International Chocolate Day is an unofficial holiday, dedicated to the sweetest and tastiest dainty in the world – chocolate. This day is celebrated on September 13, since its birthday of Milton S. Hershey, an American confectioner and founder of worldwide known company The Hershey Chocolate Company.
Chocolate is made from the beans of cacao tree. The beans are dried, cleaned and roasted, then the shell is removed to produce the nibs, that are later grounded to cocoa mass, that is a pure chocolate in rough form. This mass is liquefied and then processed in cocoa solids and cocoa butter. They both are used for production of chocolate.
Chocolate is very popular around the world, especially among women. Chocolate is also the most popular flavor for different types of desserts, like chocolate chip cookies, chocolate milk and chocolate ice cream.
The largest producer of chocolate is not South America, where it originated, but a small country of Côte d’Ivoire in Africa. And the best chocolate is produced in Switzerland, Belgium, France, Spain, the USA, Austria and Germany.
Origin
While the origins of this holiday are unclear, the National Confectioners Association commemorates International Chocolate Day on September 13 as it is the birthday of the founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company, Milton S. Hershey.
Chocolate comes from the bean of the Theobroma Cacao tree, which grows in Central America, Mexico, and the north of South America. It has been cultivated for thousands of years, and cacao seeds have been used and consumed since as early as 1100 BC and played a big role in the Aztec and Mayan cultures. The Aztecs used to grind and drink the chocolate beans without any sugar and believed that cacao was a gift from the gods.
Chocolate was first brought from the Americas into Europe around 1550, where it became very popular as a drink, by being combined with milk and sugar. It was in 1780 that the United States built its first chocolate factory, to make and distribute the chocolate drink. Chocolate bars did not begin being made until 1842, by Cadbury in England.
Milk chocolate was invented in Switzerland in 1875, and it inspired a young Milton S. Hershey to manufacture and sell his own milk chocolates. Thus, the Hershey’s Chocolate Company was founded, and the first Hershey milk bar was produced in 1900. The famous Hershey’s Kiss was invented in 1907.
The benefits of eating Chocolate
While many people associate chocolate with something that is unhealthy, there are many benefits to having a moderate amount of dark chocolate every day. Dark chocolate has many antioxidants, which help with your heart and circulation, reducing the risk of strokes, and it also reduces cholesterol and regulates your blood pressure and blood sugar levels. If this wasn’t enough, dark chocolate has been proven to improve your mood, by releasing endorphins when you eat it.