What kind of world would it be if on July 7, 1847, English master chocolatier Joseph Fry had not invented the first chocolate bar? We all know the answer and that is exactly why this day should be celebrated! July 7 is in fact World Chocolate Day and is celebrated all over the world.
The history of cocoa is very old and goes back to the peoples of the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Mayas and the Aztecs, who used "cacahuat" (cocoa beans) to make a drink, "xocolatl," made with the addition of chili peppers, cinnamon, pepper and other spices. Cocoa beans were used as offerings to the gods for births or were ground into powder and used to sprinkle on the bodies of young people in puberty rituals. The drink obtained from the cacao beans was considered a remedy for all ills because of its beneficial properties. From then on, indigenous peoples began to revere "xocolatl," considering it a sacred drink. That is why the scientific name for chocolate is Theobroma Cacao, literally "food of the gods."
The precious seeds arrived in Europe with Christopher Columbus, but it was not until the first half of the sixteenth century that Hernán Cortés, the conqueror of Mexico, began a full-fledged importation of this new commodity to the old continent. From that moment on, the beverage had the resounding success it still holds today.
In the seventeenth century, cocoa began to be produced in Europe as well, and as the years went by and demand from the increasingly greedy public grew exponential, cocoa producers began to experiment, eventually leading to the inventor of solid chocolate, in the form of a bar: a child of the art of chocolate making, Englishman Joseph Fry thought that the great success achieved by blended chocolate would explode if he could find a way to make it "prêt-à-porter". And so, from Fry's genius, the first chocolate bars were born in 1847, the prelude to modern declinations of chocolate.
Besides being delicious and absolutely irresistible, chocolate also has many beneficial properties:
So now that we know the history of chocolate and also its beneficial effects, let's discover together some gourmet suggestions to celebrate World Chocolate Day together.
Of course, we cannot fail to mention Domori, which since 1997 has been confirmed at the top of cocoa processing in Italy, bringing tradition and innovation together. Today we offer you some of their unmissable chocolate bars, in honor of this day: for true lovers of pure and intense cocoa, you must try the Tablet 75 g - Massa di Cacao 100%, as the name says purest cocoa at its rawest. Fear not, the selection is vast, and if you are a lover of more delicate flavors, we recommend the Tablet 75 g White Chocolate and Pistachios, a true poetry to the palate.
Chocolate has declined in infinite versions, going from its original and pure form to being combined with refined and delicious flavors: a modern creation that combines the quality of chocolate with refinement in form and flavor are undoubtedly Prestat's Gin and Rhubarb Truffles, delicious milk chocolate truffles flavored with rhubarb and ginger flavoured Gin. A must try!
On Dolceitaliano there is no shortage of references that are as excellent as they are original, such as our selection of liqueurs... with chocolate! Delicious on their own or as an accompaniment to desserts or ice cream, we offer you Coloniali by Carlo Gargiulo: Chocolate liqueur, Chocolate cream with limoncello and Chocolate and chili pepper liqueur. Finally, we also bring you a rarity: Domorum by Domori, a spirit drink made by infusing the best criollo cocoa with wine brandy subjected to a minimum aging of 5 years.
For avid readers and chocolate gluttons, we recommend some readings recently landed on Dolceitaliano: Sul cioccolato by Davide Comaschi and È autentico cioccolato by Rossana Bettini.
But the chocolatey references do not end there! What are you waiting for? Run to Dolceitaliano and get caught up in the sweetness of the food of the gods.
