A little reason to celebrate
National Bittersweet Chocolate Day
Food ยท January 10
A day for bittersweet chocolate, the darker, less sugary chocolate prized by bakers and anyone who likes a little bite with their sweet.
National Bittersweet Chocolate Day falls on Sunday, January 10, 2027. That is 75 days away.
Bittersweet chocolate sits on the darker end of the chocolate shelf. It is made from cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar, with less sugar than milk chocolate and usually no milk at all. The result is deep, a little sharp, and only partly sweet, which is the whole point of the name.
Bakers keep it close. It melts smoothly into ganache, brownies, sauces and flourless cakes, and its stronger flavor holds up against butter, cream and sugar that would drown a milder chocolate. Many recipes use bittersweet and semisweet almost interchangeably, though bittersweet tends to taste less sweet and more intense.
Eaten plain, it rewards going slowly. Let a square sit on your tongue instead of chewing, and the flavor shifts as it melts, sometimes fruity, sometimes roasty, sometimes close to coffee. Wrappers often list a cacao percentage, and a higher number generally means less room left for sugar.
It also pairs well with things that seem unlikely at first. Sea salt, orange peel, chili, almonds and a glass of red wine all show up next to bittersweet chocolate, and each one pulls out a different side of it. A cup of hot chocolate made from melted bittersweet bars, rather than powder, is thicker and darker than most people expect.
Ways to celebrate
- Taste two bittersweet bars with different cacao percentages side by side.
- Bake a batch of brownies using chopped bittersweet chocolate.
- Melt a few squares into warm milk for a rich hot chocolate.
- Try a square of bittersweet chocolate with a pinch of sea salt.
- Share a favorite bittersweet bar with a friend and compare notes.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Saturday, January 10 |
| 2027 | Sunday, January 10 |
| 2028 | Monday, January 10 |
| 2029 | Wednesday, January 10 |
| 2030 | Thursday, January 10 |
All national days on January 10
Also on January 10
Categories: Food days