David has been working so hard that I would like to surprise him with dinner and a desert tonight. With today being April 21 we should be celebrating National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day #NationalChocolateCoveredCashewsDay. Charlie and David love Cashews so I think I will pick up Chocolate and Cashews at the store today and in Charlie’s Homeschool Cooking Class we can make Chocolate Covered Cashews for David. Would you like to join us because I think I will get Pecans for myself and I don’t share. Do you?
National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day is on April 21, and we believe you should celebrate National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day which has been almost 600 years since Cashews were first discovered? Chocolate is something most everyone we know loves. One of the ways to make Chocolate even better is to add yet another product a lot of us love Cashews! Chocolate is enjoyed with a variety of options of nuts including Peanuts, Almonds, and other nuts National Chocolate Covered Cashew Day is dedicated to Chocolate with Cashews.
Chocolate is said to have originated in Mesoamerica, where the Aztecs are said to have grown Cacao Plants, from which they made Chocolate. It is believed that the Aztecs drank Chocolate as part of rituals. Some even say Chocolate was an ingredient in medicines. The Mayans even referred to Chocolate as the drink of the Gods. After tasting Chocolate Milk I can understand why these thought Chocolate was the taste of the Gods. Can’t you? In those times Chocolate was not eaten as solid food, nor was Chocolate sweet. Chocolate was consumed in liquid form and was ‘unsweetened,’ giving Chocolate a bitter taste.
Later in the early 1500s, Hernán Cortés, an explorer from Spain, introduced Chocolate to Spain. It is said that Cortés was on a visit to Mesoamerica when a Mayan emperor gifted Cortés a cup of Cocoa. Cortés then sowed Cocoa Seeds in his hometown and thus the Cocoa plantation rose to prominence in Spain. The Spaniards added Sugar and Honey to overcome the bitter taste of Cocoa. Many years later, Chocolate traveled to Europe and was a popular drink among the monarchs and aristocrats.
Cashews are said to have been discovered in Brazil in the 1500s. Did you know the word ‘cashew’ is said to have come from the Tupi Indian word ‘Acaju,’ which means, ‘a but.’ When it was first discovered Cashews were thought to be inedible, as the outer shell consists of an irritable acid. The natives of Tupi-Indian tribes taught the Europeans that it was the fruit skin and not the seeds that were acidic and they also taught them how to eat Cashews by roasting them.
In the 1900s, many companies including Nestle started mass producing Chocolate with Nuts including Cashews and Peanuts. Though the exact origin of National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day is not known, this holiday has been celebrated by millions every year on April 21 to give recognition to the celebration of Chocolate with Nuts.
LET”S CELEBRATE NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED CASHEWS DAY
- There is no better way to celebrate National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day than to eat your favorite Chocolate-Covered Cashews.
- On National Chocolate Cashews Day do a good deed and give boxes of Chocolates to a foster home or an old-age home nearby.
FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATE
- ‘Chocolate is said to have derived from the Aztec word ‘xocoatl,’ which referred to the drink made from Cacao Beans.
- The Latin name for the Cacao Plant roughly translates to ‘the food of the Gods.’
- Joseph Fry is said to be the first person who made the first-ever solid Chocolate bar. We should make sure and thank his family for this wonderful treat.
- According to a 16th-Century Aztec document, Chocolate was once used as currency in Latin America.
- Rudolph Lindt, the founder of Lindt Chocolates, is said to have designed the first-ever conching machine.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED CASHEW DAY
- National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day gives us a chance to enjoy Chocolate and Cashews.
- Chocolate-covered Cashews are something a lot of people love, yet we believe that it does not get the recognition it deserves. National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day allows us to show some love to this treat.
Recipe for Chocolate Covered Cashews
Ingredients
- ▢16 oz. whole cashews
- ▢10 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
- ▢8 oz. peanut butter morsels
- ▢1 tablespoon canola oil
- ▢¼ teaspoon red chili powder
Instructions
- Add the chocolate and peanut butter morsels to a heavy bottom pan on the stove. Place it over medium/medium low heat, stirring the entire time.
- Add the canola oil and chili powder.
- Melt the chocolate, continue stirring.
- Stir in the nuts.
- Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Refrigerate immediately for at least one hour to allow them to harden. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
