National Chocolate Candy Day is today

When asked what day National Chocolate Candy Day would be, one might think about a day in the month of February. That would be the wrong assumption. As you might surmise from the title of this article, National Chocolate Candy Day is none other than today, Monday, Dec. 28. However, it might not be that surprising as it gives those with weight loss New Year’s resolutions one final chance to eat all the sweets they’d like.

Chocolate originated in Mesoamerica as fermented beverages dating back to 450 BC. It was said that cacao seeds were a gift from the Aztec god of wisdom, Quetzalcoatl. After coming to Europe in the sixteenth century, sugar was added into the mixture and it quickly became a favorite among the ruling classes as well as the common people.

It was in 1828 that Dutch inventor and chemist, Coenraad Van Houten, developed a method to produce chocolate into its solid form. The hydraulic press he invented made it possible to extract the cocoa butter from the cacao. Eventually, that led to producing a powder opening the way for the first chocolate confections.

Here are some chocolatey coated tidbits of knowledge centered around the candy coated history of the candy we all know and love.

- Whitman’s produced its first box of chocolate in 1842.

- The invention of the conching machine by Rodolphe Lindt in 1879 allowed mass production of the candy.

- The first chocolate Easter egg was made in the early 19th century. John Cadbury introduced the first chocolate egg in 1875.

- Americans consume 12 pounds of chocolate each year.

-D ration bars designed by the Hershey Chocolate company were included in emergency rations for Allied troops that stormed the beach of Normandy on D-day.

If you’re asking yourself how to celebrate this sweet day, you’ll have to look no further than the checkout aisle of your favorite grocery store.