Did we draw your attention with the headline there?! If yes, then enjoy taking a quick look at humanity’s most extraordinary culinary invention, CHOC-O-LATE. Join us in celebrating World Chocolate Day on Thursday, 7 July 2022.

White chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate milk, truffles, chocolate mousse, choc-chip cookies, chocolate cake… we’re sure you can recall your favourite cocoa memory that makes you all tingly inside, but where did it come from?

The history of chocolate

2,500 years ago, the Aztecs discovered the fruit of the cacao tree and extracted ‘liquid chocolate’. This was loved so much that they believed the god of wisdom bestowed it upon them. Cacao seeds even functioned as a form of currency. Can you imagine?!

With the growth in popularity, the original Spanish name cacao, eventually turned into cocoa for wider English use.

Back then, the chocolate had a bitter taste before anyone thought of adding sugar to it. It was only in the 16^th century that the European masses caught up with sweet chocolate, and it has become a popular household treat ever since.

Some established companies today started in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. For example, Cadbury began in England in 1868 by producing chocolate-coated caramels. Nestlé began back in the 1860s. Lindt started in 1845 as a small confectionery shop in Marktgasse, Zurich, and produced the first solid bar of chocolate in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. It instantly became a success!

How is chocolate made?

Cocoa is a fermented food. When the cocoa pods are picked and cleaned from the fruit, they are dried, and then the cocoa beans (or magic beans) are fermented. Once the papery shell is removed, the cocoa nibs are revealed, creating a range of possibilities for fun and creativity.

These cocoa nibs are ground into a mass, where solids and butter are separated. After that, the milk and sugar are added to create milk chocolate. White chocolate only uses chocolate butter with milk and sugar. There are different methods and ideas from Chocolatiers worldwide to make chocolate, but this is the easiest way to explain it.

The indulgence of dark chocolate eventually made its appearance with less sugar and holds a higher percentage of cocoa. Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Ecuador have the best dark chocolate.

Celebrate World Chocolate Day in Sandton

We can’t celebrate this every day, so this day provides the perfect opportunity to eat your favourite (in ample proportions, of course). So, how will you choose to enjoy this decadent flavour? Because today, you do not have to choose one. You can have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Check out these Sandton spots for some chocolate flavours:

• Nikos Alice Lane – Chocolate Milkshake & Chocolate Tahina and Halva Brownie.
• Col’Cacchio Benmore Centre – Chocolate Brownies & Chocolate Pancakes.
• Emazulwini Sweets Benmore Centre – Too much to mention here!
• The Big Mouth Nelson Mandela Square – Chocolate Jar.
• Trumps Grillhouse & Butchery – Death by Chocolate Cake & Chocolate Brownie.
• News Café – Belgian Hot Chocolate with Cream & Rocky Road Sundae.
• The Baron Sandton – Vilafonté Seriously Old Dirt (Vibrantly coloured wine of red and black hues. A delicious blend that offers an abundance of aromas, including fresh red fruit, chocolate, and cherry preserve.)
• Paul’s Homemade Ice Cream the Marc – You have to check out everything for yourself!

All you need is love, and chocolate, Sandton!