World Chocolate Day
Chocolate! Who doesn’t like chocolate? Deliciously creamy and sweet (and some say good for you), so you’re probably in the minority if you don’t like the tasty treat. World Chocolate Day is sometimes referred to as ‘International Chocolate Day’ or just simply ‘Chocolate Day’. It’s a yearly celebration for all things chocolate – giving us all the perfect reason to indulge! Luckily, World Chocolate Day takes place every year on the same date – 7th July – so it’s easy to remember when it is.
It is a relatively new event as it was first celebrated only fourteen years ago in 2009. The 7thJuly is no accidental date – it was chosen specifically because it was on this day way back in the year 1550 that chocolate first arrived in Europe!
The prized delicacy comes from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree. This exotic tree has been grown for over three millennia in Central America, Northern South America and Mexico. Amazingly, it was first cultivated over four thousand years ago in place called ‘Mesoamerica’ – that is modern-day Mexico to you or I. Cacao seeds were used by The Olmec – one of the most ancient civilisations in Latin America. They are famous for turning the cocoa plant into a bitter chocolatey drink which they utilised in their rituals and in their medicine-making.
Suggestions for how to celebrate World Chocolate Day 2023 with the kids:
- Obviously, tuck into some chocolate – maybe treat yourself to your favourite brand (good thing is, 7th July falls on a Friday this year so choccie is perfect for a Friday treat!)
- Make some chocolate crispy cakes with the littles ones – or some chocolate chip cookies (a great way to introduce some measuring and some maths)
- Look up chocolate modelling dough recipes on the internet and get the kids kneading and rolling (a super exercise to strengthen the muscles in pre-schoolers’ hands in readiness for writing)
- Draw some funky chocolate bars – or design a new wrapper for one
- Have a movie afternoon/night and Watch ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’ all snuggled up – maybe with a hot chocolate and marshmallows in hand…
- Google some cool facts about chocolate and make a fact file. Maybe text/message/email the facts to friends/relatives. Who doesn’t love hearing about chocolate!? We have found some exciting facts all about chocolate to get you started…
Interesting Facts about Chocolate:
- The Mesoamericans thought so highly of their cacao that it was actually used as a form of money back in the day
- In Europe, they believed the popular delicacy was a healing tonic. They weren’t actually far off – scientists today have found out that dark chocolate actually contains anti-oxidants and enables the brain to release ‘feel good’ hormones (the ones that make us happy!)
- In West Africa, there are approximately 1.5 million cacao farms there. This is a booming industry for their economy
- The Mayans (an ancient civilisation of the Mesoamerican people) absolutely adored their chocolate. They called it the ‘Food of the Gods’. They actually worshipped something called ‘xocóatl’ which meant ‘bitter water’. This worshipping formed an essential part of their lives (in terms of religion and society)
- Quite coolly, The Mayans are believed to have been the very first ‘baristas’. They used a process of fermenting the cacao beans, then drying, roasting and grinding them into a paste in order to make a chocolatey-style drink. This procedure is much like the one modern-chocolatiers use today
- The Mayans would pour their mixture back and forth to form a foamy head – much like we do these days in order to make a frothy latte or a bubbly mocha
So, there you go – there is probably a fact or two there that you maybe did not know before you embarked on reading this blog! Another way you can celebrate all things chocolate is by taking note of one of the massive trends for interior design this autumn-winter. Browns and neutrals are going to be a big thing as we head towards the end of the year. Honey-hues and retro-references are set to be the flavour of the month!
Our taupe-champagne sheepskin rug is just perfect for this trend:
https://www.naturallysheepskins.co.uk/products/single-sheepskin-rug-champagne
Teamed to perfection with our mocha Mongolian sheepskin cushion covers and you’ll be nailing the up-and-coming trend for 2023:
https://www.naturallysheepskins.co.uk/products/mongolian-cushion-cover-mocha
Our ivory products are also a great contrast against these browner, more chocolate-like tones:
https://www.naturallysheepskins.co.uk/products/single-sheepskin-rug-ivory
https://www.naturallysheepskins.co.uk/products/double-sheepskin-rug-ivory
https://www.naturallysheepskins.co.uk/products/mongolian-cushion-cover-ivory
So, if you really don’t want the extra calories of actually eating chocolate today – why not satisfy that craving of indulgence by doing some online shopping instead! Happy World Chocolate Day!