National Milk Chocolate Day is a holiday that celebrates one of the most loved candies in the world: milk chocolate. This holiday interestingly falls on July 28th every year—considering that this day is in the middle of summer and milk chocolate is especially vulnerable to melting. However, that shouldn’t keep anyone from celebrating this day and having a good time.

The History Of National Milk Chocolate Day

National Milk Chocolate Day is a holiday that was invented prior to 2019 by the National Confectioners Association to encourage people to buy milk chocolate. Although this holiday begins with the word “national,” it’s not an official holiday, which means that businesses, government buildings, and banks will remain open on this day. Even so, it’s still a day that chocolate lovers are probably going to want to celebrate in some way.

The History of Milk Chocolate

As we’ve discussed in other holiday articles, chocolate is a product that’s been enjoyed by human beings for thousands of years. Mesoamerican people made an assortment of chocolate beverages by grinding cacao seeds and mixing them with water and various ingredients. Cacao beans were taken back to Europe, where a variety of different beverages were made from them.

In 1815, a Dutch chemist named Coenraad van Houten introduced alkaline salts into chocolate, which greatly reduced its natural bitterness. Thirteen years later, in 1828, he invented a press capable of removing half the natural fat from chocolate. This created what would become known as Dutch cocoa. Many historians believe the creation of Dutch cocoa to be the beginning of the age of modern chocolate.

In 1875, Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolatier, invented milk chocolate when he mixed powdered milk developed by Henri Nestlé with chocolate liquor. Over the rest of the 19th and 20th centuries, milk chocolate continued to be refined until it became the delicious product that we all know and love today.

Celebrating National Milk Chocolate Day

National Milk Chocolate Day can be enjoyed by taking the time to buy and savor some of the fine milk chocolate that exists. A person can buy a milk chocolate bar and enjoy it in their spare time, or they can incorporate milk chocolate into their favorite recipe. They can also take some of their favorite milk chocolate bars, melt them, and then drizzle them on a bowl of ice cream. Wow, that sounds delicious.

No matter how they enjoy this revered holiday, however, they should be sure to take the time to use the hashtag #NationalMilkChocolateDay to let the world know that they’re celebrating this holiday. This is a day that we all can appreciate and celebrate together. Just be sure not to confuse it with National Chocolate Milk Day, a holiday that celebrates chocolate milk and is celebrated on September 27th.