February 19, 2019 (Tuesday)
Yum, yum! Recognized by the US National Confectioners Association, National Chocolate Mint Day is observed annually across the nation on February 19th. If you are a chocolate mint lover, this is the day you’ve been waiting for. Eat your favorite treat all day long.
Chocolate was discovered among the Aztecs and Mayans and taken back to Europeans, who were not fond of the dark, bitter bean. It was, therefore, used more for medicinal purposes.
As it was mostly consumed as a hot beverage, Europeans mixed mint, cinnamon and other spices to make it more palatable. Over time, sugar was added, and the combination of chocolate and mint became fashionable.
The mid-1800s brought inventions and improvements in processing chocolate and made it possible for confectioners to begin mass producing chocolates. Even then, small candy shops served a local public. Advertisements for mint chocolates, or chocolate mints, did not start showing up in newspapers until the turn of the century.
The International Dairy Foods Association states that mint chocolate chip is the 10th most popular flavor of ice cream.
One of the earliest mass-producers of chocolate mints was Huyler’s in New York, which had a chain of stores across the country.
Today we find mint chocolate in everything from ice cream to brownies, cookies and candies, liquors and sauces.
Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies were first sold in 1953 and are still their most popular cookie.
Mint chocolate is also the name of an herb with edible leaves that taste like chocolate and mint.
—-from the web site of “National Day Calendar”