Food Holidays: February 25th, 2022

Good morning, welcome to our Food Series featuring Food Holidays: February 25th, 2022. Today is National Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day, now that I know David is going to Walmart’s you can bet your bottom dollar, I will be celebrating today with a bag of Chocolate Covered Peanuts. Would you like to share with me?

National Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day

Here are today’s five thing to know about Chocolate Covered Peanuts:
The original chocolate covered peanut candy are Goobers first sold in 1925. The word “Goober” was a common slang word for peanut.
Peanut M & M’s were not introduced until 1954. They were tan until 1960 when colors were first introduced.(yellow, green, & red)
Rapper, Eminem’s original stage name was M & M, his name was eventually changed for obvious trademark issues.
The initials M & M stand for the Forrest Mars from Mars Candies and Bruce Murrie from Hershey Chocolates.
In 1976 red M & M’s were replaced with orange. The red dye(red #2) was ruled to be a potential carcinogen. Red did not return until 1987.

National Chocolate Covered Nut Day is on February 25 every year, and we’re here to help you amazingly celebrate the day. Do you know that it has been almost 100 years since the first chocolate-covered peanuts were sold? Chocolate is something we all love, and one of the ways to make it even better is to add yet another thing that we adore — nuts! National Chocolate Covered Nut Day is dedicated to the pleasing combination of chocolate with nuts like peanuts, almonds, apricots, cashews, and hazelnuts and celebrates these tasteful treats that are enjoyed by people of all ages. 

HISTORY OF NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED NUT DAY

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 that it was an ingredient in medicines. The Mayans even referred to chocolate as the drink of the Gods. In those times, chocolate was not eaten as solid food, nor was it sweet. It was consumed in liquid form and was unsweetened, which gave it 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 amongst the monarchs and the aristocrats.

It is said that the first mixture of chocolate and hazelnut happened during the 1800s in the northwestern Italian region of Piedmont. The paste was called ‘gianduja.’ This was way before even milk chocolate came into existence. Milk chocolate was born in 1876 when Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter added dried milk powder to chocolate. In the 1900s, many companies such as Nestle started mass producing chocolate-covered nuts, and it soon became a favorite snack among people of all ages.   

Though the exact origins of National Chocolate Covered Nut Day are not known, the day has been celebrated by millions every year on February 25, giving recognition to the delicious combination of chocolate with nuts. 

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED NUT DAY ACTIVITIES

1. Eat your favorite chocolate-covered nutsWhat better way to celebrate National Chocolate Covered Nut Day than to eat your favorite chocolate-covered nuts. Grab some M&Ms, Snickers, or Cadbury Nutties. The choice is yours!
2. Share it on social mediaLet everyone know the importance of the day and that you’re celebrating it. Take a few pictures of you enjoying some delicious chocolaty nuts and post them on your social media page. This will motivate them to eat chocolate-covered nuts and celebrate the day too!
3. Give chocolates to someoneChocolates are something that only gets sweeter when shared. Do a good deed and give boxes of chocolates to a foster home or a retirement home nearby. If this is too elaborate, you can simply donate chocolates within the community. This would be one of the best ways to celebrate National Chocolate Covered Nut Day.

5 FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATE THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

1. The name originates from ‘xocolatl’Chocolate is said to have derived from the Aztec word ‘xocolatl,’ which referred to the drink made from cacao beans.
2. It is the food of the gods‘Theobroma cacao,’ the Latin name for cacao plant, roughly translates to “the food of the Gods.”
3. Joseph Fry created the chocolate barFry is said to be the first person who made the first-ever solid chocolate bar.
4. It was used as currencyAccording to a sixteenth-century Aztec document, chocolate was once used as currency in Latin America.
5. Rudolph Lindt created the conching machineLindt, the founder of Lindt chocolates, is said to have designed the first-ever conching machine.

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED NUT DAY

1. It allows us to relish these tasty treatsNational Chocolate Covered Nut Day gives us a chance to relish delicious chocolate nuts. We often get busy with our lives and forget to treat ourselves with something that we love. This day is a day to keep stress aside and indulge in some nutty chocolates.
2. It gives recognition to chocolate covered nutsChocolate-covered nuts are something we all love, yet we believe that it does not get the recognition it deserves. This day allows us to show some love to these tasty treats that we all love.
3. It is a day to make others happyThis day is special because people celebrate this day by sending and sharing chocolate-covered nuts. This day gives us a chance to give chocolates to someone, especially kids, and put a big grin on their faces.

National Clam Chowder Day

Five Food Finds about Clam Chowder

An old French word “chaudière,” pronounced “chowda”, is a large pot for cooking. This is the likely origin of the word.

New England clam chowder is a milk- or cream-based chowder, commonly made with potatoes, onion, and clams.

In 1939 a bill making tomatoes in clam chowder illegal was introduced in the Maine legislature.

New England clam chowder is usually accompanied with oyster crackers.

Clam chowder is often served in restaurants on Fridays in order to provide a seafood option for those who abstain from meat every Friday, which used to be a requirement for Catholics before liturgical changes in Vatican II.

Though the period of strict abstinence from meat on Fridays was reduced to Lent, the year-round tradition of serving clam chowder on Fridays remains.

NATIONAL CLAM CHOWDER DAY ACTIVITIES

1. Learn to make clam chowderWhether you choose a traditional recipe from centuries ago, or decide to try a modern take on a classic, you’ll end up with a delicious and hearty soup your whole family can enjoy.
2. Go clammingWhat better way to make the perfect clam chowder than with fresh clams you’ve dug up yourself.  All you really need is a bucket, a rake, and a little bit of patience and you’re on your way to a day of fun and a delicious meal.
3. Find the best local seafood restaurantClam chowder is a mainstay of most seafood restaurant menus.  So let someone else do all the work while you treat yourself with a meal out on the town.

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CLAM CHOWDER DAY

1. It’s carbaliciously awesome comfort foodNew England clam chowder is traditionally served with tiny oyster crackers, while in San Francisco, piping hot clam chowder comes to the table in a bowl of hollowed-out sourdough. Clam chowder and carbs, a perfect combination.
2. Herman Melville wrote a famous ode to chowderIn his epic Moby Dick, Herman Melville wrote an ode to clam chowder that is so delectable, simply reading the words gets us craving a bowl. “Oh, sweet friends! hearken to me. It was made of small juicy clams, scarcely bigger than hazelnuts, mixed with pounded ship biscuit, and salted pork cut up into little flakes; the whole enriched with butter, and plentifully seasoned with pepper and salt.” We’ll have what he’s having.
3. In the game of chowder, everyone winsThere are many types of clam chowder and everyone thinks their favorite is the best.  New England Clam Chowder lovers turn up their noses at the tomatoes in Manhattan Clam Chowder.  Meanwhile, Long Island plays the diplomat by including both cream and tomatoes in its clam chowder.  In the Pacific Northwest, smoked salmon is often substituted for the more traditional smoked pork, and Florida makes a spicy Minorcan Clam Chowder.  Seems like half the fun is figuring out which one is your favorite.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates