World Chocolate Day 2022: History and some sweet facts

You would seldom find a person who doesn't like chocolate. It is one of the most-loved dessert around the globe.

July 7 is celebrated as World Chocolate Day worldwide. This is because it is believed that chocolate first came to Europe on this day in 1550. Chocolate Day was first observed in 2009.

The origin story- chocolate edition

Historians believe that chocolate has been in use about 2000 years, but new studies have revealed that chocolate may been around even before that .

Chocolate, which is made from roasted and crushed cacao seed kernels, has its origins in the Olmec civilization (19th to 11th BCE) and the majority of the indigenous people of the connecting link of the 2 Americas (both North and South), that is countries like Panama, Mexico, El Salvadore, Costa Rica, Honduras (known as Mesoamerican), have been making and drinking chocolate beverages since long.

It was the Maya and Aztec tribes that first made an unsweetened beverage from the cacao seed. Both the tribes also believed that the cacao pod contains divine and magical powers.

How is chocolate made
The bitter cacao seeds are fermented to give the chocolate flavour. Initially, the cacao is made into chocolate butter and chocolate solids. Sugar or condensed milk or powdered milks then added to it butter and solids to finally make the product that we enjoy consuming.

Fun Facts:

• Every year, nearly 36 million chocolate boxes, especially those with a heart shape, are sold on Valentine’s Day.
• Today 70 per cent of the world’s cacao production is done in Africa.
• Chocolate was earlier consumed only by members of the royal family. It was during Industrial Revolution that chocolate was made available to general public.
• The first chocolate bar was created by Francis Fry.
• It take 400 cacao beans to make one pound of chocolate.
• World's costliest chocolate expensive chocolate sold for Rs 4.3 lakh per kilo.

So, if you're a chocolate lover. Do celebrate this day by eating chocolate. Bon Appetit.