Xicolatada

When:
🗓️ August 16

Where:
🌍 Languedoc-Roussillon (France) 🇫🇷

Created by: 🤷

The sweet cure for a pounding head and queasy stomach after a night of fiesta.🍫

Large cauldrons of hot chocolate! 🍫

The Xicolatada tradition sounds like a holiday that was made up on the spot by someone with a mouthful of chocolate. Just like all those frivolously sounding candy holidays that we love because we love the candy!
But, in fact, Xicolatada is a legit old tradition in Languedoc-Roussillon.

And why not?
We have a holiday for everything else, so why not celebrate a holiday that gives us an excuse to drink hot chocolate at 11 in the morning from giant cauldrons over open fires?

The Origins of Xicolatada

According to local lore, the Xicolatada tradition started as a cure for hangovers after an annual feast on August 15.
As people stumbled out of the feast with pounding headaches and queasy stomachs, they turned to hot chocolate to soothe their aching heads. And who can blame them? A warm and delicious cup of hot chocolate was just what the doctor ordered!

Xicolatada takes place on August 16 at exactly 11 o’clock in the morning.
To make this delicious drink, local chocolatiers gather around colossal cauldrons on open fires brewing each their own signature blend of steamy hot chocolate.

Hot Chocolate For Hangovers?

Some people might be hesitant to drink chocolate when they’re feeling rough after a night of indulgence, but believe it or not, hot chocolate can actually help cure a hangover!
Fact is that drinking any fluid at all helps with hydration and chocolate is scientifically proven to be a wonderful medicine for several occasions where you need that little extra boost. Chocolate contains several forms of minerals that replenish your body’s nutritional needs. Plus, the sugar, caffeine, and theobromine in chocolate help lift your mood and give you the energy you need to start your day.
It’s like aspirin, but with improved taste!
However, consuming too much chocolate can cause sugar crashes, so be careful not to overindulge!

Celebrating Xicolatada

Gather your friends and family and celebrate Xicolatada in your backyard with your own cauldron of hot chocolate.
The easiest method is to mix cocoa powder and sugar into hot water or milk. It’s the most basic hot chocolate recipe of old times. But if you like to make it more chocolaty, consider melting in some chocolate bars or adding vanilla, cinnamon, mint or fruit syrups or whatever is your favorite flavor. Go wild!
And remember, when a recipe calls for milk, then about 99% of the time it’s perfectly fine to use a plant based milk of your choice.
It’s your party, your rules!

Or take a trip to Languedoc-Roussillon and experience the tradition firsthand.
Either way, be sure to raise a cup of warm and delicious hot chocolate to this sweet holiday.

À Ta Santé!

So, let’s raise a cup of Xicolatada and toast to this sweet and warm tradition.
It might sound absurd, but isn’t that what makes it so wonderful?
And if anyone asks why your cauldron smells so delicious, just tell them it’s Xicolatada and hand them a warm cup of chocolate.

Happy Xicolatada!

🐾⚠️ Cocoa is Toxic to Most Animals -> Keep it Out of Reach! ⚠️🐾

Humans have a special ability that most animals don’t have. We can digest chocolate without harmful effects!
Cocoa contains a compound called theobromine, which can be quite toxic to most animals.
It can cause vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and even death in some cases.
Theobromine also has the deceptive ability to linger in the body which makes small doses still dangerous in the long term.

Plz keep your chocolates out of reach and call your vet right away if you suspect they’ve ingested anything with cocoa.