National Chocolate Candy Day
Enjoy some delicious chocolate treats on #NationalChocolateCandyDay
28 December is the annual celebration of National Chocolate Candy Day and is the perfect opportunity to enjoy those delicious chocolate treats left over from Christmas Day.
The word chocolate is derived from the word xocoatl or chocolatl. The Mayan word school means hot or bitter, and the Aztec word atl means water. Chocolate is made from the cacao plant and before it was ever made into a sweet candy, it was ground into a beverage that was used for medical purposes in ruling class society.
Some interesting chocolate facts include:
• In 1828, technology was invented that allowed chocolate to be produced in a solid form. Thanks to the invention of Dutch chemist Coenraad Van Houten, we can enjoy chocolate in the form we have today. His hydraulic press made it possible to remove the cocoa butter from the cacao – producing a powder, and opening the way for the first chocolate confections.
• In 1847 cocoa butter, cocoa powder and sugar were combined by British chocolate company JS Fry and Sons to produce the first edible chocolate bar. Whitman’s produced their first box of chocolate.
• The invention of the conching machine by Rodolphe Lindt in 1879 ushered in mass production of the creamy treat.
• The first chocolate Easter egg was made sometime in the early 19th century. In 1875, John Cadbury introduced his first chocolate egg.
• Hershey Chocolate company designed a specific chocolate bar for the U S Army. The D ration bar was included in the emergency rations and in the packs of soldiers when the Allied troops stormed the beach of Normandy on D-Day.
Celebrate today by enjoying a piece of your favourite chocolate candy or give some to your family or friends to make their day a bit sweeter.
Use #ChocolateCandyDay to post on social media.
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