitter” Chocolate days — before they added Sugar! Once Chocolate turned sweet — in 16th-Century Europe — the masses caught on and turned Chocolate into a powerhouse treat.
Several present-day Chocolate companies began operations in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Cadbury started in England by 1868. Milton S. Hershey, 25 years later, purchased the Chocolate processing equipment at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago Milton S. Hershey started the company by producing Chocolate-coated Caramels. Nestlé, dating back to the 1860s, has grown into one of the largest food conglomerates in the world.
Did you know Chocolate is a fermented food? That’s right, once the Cacao Pods are picked, cleaned of pithy white material from the Fruit and dried, Cacao Beans are fermented. The papery shell is removed and Cacao Nibs are revealed. Chocolatiers then grind them into Cocoa mass, separate them into Cocoa solids and Cocoa Butter, and combine them with Milk and Sugar, or in the case of White Chocolate, just the Chocolate Butter with Milk and Sugar.
Today there’s a move toward Dark Chocolate which contains far less Sugar. Ghana, Ecuador, and the Ivory Coast, all near the Equator, have ideal climates for Cacao Trees and produce some of the world’s best Chocolate. It’s best to look for Dark Chocolate from those regions.
But there’s a dark side. Child labor has become a serious issue. When you purchase “fair trade Chocolate,” you’re working to help make Cocoa farming more sustainable. Keep this in mind and choose your Chocolate wisely.
NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY ACTIVITIES
- Try making your own Truffles which may seem hard, but it’s easier than you think! Follow this recipe for 4 easy and fun ways to experiment with making your own Truffle from scratch. All you’ll need is Cream, some Chocolate Chips and a tiny bit of time.
- Visit a Chocolatier. Get an up-close look at the process that Chocolate goes through from Bean to bar. Most places have tours available to the public and are more than happy to share their knowledge, experience, and love of the Chocolate.
- Chocolate is amazing, friends are amazing, and human connection over Chocolate is one of the most beautiful things! Most people like Chocolate, and really, even if they don’t, you know they’ll appreciate the offer to spend a moment with them and chat.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY
- One study showed that people who ate Chocolate compounds had better cognitive performance and reported less mental fatigue than the control group. This may have something to do with how the chemicals in Chocolate interact with our brain: releasing Serotonin, Dopamine, and Endorphins and giving us a good dose of Antioxidants.
- Another study revealed ingestion of Dark Chocolate prior to eating at an all-you-can-eat buffet triggered a 17% lower Calorie intake for participants!
- Per the American Heart Association: “Combining raw Almonds, Dark Chocolate and Cocoa significantly reduced the number of low-density Lipoprotein, or LDL, particles in the blood of overweight and obese people. LDL is often called “bad cholesterol” because of the role it plays in clogging Arteries.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
