Good evening, welcome back to our series sharing Unique Holidays: January 10th, 2022. Today is Bittersweet Chocolate Day and I can’t remember what it tastes like so when I go Grocery Shopping, I think I will pick up both Bittersweet Chocolate and Milk Chocolate for my family to taste and to use in a dish Charlie will make for his Homeschool Cooking Class. Would you like to join us in our taste testing?
Bittersweet Chocolate Day is on January 10th each year. Did you know that in ancient times, Bittersweet Chocolate was used as a medicine to treat a wide variety of diseases? Bittersweet Chocolates are popular all over the world for their unique and intense flavor. Bittersweet Chocolate is used in all sorts of Chocolate confections and desserts, and some think Bittersweet Chocolate is even better when eaten as is!
HISTORY OF BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE DAY
If you belong to the small part of the population for whom the sweet flavor of Milk Chocolate isn’t just enough to satisfy your Chocolate craving, then you will want to celebrate Happy National Bittersweet Chocolate Day by having Bittersweet Chocolate.
Bittersweet chocolate is a type of Chocolate that does not contain any Milk. Bittersweet Chocolate is a blend of at least 35% Cocoa Liquor, Cocoa Butter, and a minimal amount of Sugar. It’s the ratio of Cacao to Sugar that determines whether the Chocolate is bittersweet, semi-sweet, or sweetened. Bittersweet, or dark, Chocolate is at least 70% Cacao.
The history and origin of National Bittersweet Chocolate Day are unknown, but the history of Chocolates is extensive. According to research, Chocolate was first discovered by the Aztec, who used grounded Cocoa Beans for cooking a bitter beverage. They often cooked it with Corn and Pepper and gave it a name: ‘xocolatl’. This is the origin of the modern name ‘Chocolate’.
When Europeans were taking great voyages across the Ocean, a few centuries back, they found the Aztec civilization and were introduced to ‘xocolatl’. However, they did not particularly like the bitter Aztec beverage. They took the Cocoa Seeds back to Europe and added Sugar to the Ground cCocoa Seeds giving birth to the Chocolate we eat.
After that, Chocolate took many forms, shapes, flavors, and colors. Today we have hundreds of Chocolate brands to satisfy our cravings. Do we need a Holiday to celebrate and indulge in Chocolates, which were already doing? Well, Bittersweet Chocolate just gives us another reason to treat our taste buds.
BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE DAY ACTIVITIES
- The best way you can celebrate Bittersweet Chocolate Day is by eating a bite of Dark Chocolate. Or make your evening Cocoa with a block or two of Bittersweet Chocolate to make it delicious.
- If you’re waiting for a surprise that can change your life for the better without being too sweet, today is the day! Spice up your normal, snacks by adding Bittersweet Chocolate. Pair Bittersweet Chocolate with interesting things such as Orange, Figs, or Almonds for a new taste experience.
- Buy a bag full of Bittersweet Chocolates and give it to your friends, you come across that today.
5 SWEET FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATE
- One ounce of Bittersweet Chocolate contains up to 10 milligrams of Caffeine, whereas one cup of brewed Coffee contains up to 150 milligrams of Caffeine.
- Due to the high Cocoa content in Bittersweet Chocolate, it can be kept for years in the correct conditions. A cool dry area in a tightly sealed container.
- Bid goodbye to your Iron Supplements, because an ounce of Bittersweet Chocolate contains 10% of the daily recommended intake of Iron.
- Bittersweet Chocolate is loaded with Antioxidants. This can act against Cell damage and lower the risk of Heart Disease, keeping you healthy and younger for many years.
- Theobromine, the compound in Chocolate makes it poisonous to dogs, can kill a human as well. If you ingest 22 lbs of Theobromine.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE DAY
- As much as people love Chocolates, most of them have only tasted or heard about Milk Chocolate, because Bittersweet Chocolate is not as popular. This Holiday, Bittersweet Chocolate gets the attention it deserves.
- In any situation Chocolates can brighten up anyone’s mood. It’s Science and it helps in the release of multiple peptides of the brain and gut.
- Compared to their relatives, Bittersweet Chocolates are much healthier and can be consumed daily without compromising your wellbeing.
Houseplant Appreciation Day– is always January 10th.
The Holidays are over. The decorations have been put away for another year. The house looks, a little drab. In the greyishness of January, your eye catches something in the corner of the room. It’s a houseplant! Funny, but with all of the Holiday traditions you’ve all but forgotten your houseplants.
Today is THE day to get back to tending to, loving your houseplants. And it’s a day to appreciate just how special Houseplants. Houseplants are therapeutic, lifting our mood and outlook. Houseplants add warmth and a calming effect. If you are a gardener, Houseplants give you an opportunity to play in the dirt, until Spring arrives.
Growing houseplants is pretty easy they just need a little Sunlight, Water, occasional Nutrients, and love.
Let’s Celebrate Houseplant Appreciation Day:
- Start by making sure the houseplants you already have, are well watered. Give those houseplants a treat today. A little fertilizer.
- If you do not have houseplants, or just have a couple, buy a new houseplant (or two).
- Learn more about the benefits of houseplants to our health.
- Stand by your houseplant and breath in the air! The houseplants giving off Oxygen.
- Teach your kids about growing and caring for plants.
- Give a houseplant to a friend.
- Talk to your plants. People believe plants respond positively, when you talk to them.
Did you Know? Houseplants take in the carbon dioxide that you exhale, and give off oxygen….just for you!
Peculiar People Day– Always January 10
Peculiar People Day is in honor of different people. Un-ordinary, extraordinary, strange, odd, different, and quirky. These are all things that we think of to describe the word “peculiar”. Most of these characteristics can be viewed as good, or not so good. Today is a day to look for the good in your peculiar acquaintances.
Peculiar People Day Traditions
If you are peculiar, this is your day to be honored and appreciated. Chances are, you will find something peculiar about yourself, if you look hard enough. If you can’t find anything peculiar about yourself, then give recognition and appreciation to your quirky friends and family.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
