National Cocoa Day

December 13th is National Cocoa Day in the United States.

Cocoa is a term that is a little too generic, as it can be used to mean several different things. All of them, in this context, do relate to chocolate.

Cooa was what chocolate itself used to be called. The cocoa (or cacao) bean is the seed from which the various cocoa derivatives that make chocolate come from. Cocoa is also a hot beverage also known as hot chocolate. Cocoa powder, also called cocoa solids, is yet another product.

In this case, what is being referred to is the drink, or hot chocolate. The drink itself can be made in various ways, all of which involve chocolate. The chocolate component can come from shaved chocolate, melted chocolate or cocoa powder, or cocoa solids, a mixture of substances left after extracting the cocoa butter, the vegetable fat, is extracted from cacao beans.

Chocolate drinks date back an estimated 2,000 years. Modern ones are frequently made from powder which is mixed with heated water or milk, and often sweeteners such as sugar. The drink is also commonly topped with other things, such as cream and marshmallows.