National Cocoa Day
National Cocoa Day:
Celebrated on December 13th every year. The day is to celebrate the richness of cocoa and its different recipes.
Year | Date | Day | Where |
2019 | 13th December | Friday | United States |
2020 | 13th December | Sunday | United States |
2021 | 13th December | Monday | United States |
Twitter Hashtags:
#NationalCocoaDay
#CocoaDay
Related: Other National Days Celebrated on December 13th:
Why Cocoa Day?
The day is to celebrate the richness of cocoa and its different recipes. The cocoa beans are the basic ingredient of all forms of chocolate. How many of you ever imagined having chocolates filled in a full room during your childhood days? Almost all of you I believe. The day is to celebrate the basic ingredient used for our all-time favorite chocolate’s production.
How we can Celebrate National Cocoa Day:
Observe Use this hashtag #CocoaDay to post on the social media regarding the facts and health benefits of cocoa. Slurp a hot chocolate and enjoy this day.
Simple Hot Chocolate Recipe:
- Take either chopped chocolate 3 teaspoon or cocoa powder 2 teaspoon.
- Take a saucepan, add a cup of milk and boil.
- Add a quarter cup of sugar and stir well.(You can adjust the quantity of sugar and milk accordingly)
- Microwave the chopped chocolate or cocoa powder until it becomes semi liquid .
- Gently pour the melted chocolate or powder in the boiling sugar and milk mixture and stir it until it blends well with the mixture.
- Take a glass and pour the hot chocolate.
- Top it with the whipped cream.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips on the top. Serve immediately.
Interesting Facts About Cocoa Day:
- The top cocoa producers are Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Dominican Republic.
- Approximately 4,600,000 tonnes of cocoa beans are produced every year. Roughly cocoa is consumed around 3 million tons on a yearly basis.
- Averagely 400 beans are processed to make a kilogram of Chocolate. By means of Hydralic or Broma process, the cocoa is separated as cocoa powder and cocoa butter. This process produces equivalent amount of cocoa powder and cocoa butter.
- The term cocoa also denotes the drink called hot cocoa. It also means cocoa powder. In addition, the term “cocoa” is derived from the Spanish word called “cacao”.
- About 70 percent of the World’s cocoa is cultivated in West Africa.
The cacao tree is originated in the Amazon Basin. The consumption of cocoa is dated back to the pre-Columbian period which was roughly 4000 years ago .Initially, it was found growing in the foothills in the Amazon basin and some parts of south Africa, Venezuela and Columbia. It was reportedly more popular during the Olmeca period where it was used for spiritual praying. It was once used as a trade currency in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.
The three prominent varieties of cocoa plant are Forastero, Trinitario, and Criollo. Forastero is a commonly used variant encompassing up to 90 percent of the World’s cocoa production. Trinitario is originated from Trinidad and it is a hybrid variety of cocoa. Criollo is prone to diseases and less common despite cultivated mainly by Venezuela. Trinitario is foremost in the quality and when compared to the other two varieties, it produces higher yields due to less disease resistant nature.
The health benefits of cocoa powder:
The abundance of polyphenols provides numerous health benefits that includes regulation of blood flow and blood sugar level. It improvise cholesterol level and is great for inflammation reduction. It improves the Nitric oxide levels eventually reducing the blood pressure.