THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL

by **Paul** Sat 28 Oct 2023, 9:18 am

National Chocolate Day
Today is nothing short of a special tribute to mankind’s greatest culinary invention. (Sorry, pizza.)

National Chocolate Day, celebrated each October 28, is nothing short of a special tribute to mankind’s greatest culinary invention. (Sorry, pizza.) Chocolate can enhance even the most luxurious dessert items. On the other hand, you can get your fix from a simple candy bar. Hint: Try for chocolate with a “high cacao” percentage and low added sugar.

WHEN IS NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY 2023?

Decadent chocolate and its varieties are celebrated on National Chocolate Day on October 28.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY

The history of chocolate goes back 2,500 years. Aztecs loved their newly discovered liquid chocolate 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 chocolate processing equipment at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago He 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 that chocolate is a fermented food? That’s right, once the cacao pods are picked, cleaned of pithy white material from the fruit and dried, the 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 since it 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 Today Saturday October 28 2023 * National Chocolate Day * Choc_110

National Today Saturday October 28 2023 * National Chocolate Day * Choc_210

National Today Saturday October 28 2023 * National Chocolate Day * Choc_310

National Today Saturday October 28 2023 * National Chocolate Day * Choc_410

BY THE NUMBERS

$10,000 — the price of Swarovski-studded chocolates.
$260 — the price of a 1.76-ounce To’ak chocolate bar.
400 — the number of cacao beans it takes to make one pound of chocolate.
8 — the number of years it took to perfect the recipe for milk chocolate.
90 million — the number of chocolate Easter bunnies manufactured every year.
36 million — the number of heart-shaped chocolate boxes sold every Valentine’s Day.
1847 — the year when British confectioners invented the first chocolate bar.
20% — the percentage of all dark chocolate consumed in the U.S.
1700s — the decade when chocolate milk was created in Jamaica.
22 pounds — the amount of chocolate that would need to be eaten to kill a person.

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY ACTIVITIES

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Try making your own truffles!

It may seem hard, but it’s actually 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 some cream, some chocolate chips and a tiny bit of time.

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Tour a local chocolatier

Get an up-close look at the process that chocolate goes through from bean to bar at a local chocolate factory or chocolatier. Most places have tours available to the public and are more than happy to share their knowledge, experience, and love of the chocolate profession and trade.

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Share a bar with your friends

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.

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5 DREAMY CREAMY FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATE

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Chocolate is technically a vegetable

Chocolate comes from the cacao bean, which grows on the cacao tree.

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White chocolate is not chocolate

As it contains no cocoa solids, white chocolate isn’t chocolate.

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The first chocolate beverage

Hot chocolate was brewed in Aztec culture, and tasted really bitter.

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Cacao beans as currency

The Aztecs valued cacao beans so much that it was used as currency.

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Unique melting point

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WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY

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Chocolate can lower stress

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.

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It can help us lose weight

Another study revealed that ingestion of dark chocolate prior to eating at an all-you-can-eat buffet triggered a 17% lower calorie intake for participants! It’s all about the sugar.

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Chocolate might help your heart

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.

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