Some of us not only indulge in sweets and treats, we practically celebrate them.
Well, fortunately for us, December is one of the few months each year that doesn't skimp on honoring candy and sugared delicacies.
On the back of National Cookie Day on Dec. 4, we at TravelPulse decided to highlight several other treats celebrated in December by tracking down where they originated. Heck, we'll even give you some of the best sweets companies to check out at these historic locations.
So, follow this map of Candyland, where your taste buds will worship you and your belly won't.
National Cotton Candy Day, Dec. 7
St. Louis, Mo.
According to PunchBowl.com, William Morrison and John C. Warton are credited with inventing cotton candy back in 1897, but they didn't introduce it to the public until the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Despite being sold for a whole 25 cents (half the price of admission), the cotton candy was still reportedly gobbled up.
Check out St. Louis Snow Cone for some great cotton candy. The company provides 13 different base flavors, as well as custom flavors like Cherry Limeade and Berries & Cream. Cotton candy is also made fresh on site.
National Brownie Day, Dec. 8
The Palmer House, Chicago
The story goes that Kentucky socialite Bertha Honore-who married Chicago real estate mogul Potter Palmer-prompted the invention of the brownie in 1893 at The Palmer House in Chicago.
With the Columbian Exposition in town, Bertha asked her chef to cook up a dessert that "would not dirty the hands of the guests." That dessert-complete with apricots and walnuts-ended up being the brownie.
The Palmer House still serves the original recipe today.
Holidays: National Cocoa Day, Dec. 13; National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day, Dec. 16; National Chocolate Day, Dec. 28
Puerto Escondido, Honduras
Chocolate was invented by the Aztecs and Mayans in Honduras at least 3,100 years ago, according to scientists in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences", per the Daily Mail.
Of course, the hot cocoa they consumed back then was of the alcoholic variety, believed to have been produced by fermenting the pulp around the cacao seeds.
Askinoe Chocolate produces chocolate bars and cocoa beverages via farmer Fermin Arriaga in nearby Cortes, Honduras.
National Maple Syrup Day, Dec. 17
Quebec, Canada
Native Americans in the northeastern region of North America are largely credited with the invention of maple syrup.
While a particular location hasn't been widely pinned down, Quebec and Alberta in Canada and Michigan and Vermont in the United States routinely come up. Some of the Native American tribes were located in these areas, and French cosmographer Andre Thevet wrote about Jacques Cartier learning about maple syrup from the Native Americans during his voyages in Canada.
I'll highlight Quebec for this piece, considering it's currently the world's largest maple syrup producer by far.
Check out the Citadelle Maple Syrup Producers' Cooperative for all of your maple cravings.
Chewing Gum Patented Dec. 28
Staten Island, N.Y.
William Semple filed the first patent for chewing gum on Dec. 28, 1869, so he deserves some credit.
But modern chewing gum in the United States originates from Staten Island inventor Thomas Adams.
The story goes that General Antonio de Santa Anna-in exile from Mexico-suggested to Adams that he experiment with the natural latex chicle.
Santa Anna marketed the chicle as a means for Adams to inexpensively make synthetic rubber tires and products, but Adams got the idea to add flavoring to the chicle.
In 1871, Adams New York Chewing Gum went on sale in drugstores, and the rest is history. Adams Sons and Company was the nation's most prosperous chewing gum company at the turn of the century, credited as the maker of Chiclets.
Chiclets can still be found all over the world in stores. Check out OldTimeCandy.com to buy online.
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