World Chocolate Day 2023
WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY 2023
When is World Chocolate Day in 2022?
Every year on the 7th of July, we come together to celebrate chocolate.
World Chocolate Day allows chocolate lovers around the world to indulge in their favourite treat guilt-free!
On this day, anything chocolate goes, including hot chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate bars, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, vegan chocolate, or anything covered with chocolate.
Most people love chocolate. In fact, there is even a famous quote about it:
“Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies.” – John Q. Tullius
Approximately 1 billion people eat chocolate every day. Wow, that’s a lot of happy people in the world!
Did you know chocolate grows on a tree? Yes really! We’ll come back to where chocolate comes from a little later.
For now, let’s talk about the health benefits of chocolate. Besides the fact it tastes so good, there are other health benefits associated with chocolate.
Chocolate increases serotonin and dopamine levels, which helps boost your mood. It’s Dark chocolate that’s the major winner.
Dark chocolate is a powerful source of antioxidants and helps improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, and can reduce the risk of heart disease.
So…Where Does Chocolate Come From?
The history of chocolate can be traced to the ancient Mayans and even earlier to the ancient Olmecs of southern Mexico.
The word chocolate may conjure up images of sweet candy bars and luscious truffles, but the chocolate of today is little like the chocolate of the past.
Throughout much of history, chocolate was a revered but bitter beverage, not a sweet, edible treat.
Chocolate is made from the fruit of cacao trees, which are native to Central and South America.
The fruits are called pods, and each pod contains around 40 cacao beans. The beans are dried and roasted to create cocoa beans.
It’s unclear exactly when cacao came on the scene or who invented it.
According to Hayes Lavis, cultural arts curator for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, ancient Olmec pots and vessels from around 1500 B.C. were discovered with traces of theobromine, a stimulant compound found in chocolate and tea.
Since then, chocolate has come a long way and now comes in many forms and flavours.
You can get a quick glimpse of that process by watching this scrumptious video from our factory.
Be warned, it could give you serious chocolate cravings!
Where Does World Chocolate Day Come From?
It’s unclear who came up with this yummy food day.
However, the day is celebrated on July 7th because it was on this date in 1550 that chocolate was first brought to Europe.
The first World Chocolate Day was celebrated in 2009.
It’s easy, celebrate by eating your favourite chocolate! Tell the world you’re involved and why you love chocolate so much.
Be sure to post photos and videos of your favourite chocolate treat on social media using #WorldChocolateDay.
You could always try the following too.
How to Get Involved & Celebrate Chocolate!
- Bake your version of the best-ever chocolate cake and enjoy it with your friends and family.
- Host a chocolate-tasting party.
- Try new and exciting chocolates from around the world.
- Dress up with a chocolate-themed outfit.
- Experiment with chocolate in your cooking. Look out for savoury recipes that contain chocolate – this might sound impossible, but it’s not!
- Read a book about chocolate to your children!
- Head over to Whitakers Chocolates and order chocolates & get them delivered to your door! Plus, if you spend £40 or over, you’ll receive a free gift and free UK Mainland delivery!
We hope you all enjoy celebrating everything chocolate guilt-free on the 7th of July!
PS – Don’t forget to tag #whitakerschocolates & #WorldChocolateDay on your social media posts!
