Chocolate treats are a favorite worldwide. Holidays such as Halloween and Valentine's Day see chocolate consumption go through the roof, as sweet snacks are the centerpiece of these occasions.
The average American consumes 10 to 12 pounds of chocolate per year, and residents of Switzerland, one of the top chocolate-producing regions of the world, consume a whopping 21 pounds of chocolate each year.
When enjoyed in moderation, chocolate actually can have health benefits. Research has indicated that dark chocolate is high in antioxidants, those nutritional elements responsible for fending off diseases in the body. Therefore treating your valentine to chocolate will be good for his or her heart in both the physical and romantic sense.
Also, chocolate is known to be a mood-booster. Chemicals in chocolate affect levels of the body's mood-affecting chemicals, including serotonin, endorphins and phenylethylamine. This can bring a feeling of euphoria, which only enhances sensations of romance and love. Perhaps this is why chocolate has been linked to Valentine's Day celebrations.
The sweet confection that most enjoy and know today as chocolate is very different from the chocolate of the past. Chocolate comes from the cacao bean, which grows on a tropical evergreen called the cacao tree. These trees are very delicate and often do not produce fruit until 4 to 5 years of age. It is surmised that the world was introduced to cacao when Christopher Columbus first visited the Americas and brought back samples of cacao beans, but explorer Hernando Cortez was instrumental in creating the commercial fever associated with chocolate.
During his conquest of Mexico, Cortez witnessed local Aztec Indians using cacao beans in the preparation of a drink used in royal celebrations. Emperor Montezuma was reported to drink 50 or more servings of this chocolate brew per day, and regularly served it as a regal drink in golden goblets to guests. It was thought to be a drink of the gods.
However, the drink was very bitter and not readily enjoyed by the Spanish. To make the beverage more palatable, Cortez imagined sweetening it with sugar cane. When Cortez brought the cacao back to Spain, the concoction underwent more changes to fit the tastes of the residents.
Eventually cacao spread to Europe, where different people experimented with extracting ingredients from the beans to make different chocolate products. Beans were pressed to extract the cacao butter, a fat that occurs naturally in the beans. Chocolate became smoother and the chocolate beverage became more like the flavor known today.
Solid eating chocolate was developed in England in 1847 and replaced the coarse, grainy variety that dominated the market. However, it wasn't until 1876 when Daniel Peter in Switzerland developed a way to add milk to the chocolate-making process, giving birth to milk chocolate, that chocolate truly became the product we know today.
Milton Hershey, who invented his own spin on milk chocolate in 1894, played an enormous role in introducing many Americans to the appeal of affordable milk chocolate. The candy giant achieved great fame with mass-produced chocolate bars. In 1907 Hershey's trademark Hershey's Kisses were introduced, even further entwining the notion of chocolate with romance.
The familiar paper tails that peak outside of the kisses were introduced in 1924 to distinguish the Hershey variety from imitators who were cropping up at this time.
Today, chocolate comes in just about every variety imaginable, from milk to dark to semi-sweet to flavors in between. Chocolate is a favorite dessert around the world. Whether enjoyed solid, melted or stirred in beverages, it is likely that chocolate will remain a perennial favorite.
-- Metro Editorial Services
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