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February's designation as Chocolate Lover's Month most likely came about due to the association of chocolate hearts with Valentines Day.
Chocolate beans have been used since around 1900 BC by the people of Central America, usually as a bitter drink, often alcoholic or with red peppers. (If you’ve never tried hot chocolate with red peppers using hot water instead of milk, it is quite a treat!)
It would take Christopher Columbus, on his fourth voyage, to bring this delicious bean to Europe. He noted the encounter in his ship’s log on August 15, 1502.
Later, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés would bring the bean back in bulk a few decades later (he was only 17 when Columbus found it).
But in its Central American form, it wasn’t the sweet treat we see today. That required several inventions:
John Baker’s process of grounding between millstones cocoa beans to create a powder in 1764.
Conrad Van Houten’s development of a method for extracting the cacao liquor from the fat in the cocoa bean in 1828, which made chocolate affordable.
And finally the development of conching by Swiss chocolatier Rodolphe Lindt in 1879.
The rest is sweet history.
There are several different types of cocoa beans. Though native to the Americas, today nearly two-thirds of cocoa production occurs in Africa. Ivory Coast is the largest producer.
There is no official sponsor of this event, however many trade organizations, restaurants and retailers create promotions in honor of this month.
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