National Chocolate Eclair Day is a holiday that celebrates one of the most delicious and delectable cream-filled pastries ever created. This holiday falls on June 22nd every year and is the perfect excuse for people to run out and buy one, a dozen, or several dozen of these pastries. It’s also a good day for people to learn the art of making eclairs or to research this dessert’s rich history. No matter how you celebrate this day, however, there’s one thing for sure—it’s going to be a very sweet day.

The History Of Chocolate Eclairs

We were unable to uncover the history of National Chocolate Eclair Day, but we were able to dig up the origins of chocolate eclairs. This oblong pastry originated during the 19th century in France and was known as the “petite duchesse.” It went by this name until at least the mid-19th century. Although it’s unknown who invented the eclair, it is known that the first reference to it was a recipe for eclairs that appeared in the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Mrs. D.A. Lincoln. This book was published in 1884.

Sweet Facts About Chocolate Eclairs

As we dug into this sweet holiday, we learned quite a few sweet facts about not only chocolate eclairs but also all different types of eclairs. To help our readers celebrate this holiday to the best of their ability, we’ve decided to list some of these eclair facts below so that everyone can enjoy them while they’re enjoying their eclairs on this day.

• Eclair is French for “Lightning.”
• Some people believe that these pastries were named after lightning because their frosting sprinkles originally resembled lightning bolts.
• Long Johns and eclairs might look the same, but they aren’t the same.
• Long Johns use doughnut pastry—which is a yeast-risen dough. Eclairs use a steam-puffed dough.
• The filling for eclairs can be vanilla or chocolate, fruit flavors, nut flavors, coffee flavor, or even rum flavored.

Observing National Chocolate Eclair Day

National Chocolate Eclair Day can be celebrated in just one way, by enjoying some authentic eclairs. This doesn’t mean picking up “faux eclairs,” also known as Long Johns. No, those simply won’t suffice. You need to pick up honest-to-goodness eclairs. Or if you can’t find eclairs in your area, maybe it’s time to learn how to make them yourself. If you do manage to make the perfect eclairs, be sure to post a picture of them to social media using the hashtag #NationalChocolateEclairDay. And while you’re enjoying some eclairs, don’t forget to bring some over for us.