Top 10 Amazing Facts About Chocolate

Chocolate, the word that makes our mouth water. May it be a six year old kid or a sixty year old man every one can play little mischievous tricks to have a bar of chocolates. Looking at the fondness of people it is unlikely that one will ever stop consuming them. Let us look at some interesting facts about chocolates. Some of these facts will definitely blow your mind.

Top 10 Amazing Facts About Chocolate

10. The term chocolate is a derived from Aztec language. It is combination of two words cacahuatl and xocolatl that means bitter water. Chocolate is made from cocoa beans. Cocoa tree is scientifically called the Theobroma Cacao which is a Greek word that means food for the gods. The trees can bloom in every season but require moist and warm climates to grow.

9. Chocolate is loved by all and has been eaten by people of every age group since ancient times. Chocolate is great source of energy. This is why one can always find chocolates in bag of a mountaineer. Chocolates are available in more than 500 flavors. Every year more than 600,000 tons of cocoa beans are used to extract chocolates.

8. A tribe in South Mexico consumed chocolate every time during 1000 B.C. Liquid Chocolate was drunk by Mayans on every auspicious occasion, like engagements and weddings. In fact they also drank it on funerals. Cocoa beans were considered valuable in ancient Mexico and were used for calculations and even currency by the Maya and the other following tribes. It was believed Cacao Beans came from paradise and would bring wisdom and power to anyone eating them.

7. The chocolate can be stored safely for about a year but when kept in a freezer it can be stored for an infinite time. Cocoa beans contain cocoa butter that can be extracted from roasted and crushed Cocoa beans. The melting point of the butter is just below normal human body temperature. This is the reason why chocolate melts instantly when kept in mouth.

6. Chocolate is absolutely safe to consume under 22lb of chocolate. In fact a chocolate before a meal will help you eat less but feel fuller. Chocolate is also known to stimulate the release of serotonin, a hormone that makes a person feel relaxed, calm, and happy. This is the reason why chocolates are eaten during depression. It helps you feel better. It is also known to help during high blood pressure.

5. The Mexican nuns were the first to use chocolate products for commercial use. They manufactured the products for a fund raiser program in 1700s. Chocolates were first introduced in Europe by Christopher Columbus, when he brought cocoa beans from the Caribbean islands while returning from his voyage in 1502. The maximum chocolates are produced and consumed by Americans today.

4. The actual discovery of cocoa plants to be edible was done by the predecessors of humans, the monkeys. Milton Hershey at the age of 19 first set up his confectionery shop in 1871 in Philadelphia. He is responsible for the mass production of chocolate in America and was nicknamed the “Henry Ford of Chocolate”. Hershey’s is the oldest and largest chocolate company in the United States.

3. Chocolate also plays a crucial role in the invention of microwaves. Scientists used to test a device called magnetron that emitted micro waves. One day a scientist called Percy Spencer passed by such a device with a chocolate bar in his pocket. He realized that the bar has melted. Then he tried popping corn and was successful.

2. Chocolates are available in the most unusual flavors one can think of. Chocolates are mixed with spices like chilies, pepper and fennel. Chocolates in tomato, basil and cauliflower flavor are also available.

1. People spend more than $20 billion annually on chocolate. More than 40% almonds and 20% peanuts produced in the world are used for making chocolates.