For World Chocolate Day, the best chocolate in each state, according to Yelp. You’re welcome!
When eaten in moderation in its pure form, dark chocolate can be a good source of nutrients.
Today is World Chocolate Day and chocolate lovers around the world are satisfying their sweet tooth by indulging in decadent chocolate bars, cookies, cakes and desserts.
Chocolate derives from cacao plants, which were first found in ancient Mesoamerica (much of what is now Mexico and Central America) more than 4,000 years ago, Newsweek noted. The Olmec civilization in Latin America was the first to turn cacao into chocolate. The Olmecs reportedly drank liquid chocolate (free of sugar) during rituals and used it for medicinal purposes.
Centuries later, the Mayans and Aztecs deemed liquid chocolate to be a magical brew and both civilizations drank it during birth, marriage and death rituals. The Aztecs believed the god Quetzalcoatl gifted them with chocolate and they created an herby chocolate-based concoction called “xocolatl” (which translators to “bitter water”) that they drank in preparation for war and used as an aphrodisiac.
Chocolate reached Europe in the 16th century and was initially used as a medicine before people started adding sugar, honey and vanilla to it. It would become a preferred drink of Europe’s wealthy elite for years. That changed when Dutch chemist Coenraad van Houten invented a “cocoa press” in 1828 that separated the fat from the roasted beans, leaving a powder. Importantly, the cocoa press allowed for the mass production of chocolate, making it more affordable for the masses, who used the powder and milk to make what is now known as hot chocolate.
British chocolatier J.S. Fry & Sons was the first to create the dark chocolate bar in 1847 by combining cocoa butter (or fat) and liquor with sugar, then molding it. Nearly 30 years later, in 1875, to this mixture Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter and businessman Henri Nestlé added milk, resulting in milk chocolate. The rest, as they say, is history as chocolate increased in popularity.
Americans reportedly spend billions of dollars a year on chocolate and most prefer milk chocolate, and it is beloved worldwide for its taste and versatility.
Dark chocolate — when eaten in moderation in its pure form — can be a good source of nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, iron, phosphorus, and copper, according to WebMD. Raw dark chocolate that has been minimally processed is healthier than milk chocolate and white chocolate.
In honor of World Chocolate Day (July 7), which dates to 2009, below is a list of some of the best chocolate shops in every state and Canada, via Yelp:
Alaska (Anchorage): Alaska Wild Berry Products
Alabama (Gulf Shores): Chocolate Corner & Ice Cream
Arkansas (Bentonville): Markham & Fitz
Arizona (Scottsdale): Zak’s Chocolate
California (Idyllwild): El Buen Cacao
Colorado (Denver): Stargazer Fine Chocolates and Coffee
Connecticut (Goshen): Thorncrest Farm & Milk House Chocolates
DC (Washington): The Chocolate House
Delaware (Rehoboth Beach): Snyder’s Candy
Florida (Lauderdale by the Sea): Jan’s Homemade Candies
Georgia (Atlanta): Xocolatl Small Batch Chocolate
Hawaii (Naalehu): Paradise Meadows, South Point Road
Iowa (Ames): Chocolaterie Stam – Ames
Idaho (Boise): The Chocolat Bar
Illinois (Chicago): Chocolat Uzma
Indiana (Indianapolis): SoChatti
Kansas (Wichita): Cocoa Dolce Artisan Chocolates
Kentucky (Louisville): Art Eatables
Louisiana (New Orleans): Southern Candymakers
Massachusetts (Jamaica Plain): cacao
Maryland (Baltimore): Pure Chocolate By Jinji
Maine (Lubec): Monica’s Chocolates
Michigan (Grand Rapids): Mokaya
Minnesota (Saint Paul): Legacy Chocolates
Missouri (Kansas City): Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates
Mississippi (Jackson): Nandy’s Candy
Montana (Bozeman): La Châtelaine Chocolat Co.
Nebraska (Lincoln): The Chocolate Season
Nevada (Gardnerville): Chocolate Shoppe
New Hampshire (Manchester): Dancing Lion Chocolate
New Jersey (Merchantville): Aunt Charlotte”s Candies & Gifts
New Mexico (Taos): Chokolà
New York (New York): Confectionery (particularly the Harlem Chocolate Factory)
North Carolina (Raleigh): Escazú Chocolates
North Dakota (Fargo): Sweet Dreams Confections
Ohio (Grandview Heights): Pure Imagination Chocolatier
Oklahoma (Norman): Apple Tree Chocolate
Oregon (Portland): JinJu Patisserie
Pennsylvania (Hellertown): Dolce Patisserie
Rhode Island (Warwick): Trinity Confections
South Carolina (Charleston): Christophe Artisan Chocolatier-Patissier
South Dakota (Deadwood): Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolates
Tennessee (Chattanooga): The Hot Chocolatier
Texas (San Antonio): Delice Chocolatier & Patisserie
Utah (Springdale): Springdale Candy Company
Vermont (Stowe): Laughing Moon Chocolates
Virginia (Alexandria): Fleurir Hand Grown Chocolates
Washington (Seattle): Intrigue Chocolate
West Virginia (Vienna): Holl’s Chocolate
Wisconsin (Milwaukee): Indulgence Chocolatiers
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