Every year on 11 July, sweet tooth from all over the world celebrate World Chocolate Day.
This holiday was invented by the French in 1995, and was originally conceived as a domestic, national holiday, but chocolate lovers and sweet tooth in general really liked the idea, and Chocolate Day began to be celebrated all over the world.

According to popular belief, chocolate was invented by the Aztecs or Mayans. They discovered the beneficial properties of cocoa beans and began to prepare a drink called xocolatl, which was used in magical rituals and ceremonies. To make it, they ground cocoa beans, mixed them with wine and added spices.
Later, the Spanish invaded the Indians' land and took not only treasures with them, but also the recipe for the drink. In Europe, the delicacy became so popular that it was nicknamed ‘Theobroma cacao,’ which translates as ‘Food of the Gods.’

Chocolate was consumed in this form until the mid-19^th century, when Dutch scientist Coenraad van Houten (1801–1887) invented a press, which he decided to use to crush cocoa beans. This experiment resulted in two products: cocoa powder and fatty cocoa butter. The powder was used to make less fatty drinks, which were more similar to modern cocoa. Cocoa butter, however, had to wait for its moment to shine.
In 1847, Englishman Joseph Fry decided to mix cocoa butter with grated cocoa and obtained a chocolate paste that hardened and retained its shape. A few years later, in 1875, Swiss Daniel Peter added dry milk to this mixture, and thus milk chocolate was born.
Chocolate appeared in Russia during the reign of Peter I. History says that the tsar brought it from the West along with coffee.

Interesting fact: there are several key dates associated with this holiday: July 7 – the day when chocolate is believed to have been brought to Europe; July 11 – World Chocolate Day; July 28 – Milk Chocolate Day in the United States; and September 13 – International Chocolate Day.
As for the holiday itself, on this day, confectionery factories around the world hold open days. Visitors are shown master classes on making desserts and told about their benefits and harms.

There are three museums of chocolate in Russia – in Moscow, St. Petersburg and in Pokrov. Every year on July 11, they host large-scale celebrations and fairs.

Some interesting facts about chocolate:
– Belgium produces approximately 220,000 tonnes of chocolate per year.
– Dark chocolate contains the most cocoa and the least sugar, which is why it is considered the healthiest type of chocolate.The smell of chocolate helps to relax.
– It is believed that chocolate creates a feeling similar to being in love in the human body.
– Switzerland consumes the most chocolate: on average, each Swiss person eats more than 8 kg of chocolate per year.
– The Aztecs considered chocolate to be a powerful aphrodisiac. In addition, cocoa beans served as currency for the Aztecs.

Dessert tableware is a separate category within the large family of serving utensils, distinguished by its variety and originality of design. The museum's ‘Art Glass and Ceramics’ and ‘Metal Artworks’ collections feature dessert tableware items, some of which are presented in our new themed album.

Museum Collection together with the United Confectioners Holding presents a chocolate gramophone record with the recording of ‘Viennese Waltz’ by of Ralph Benatzky.

Small discs made of high-quality chocolate were used to record the melody of the ‘Phonoliszt-Violina Model B’ Orchestrion – ‘Viennese Waltz’ by composer Ralph Benatzky. You can see the process of reproducing the melody and listen to the waltz on the museum website in the section ‘Video Archive’.

The museum ‘Collection’ exposition features a Stollwerck gramophone designed for chocolates, as well as children's toy turntables made by ’Nirona’.

On the cover: Bowl for sweets. Khlebnikov factory. Russia, Moscow. 1908-1917