Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

Hot chocolate

Hot chocolate is a hot drink that is made by mixing cocoa powder or chocolate with warm milk or hot water.

It is a warm drink that evokes memories of childhood and makes you happy to drink it.

If you enjoy both alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, check out National Beverage Day for some recipes and fun ways to celebrate.

It is thought that hot chocolate may be healthy because it is full of antioxidants.
Up until the late 1800s doctors used hot chocolate as a medicine to treat some diseases.
Many believe that the first hot chocolate drink was made by the Mayans about 2000 years ago.
The drink was brought to the new world when it was brought up from Mexico.
Italians drink a very thick hot chocolate called cioccolata densa.
Hot chocolate wasn’t always sweet. Early Aztec versions were a bitter drink called xocoatl which is made with chilies, toasted cor and warm water.
Pope Gregory XIII decreed that drinkable chocolate was find even during fasting days.
Chocolate houses were all the rage in 17th century England.
Thomas Jefferson was a big fan of hot chocolate.
The YMCA served hot chocolate to WWI soldiers. (They also sent peanut clusters as a sweet treat, too.)
Chocolate is one of the minor Valentine’s Day symbols – so it would be as fitting to have a cup of hot chocolate on Valentine’s Day as it would to enjoy on one National Hot Chocolate Day!

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking

The White Viking