January 31

is

National Hot Chocolate Day

Five Food Finds about Hot Chocolate

  1. Hot Chcolate uses milk or milk chocolate while Hot Cocoa uses only powdered cocoa.
  2. Chocolate is the 3rd most traded commodity in the world. 1st is oils, 2nd is coffee.
  3. An early Classic (460-480 AD) period Mayan tomb from the site of Rio Azul, Guatemala, had vessels with the Maya glyph for cacao on them with residue of a chocolate drink.
  4. After defeating Montezuma’s warriors and demanding that the Aztec nobles hand over their valuables, Cortés returned to Spain in 1528, bringing cocoa beans and chocolate drink making equipment.
  5. While hot chocolate is generally consumed for pleasure, there are several potential health benefits associated with drinking hot chocolate.

On This Day in Food History…

  • 1893 The Coca-Cola trademark was recorded.
  • 1930 Scotch tape was developed by Richard Drew of the 3M Company.
  • 1980 Due to record high sugar prices, Coca Cola begins substituting high fructose corn syrup for half of the sucrose (sugar) used in Coca Cola.
  • 1990 The first McDonald’s restaurant in Moscow, Russia opens.
  • 2001 Germany announced plans to destroy 400k cattle due to the mad cow crises. We know it now as Mad Cow Disease