Oaxaca will celebrate National Cocoa and Chocolate Day, find out where and when

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Oaxaca.- In Mexico, we celebrate the National Cocoa and Chocolate Day every September 2, a date that aims to spread the benefits of this food and encourage its consumption; this year it will be commemorated with a panel of conferences given by producers, experts and authorities that will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Oaxaca Gastronomic Center.

Mexico is the cradle of cocoa and is recognized worldwide for the quality and aroma of its seeds, information from the Center for Studies for Sustainable Rural Development and Food Sovereignty (CEDRSSA), highlights that our country is located in the thirteenth place of production worldwide. The annual demand for Mexican cocoa is 120 thousand tons.

Cocoa and chocolate are the protagonists of multiple recipes and drinks, their flavor enhances the value of traditional and contemporary cuisine. The Mexican producers of these elements make great efforts to cultivate them and to strengthen the value chain that begins in the field, in the transformation of the product to later enjoy its various presentations.

Thanks to the fact that the state of Oaxaca is positioned as one of the main consumers of cocoa in the country, the  National Association of Manufacturers of Chocolates, Sweets and Similar, AC (ASCHOCO),  together with the Government of the State of Oaxaca, will celebrate in this magical destination a panel with the presence of gastronomy personalities, as well as with great promoters of this ancestral ingredient, in the recently inaugurated Oaxaca Gastronomic Center.

The celebration of the National Cocoa and Chocolate Day seeks to exalt and spread the value of a product that is part of our culture and identity; he program of activities begins with the opening ceremony, followed by the panel “Challenges and opportunities in the development of the cocoa and chocolate sector in Oaxaca” scheduled at 11:00 a.m.

The second panel, “Cultural, gastronomic and social impact of cocoa and chocolate in Oaxaca and Mexico”, will take place at 12:00 p.m., and finally “Young chocolatiers, venturing into new markets from Oaxaca”, at 1:00 p.m.

It should be noted that, in 2021, at the summit event to qualify the quality of the world’s cocoa, the Cocoa of Excellence Contest, organized every two years by Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, the Chiapas seed was classified as one of the 50 best cocoas in the world.

With the presentation of this academic program, ASCHOCO ratifies its commitment to work on the preservation of an ancient food that is part of our roots as Mexicans and that represents the livelihood of hundreds of families who work in this sector.

Access to the conference panel that celebrates the National Cocoa and Chocolate Day is free, this Friday, September 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Oaxaca Gastronomic Center, located on Calle Garcí a Vigil #610 , In the city center.

The Oaxaca Gastronomic Center joins the festivities with the offer of dishes, drinks and desserts inspired by cocoa and chocolate; each of the eight bars that represent the restaurants Origen, Pitiona, Zandunga, Las Quince Letras, Tierra del Sol, El Tendajón Agavería, Casa Oaxaca and Maguey y Maíz will offer their own proposals, as well as Chagüita ice cream, Blasón coffee, mixology from Barra Archivo and craft beer from the Oaxacan Brewers Association.

In Oaxaca, areas of Valle Nacional, Tuxtepec, Soyaltepec, Santiago Jocotepec and Acatlán are positioned as the main producers of cocoa in the entity, highlighted the State Economy Secretariat.

The Oaxaca Post