World Chocolate Day

There are 365 days in the year, but only one day is Chocolate Day, and this, the favourite day of all chocoholics, is 7 July every year. It is the day when we can eat an extra piece of chocolate without sin and without guilt. And not just one piece. You are allowed to eat a whole bar of chocolate.

You can have any of your favourite white, milk or dark chocolate. It''s even better if we use the day to bake our favourite chocolate desserts. Who can resist a delicious brownie, a chocolate mousse, a cake made of three different chocolates or a chocolate biscuit? Probably no one. :)

While July is not the most pleasant month for chocolate, as it melts more quickly due to the high temperatures, some sources say that it is celebrated on this day because it is believed to be the day when chocolate was first introduced to Europe in 1550.

Do you know how chocolate is made?

The main ingredient needed to make delicious chocolate is cocoa beans, which grow on cocoa trees, evergreen shrubs. The cocoa tree thrives in a humid tropical climate with rich soil, plenty of shade, rain and stable high temperatures. This makes it a rather unrewarding plant to grow in, as it can only grow in a narrow belt near the equator where temperature, rain and humidity are relatively stable throughout the year. Its flowers ripen into pods, which contain cocoa beans and succulent pulp. Unlike chocolate, the cocoa beans are very bitter and the pulp has a sweet and sour taste.

Then we can eat a few more pieces of chocolate without sin and without guilt.

The chocolate-making process itself is quite long, involving the harvesting and processing of the cocoa beans, fermentation and drying, and finally roasting, rubbing and grinding the beans. Before processing, the cocoa beans are very bitter and only acquire their characteristic brown colour during the processing process. In one of the last stages, the hulled cocoa beans are ground into a thick mixture known as cocoa paste. This is then made into cocoa butter, cocoa paste, cocoa powder or chocolate, which only acquires its final texture and aroma during the mechanical and heat treatment stages. Cocoa butter, sugar, milk and other additives are added to the cocoa paste later in the chocolate-making process. All these additives determine the type of chocolate that will be produced - milk, white or dark.

Cocoa

The Latin name for the cacao tree is Theobroma cacao, which translates as ''food of the gods''. This is certainly no coincidence, as cocoa has been an extremely popular medicine in folk medicine. The Mayans and Aztecs also used cocoa beans as currency and believed them to have magical powers, so the beans were indispensable in their sacred rituals.

The three most common species of cacao are Criollo (found in Central America), Forastero (found in West Africa and South America) and Trinitario (found in all areas where the cacao tree thrives). The cocoa tree belongs to a family of trees called Theobroma - but not all of them grow cocoa beans, but also fruits and flowers, which are used for medicinal purposes. The organic compound theobromine, which produces the same effects as caffeine, is found in cocoa and is also found in tea.

Chocolates of origin

These are the finest and most noble chocolates, with a very special taste, usually quite different from the taste we are used to in ''classic'' chocolates. The quality and taste of the cocoa is influenced by the variety and the environment in which it is grown. Thus, climate, soil, location and processing method are the most important factors influencing the final taste of the chocolate, and these environmental characteristics can be tasted in the case of GI chocolates. Tasting chocolate from different geographical areas in this way is a special experience and a challenge for true chocoholics. Some chocolates have a very mild and delicate flavour and aromas of flowers, fruits and spices, while others have a very pronounced and strong flavour.

At Mojačokolada.si we have three chocolates among the BAM chocolates with origins in Ecuador, Madagascar and Brazil.

• BAM Chocolate with Ecuador origin: this chocolate has an intense taste of roasted cocoa particles, with notes of fruity and sour flavours. The flavours of tobacco, rum and whisky give the chocolate character and character. It is excellent in combination with fruit and coffee, and is ideal for various creams and ganaches as well as for sauces.
• BAM Chocolate with Madagascar origin: the cocoa beans have a very intense sweetish flavour, with a slight bitter aftertaste. It is enriched with refreshing, moderately acidic flavours and fruity notes reminiscent of raspberries, juniper berries, lemon fruits and ripe yellow fruits such as apricots and pineapple.
• BAM Chocolate with origin - Brazil: made from the finest Brazilian cocoa beans,BAM Chocolate with origin - Brazil is a true experience of different flavours. The intense flavour of cocoa is mixed with bitterness and refreshing acidity and a hint of fruity notes. Pastry chefs recommend combining this chocolate with sweet ingredients, with no or very moderate acidity.

Finally, here are 15 chocolate facts you probably didn''t know until now

• The ancient Maya and Aztec peoples used cocoa beans as currency. Their production was limited to prevent inflation.
• It takes about 300-400 cocoa beans to make half a kilo of chocolate.
• Each cocoa tree produces about 2000-2500 cocoa pods.
• Because cocoa trees are so fragile, farmers lose an average of 30 percent of their crop each year.
• White chocolate is technically not real chocolate as it does not contain cocoa beans.
• Eating a piece of real dark chocolate every day reduces the risk of heart disease by one third.
• Dark chocolate contains more antioxidants than blueberries, tea or red wine.
• The word ''chocolate'' comes from the Aztec word ''xocoatl'', which refers to a bitter and pungent drink made from cocoa beans.
• The first chocolate bar was produced in 1847.
• Chocolate is the most purchased gift in the world.
• The official world record for eating one kilo of chocolates is 6 minutes.
• The Swiss are the biggest consumers of chocolate in the world, eating just under 9 kilograms per person in a year. In contrast to the Swiss, the average American eats just under 5 kilograms.
• In 2013, Belgium issued more than 500,000 cocoa-scented postage stamps covered in chocolate-looking varnish.